I’m from the Delta. Home of wide open flat spaces. No exciting scenery, no tall buildings, subways, or buses. Heck we don’t even have cabs. If you are not fortunate enough to have a car you are pretty much screwed and have to pay friends to get from place to place or walk. So I was in my hometown of Clarksdale, MS this weekend and came up with this crazy idea to shoot this street at the break of dawn. I’ve been passing by it for a few weeks now thinking man this would be an amazing photograph. I’d gone thru …more

So I finally made it to one of my boss’ basketball team’s games. He coaches for the Memphis Pharaohs here in Memphis. They are a relatively new time that came together November of last year but they have been doing very well on the court.  They always welcome new talent so if you know any good players check out The Memphis Pharaohs fan page on Facebook here.This was one of my first times shooting at a sporting event (I’ve shot football before) and it is like a whole different ball park in comparison to what I’m used to. …more

I’m such a sucker for black and white photography. Its just something about that nice rich black that is just so visually pleasing to me.  The simplicity and purity of it lures people from far an wide to marvel at it. Most people can’t help but to stop and stare. I think that’s what keeps it around considering it has to compete with its opposite–color photography.

I don’t have much experience photographing animals. They never can seem to sit still for me!  Once I wanted to get this amazingly awesome shot of an ape but he insisted on keeping his back …more

“Learn your craft, shoot what you really care about, and don’t give up.”

As a African American growing up, I really didn’t have a lot influences when it came to the arts. My parents weren’t really  into art or knew a lot about it. I didn’t have more many people telling me that art was cool or something to go into. Even when I decided to take it seriously and make it a career there was still a lack of African Americans in the field. In college there were maybe 10 of us in the whole department and I can’t say …more

 
 
“I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.” —Elbert Hubbard
 
 
So every year for Thanksgiving I’m the appointed family photographer. I can pretty much give up trying spend Thanksgiving elsewhere lol. I’ve been shooting my family professionally for Thanksgiving for three years now and I think I enjoy it more than they do.
 
I like looking back on the pictures and seeing how my family has changed these past couple of years. Also taking family portraits is the best way to get the family together. We usually spend a …more

 
“Winning is like shaving – you do it every day or you wind up looking like a bum. ”
Jack Kemp
 
 
Often times at work I feel like such a failure. As a graphic designer with demanding clients, you have very little time to think. Hours are like days and minutes are like hours. I wish that I was prepared for this while attaining my degree. I can remember having weeks to finish one project. One can only dream now. I have to remind myself that I’m still relatively new to the field or “green” as my boss would say and …more

 
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”–Albert Camus
 
Anyone that knows me remotely well can tell you that my absolute favorite time of the year is the fall! As a artist and all-around creative person, why wouldn’t I love the fall. It is my favorite time of the year mainly because it’s so full of rich color! That’s enough for any artist to really appreciate it. The vibrant reds, illustrious oranges, and rich browns and greens keep me on a natural high for the duration for the season.
 
Recently I’ve gotten into running. I’ve been mostly running on …more

“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. 
Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality . Wake Up and Live!” —–Bob Marley
 
I always seem to get the best pictures when I’m wandering aimlessly in a new place. This time I landed in downtown Memphis, an area I really hadn’t had much of an opportunity to explore with my camera. Although I thoroughly enjoy living in the city, I really hate parking. Its almost never free and …more

 
I was on my way back to Memphis last Sunday afternoon, when I noticed the cotton fields were in bloom. Fresh, beautiful cotton was everywhere. On the occasions when something catches my eye, I rarely ever stop to actually take a picture of it. I still don’t know what made me stop that day, but I’m really glad I did. At first glance I didn’t think I got very much after reviewing the pictures I shot. I once heard that if your pictures aren’t good then you’re probably not close enough. Whoever said that is more right than …more

So I was driving home from a friends house one day and happened to notice the sun going down. I’m really working on taking the time to actually pay attention to the little things in life that makes me happy. I’m really fascinated with nature and the sky. Sunsets are amazing and I’m still working on getting up early enough to see a sunrise lol.
 
 

Still working on this carrying some type of camera with me at all times to document my life visually as well as with journals and drawings and such. So I was sitting the other day relaxing after work and realized me an my honey both had on chucks! I’m a BIG chuck taylor fan so I decided to take a picture with my iphone. Of course I did a few minor edits in photoshop to enhance to picture just a little lol. I can’t wait to look back on my life and see all the craziness of my early adulthood. …more

So I think I’m going to really start taking my camera with me everywhere and start documenting my life more visually. I think it can be very interesting visually. So everyone that knows me pretty well knows that I spend a lot of time working in our family owned daycare. Kids are fun but I’ve worked there for years and unfortunately don’t want any of my own anymore lol. They always give me a great range of facial expressions and I love how they are so honest about how they feel about certain things. …more

So I’m really happy to report that I landed a new photo client! A girl I went to college with is the cheerleading coach at Eastside High in Cleveland, MS and she asked me to shoot their cheerleading photos. I’m so excited! It shall be my first experience shooting a school team. I’m just glad that I have til November to shoot cause it sure is hot outside these days. I’ll be one of the first people to welcome the fall weather.

So this Saturday I finished my last wedding of the summer. It was both a happy and sad moment. Happy because I made it thru the summer pretty successful in terms of satisfying clients and doing what I believe to be a pretty good job for my first try at this. Although I still feel like there’s so much stuff to learn. Its sad because although its really tiresome and stressful I think I’m going to miss it. Who would have thought that I’d be a wedding photographer. That was so not even part of the plan. I just …more

So I’m begining to see that I suck at this lol. Maybe I should have taken some business classes when I was in college. I finally feel confident with my quality of work to want to promote myself and now I’m learning that promotion is almost as art as the art itself.

I really wish that word of mouth spread quicker and vaster than its currently doing.  I was thinking about taking out an ad in the newspaper but who really reads that anymore.  I think I’ll create a banner for myself and just pay monthly to have it shown on …more