I’m anticipating a good start to my weekend one day early & I hope to share some really great news Thursday evening.

If my things go as expected, it means that one of my bright ideas has manifested & will help move my photography career in a great direction.

Stay tuned!!!!!!

In other news:
- I ate two too many cookies tonight
- I totally blew my finance midterm
- I’m watching “Cinema Paridiso” (one of my favorite foreign films) this weekend.

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UPDATE:

Well, it jumped of today & my news is that………………….

I NOW HAVE STUDIO SPACE! Yes me!!!

It’s actually a shared space with the “Detroit League of Photographers” at the Russell Industrial Center (east side of Detroit), which is a hub of creativity that hosts a variety of artists.

I plan on being set up at the Russell in April, which is perfect because I have a shoot at the beginning of the month.

With this space, I can grow my business, not have to scavenge to borrow space & attract a wider variety of clients.

I’ve been dreaming of having a space at the Russell Industrial Center for the last two years but timing, opportunity, & resources were not aligned. Good thing I have some patience because this venture with the Detroit League of Photographers is right on time!

I’ll give this a try for several months & reevaluate. If all goes well, then great! If all is blah, then oh well.

Overall, I hope this will be my field of dreams. I’m building it & I want them to come. Whoever they may be.

In other news:
- I’m gonna eat another cookie tonight

Finding organic subjects is not always a easy thing to do during the cold Midwestern winters. I can’t wait until spring is here because I need to see colors other than white, gray, & brown.

I’m longing to see red, purple, blue & yellow. I’m ready to see leaves, bees, grass & flowers. LIFE!

This month marks my 6 year Brotherlock anniversary. Woo Hoo!!! No, it’s really not that exciting but yet here I am.

When I got my Brotherlock six years ago, it took 16 hours & $475.00 to lock my 2.5” hair. My ass still goes numb from the though of sitting that long. Today, my locks measure about 16”.

6 years later, the dumbest question that people still ask me is “how long I’m gone let them thangs get?” Oh the ignorance from my beloved Negro folk. If your interested in more of my hair annoyances invoked by others, click here.

Thinking back, I laugh at myself because my locks looked retarded & it took a good six months to feel totally comfortable with them. Now they’re longs as hell & wind up in my mouth while I’m sleeping. I guess I should put getting a 5-6” trim higher on my priority list.

No matter what, I’m happy that I went with the Brotherlocks locking method vs. traditional locks. They fit my lifestyle much better. For your reference, I started off with traditional locks & me & that process didn’t get along at all. I tried it for like 4 months & it was just a no go.

From time to time, I wonder how many brothers out there with Brotherlocks actually exist because I rarely see any no matter where I travel. I have my suspicions why.

I guess I will celebrate my 6 year Brotherlock anniversary with a bottle of expensive shampoo & a braid out when I got my money right.

Before I wrap this post, I must take a moment to acknowledge some rampant website jankiness that has gone on for far too long.

Dear Dr. JoAnne Cornwell,

The Sisterlocks websites is still outdated & janky as hell. And you still fail to mention Brotherlocks or any other type of inclusiveness.

A good website redesign would cost anywhere from $1200 – $2000, please invest in your business boo. As you know, first impressions are everything.

I’m just saying. OK. Thanks. Bye!

Last Saturday was a busy but VERY productive day! It all started with a headshot session with actress Misty Mills at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

The session lasted about 1 hour & it moved by quickly! The great thing about the DIA is that it has tons of windows & skylights, so the available light was nothing less than perfect. There are also great architectural backdrops that can be used without blocking any public space, which is just AWESOME.

Above is one of my favorite shots from the session! Here is another outtake from Misty’s shoot that really shows her personality, vibrancy & beautiful eyes.

Misty is actually the 2nd person who I have done headshots for & I think I’m a lot better than before. Hopefully, I can attract more of this type work to get even better.

Practice makes perfect. Right?

Misty had this to say once she got her photos back Monday Morning.

“I hate having my picture taken, but Tafari made it a comfortable, relaxed and fun experience! As an actress, it’s important I have a headshot that I can bank my career on and Tafari has a way of capturing not just your features, but your personality as well. He lets the real you shine through in your photographs and shows off what makes you unique.

As a graphic artist, I always end up worrying about the format of a picture and how it might look in the end, which makes me come off as stiff and worried, but with Tafari I never have to worry. I know that I’ll be pleased with the result every time he clicks the button on his camera.” Misty Mills

After my session with Misty, I met with event designer/wedding planner Melinda Anderson aKa MeMe of MeMe Designs to discuss this hot new project that you will hear more about in the coming weeks. And it’s going to big!

I’m so looking forward to what’s coming up!

Back in November 09, I was finally able to see the movie “Precious” (Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire). I had not read the book prior to seeing the film, but friends who had “warned” me about what to expect.

To put things mildly, what I was told really didn’t prepare me for what I saw. I mean I left the theater without being able to close my mouth from shock.

There were several scenes that had me about to break down in major tears but somehow I was able to keep from going there. The emotional/sexual/physical abuse, overt colorism, etc were almost too much. But… the story of a young woman fighting to survive for her sake & the sake of her children helped me make it through the movie. I was hoping that this girl who had everything against her finally won.

Once I got home, I sat down to figure out how I was going to talk about the movie & was stuck. I guess I was stuck because I felt like I was missing something. What did the movie not cover from the book. And I also wanted to know more about Precious’ friends from the “alternative.” So, at this point, I logged onto Amazon & purchased “Push.”

Flash forward>>>>>>>>>>>>

I’ve read the book & it filled in all of the holes that I knew were missing and I was satisfied knowing the complicated back-stories of Precious’ friends.

One thing that stuck with me through the book was this passage from chapter 1:

“I big, I talk, I eats, I cooks, I laugh, watch TV, do what my muver say. But I can see when the picture come back I don’t exist. Don’t nobody want me. Don’t nobody need me. I know who I am. I know who they say I am-vampire sucking the system’s blood. Ugly black grease to be wipe away, punish, kilt, changed, finded a job for.”
~ Precious

Is the book hard to read? Yes! The vernacular is written phonetically & some may struggle with that as I’ve heard.

Is the book graphic? Hell yes! The book makes the movie look like a PG rated after school special.

My favorite laughable take aways from the book not fully played out in the movie? “Cunt Bucket.” & “Hasta la vista, baby.”

“She look at me like I said I wanna suck a dog’s dick or some shit. What’s with this cunt bucket? (That’s what my muver call women she don’t like, cunt buckets. I kinda get it and I kinda don’t get it, but I like the way it sounds so I say it too.)” ~ Precious

——–

“My muver say, “Eighty –six that bitch.” I says into the intercom. “Hasta la vista, baby.” That’s Spanish for good-bye but when niggers say it, it’s like, kiss my ass.” ~ Precious

Without a doubt, “Push” is a MUST read, if you’ve seen or want to see the movie “Precious! The short novel fills in the missing links & believe me there are many. This is surprising because the book is a quick 192 pages compared to the 110 minute movie.

Flash forward one mo’ gin’ (Negro Dialect)>>>>>>>>>>>>

This past Monday I attended a MLK symposium talk sponsored by the University of Michigan titled “Push, Literacy, Women, and African American Literature” given by poet & novelist Sapphire.

Sapphire coming to town was too much like right! While at the talk, I planned on getting my book autographed & asking some of the pressing questions on my mind regarding the movie & book.

After the very exciting session was said & done, I wasn’t able to get my book signed but I did get the chance to ask two of my three questions which are addressed in the audio link here.

I wish I could have asked my 3rd question regarding the content on 111 para 4. I just wanted to be sure that what I read was what I read & not what I was thinking it was.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

A few of my Tweets from the Talk:

• I’m at the Sapphire lecture & the hall is almost at standing room only. Wow! http://twitpic.com/yoj1t http://twitpic.com/yoj1h
• Sapphire is reading from “Push.” I’m loving this!
• White people are leaving the Sapphire’s talk. I guess they cannot handle her reading from “Push.” Interesting!
• Standing in line to ask Sapphire a question. http://twitpic.com/yow8y
• I actually talked with Sapphire. Posting audio later. I’m excited!!!!
• Sapphire just read this woman who tried to read her. Shit!!!
• Male rape victim now at the mic talking to Sapphire. Wow!
• The line was way too long to get my book signed by Sapphire but I was able to get a photo. Yes! http://twitpic.com/yp4kx

Did you see the movie, read the book or both? What are your thoughts?

The last week, has been heavy since the news of the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. The images alone haunted my dreams fro days. The concern over what would happen to my brothers & sisters in the Diaspora in the wake of chaos, destruction & panic broke my heart, as I’m sure is the case with most people who watch and wait for the slightest bit of good news.

The only thing that I knew to do immediately was donate cash for this cause & that was easy. I sent a text message to 501501 with the word Yele. Later, Suite Suzy went online & made a larger donation to the same organization.

Yes, these are small donations but every dollar adds up quickly. So I encourage you to act with a cash donations ASAP.

Here are a few links:

• American Red Cross
• Americares
• CARE
• Direct Relief International
• Doctors Without Borders
• Food for Poor
• Heart to Heart International
• International Rehabilitation Forum
• International Rescue Committee
• Oxfam
• Partners in Health
• Save the Children
• UNICEF
• World Food Programme
• Yele Haiti

As I stated on Twitter earlier this week: “I hate to be the bearer of bad news but prayers don’t deliver food, aid, medicines or missing loved ones. Cash will make all of the above happen. I’m just saying.

On a similar but somewhat related note, I’d like to address Pat Robert’s most ignorant statement to date. In case, you missed it, that fool said… What, you can see for yourself in the video below followed by two on point rebuttals.

I’d like to say Pat Robertson; you have officially been checked bitch!

One a final note, I spotted this very witty note from the devil to Pat Robertson written by Lily Coyle, of Minneapolis on NPR’s website today.

“Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I’m all over that action.

But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I’m no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished.

Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth — glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven’t you seen “Crossroads”? Or “Damn Yankees”?

If I had a thing going with Haiti, there’d be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox — that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it – I’m just saying: Not how I roll.

You’re doing great work, Pat, and I don’t want to clip your wings — just, come on, you’re making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That’s working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best, Satan”

Photo Above:?
Photographer: Unknown
Decedents: 2010 Haiti earthquake victims

If you see Santa, tell that mutha fucka that I need a job, two mortgage payments & three of my medications filled. Thanks! OK! Bye!

If you yesterday told me that Essence magazine was going to call me with a potential photography assignment, I would have cussed you out. But… Today, I would have apologized because ESSENCE MAGAZINE DID call me this afternoon.

I was recently contacted by my friend, author & fellow blogger Richard Graves aKa DJ Black Adam about his upcoming book titled “Unbelieving Believers” in regards to his need for cover art.

After intense negotiations, the rest is history.

Above is the cover art for his release featuring my photo “Like A Prayer.” Funny how my photo title & his book wound up together. I found it to be a fitting choice based on the subject matter of his book.

You can find “Unbelieving Believers” here in paperback & digital download versions.

If you are looking for stock art, check out my stock work available via Getty Images or contact me for details.

Last Friday I worked/attended my 1st masquerade party, the Masquerade Mystique, which was held at the Detroit Music Hall.

I was very excited about this event a) because my friend and client Melinda Anderson of MeMe Designs was the party designer (she always sets it out). b) I always liked Venetian masks but had no reason to buy one until now.

Once I was confirmed to work this party, I began my search for the perfect mask.

My initial thought was to get a “plague mask” but all the ones I liked were upwards of 200 bucks. So since I had my mind on this one particular style, I had to search hard for a reasonable alternative, which was not all that easy.

Searching for a true Venetian mask had me a little stressed after 3 days of tuning up nothing. It was starting to look like I was going to have to order a mask from a European seller to get what I wanted. When I was about to throw the towel in, I got a lead from my girl Brunsli via Twitter & stumbled upon www.magicofvenezia.com, a US seller.

My mask seeking drama was over & they had everything I needed to select from. Actually, I had my Twitter followers vote on a mask for me & the mask pictured above was the winner.

I wore the Zanni Ibiz mask with my Nigerian agbada. The pairing made for a very colorful get-up as my good friend Zana would say.

It was very fun seeing & hearing people react to my look, but I didn’t like the drink women pulling on my nose & saying “oh you have a big one.”

While this was my first masquerade, I was familiar with attire standards; I just chose to Africanize my look. Other obvious 1st timers had no clue how to dress. I was actually shocked to see so many pirates, Wolverine & other character themed looks. Maybe next year, I will issue a what not to wear warning. I’m just saying.

Looking past the costume follies gone wrong, Masquerade Mystique was just excellent! Great food & drink, burlesque dancers, half naked women doing bad bad things (“Eyes Wide Shut” style), midgets little people & a whole lot more. I’m already thinking of my mask for next year & hoping Melinda will hire me again!