Last week, while on vacay in NYC I had the awesome opportunity to photograph Janella. What made it awesome was that she’s a great person & it was her birthday, working on the Brooklyn Bridge & then getting a mini tour of Brooklyn during the course of the shoot.

I told Suite Suzy that working with Janella was the best shoot I had all summer. It was totally easy going, not too hot & we laughed all the way through it.  I cannot work & be serious without laughter!

Janella is totally a Brooklyn girl & describes herself as an intense but free-spirited workaholic (a union representative who LOVES her career).  She also says that she is a bit much (but she’s cool with that). She’s happy,  loves to laugh, and makes the effort to be a good friend to really good people.

I say that, she’s just all that!

Since Janella is all things Brooklyn, she wanted to incorporate her city in the shoot, so the Brooklyn Bridge seemed like a natural location choice.

My one concern was that people would be all over the place on the bridge but that was far from the case. People that walked past cleared the way & even complimented my model. That was pretty cool.

This may sound crazy but I really felt like I knew what I was doing when we were on the bridge. I was in a very nice zone!

After we wrapped at the BB, we headed to the Brooklyn Museum, which is MASSIVE! Outside of the museum are some great backdrop features that could yield some very diverse images. Shit, it was almost like being in a candy store.

Oh, I have to mention that Janella & I both had assistants on the shoot. Olivia was my right hand woman working the reflector, swapping out lenses for me & making sure I had water.  Janella was assisted by out mutual GREAT friend Renea! Without Renea, my last two shoots in NYC would have not been positive.

Renea certainly helped Janella throughout the shoot but moreover she was the on-set comedienne. Her impersonations are totally classic. At one point, she gave me a brain freeze laughing at her Iman voice impersonation. That shit needs to be recorded!!!!

Anyway, as we got ready to wrap, we stumbled upon a reflection pool at the museum & my imagination got a little wild.  Before you know it, Janella was in the middle of the pool & from there, my favorite shot of the day was born.

It was a well spent & productive 3 hours!

Post shoot, Olivia & I met up with the rest of the family & had a great lunch at Junior’s where I had a corned beef & pastrami sandwich. Yes!!! I ate beef & it was damn good!

This morning I woke up with Biggie on my mind.

“It was all a dream
I used to read Word Up magazine
Salt’n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine
Hangin’ pictures on my wall
Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl…”

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Yesterday, my evening was a little intense after I found out that The NYLA Report’s team was accepted into a major show at Fashion Week. I guess you could say that I was at the point of excitement where you really can’t concentrate.

Then I got caught up in a bunch of text messages, emails, chats & phone calls from all over the place which kinda exacerbated where I was in terms of being able to focus.

Things only got worse when I received this email:

“CONGRATULATIONS!

We are happy to inform you that your application for Press and Industry

Accreditation for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York has been approved.

A schedule of shows will be posted on the event website once it is available. Details on picking up credentials, policy changes, updates and other information will be provided in subsequent emails.

Thanks again for your support of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.”

The text messages & phones calls just put me in a tale spin, then I took to FB & Twitter & poured a few drinks. I was truly a mess in all of the right ways.

I’ve been talking about this for a while, so you know that I am beyond being excited!!!!

A few years ago, this whole process was just a thought, a dream even; today it’s happening & it feels like a dream. Just two weeks from now, I’ll be done with my 1st day @ NYFW. WOW!!!!

Now, I ask the question; Who gone check me boo?

With just 19 days left to go, my plan is officially in motion that now that my travel is officially booked for New York Fashion Week.

No, I have not got my official credentials as of yet but like I said before, I’m gonna make this happen one way or the other.

My friend Asia Willis of the NYLA Report joked that waiting for IMG to confirm press credentials is like waiting for a college acceptance letter & that nobody wants a reject letter. I responded by saying that waiting for IMG is like waiting to hear Maury say “You are NOT the father!!!”

Anyway, I’m still pretty nervous all as a newbie but I got even more nervous yesterday after running into fashion photographer Piper Carter who shared some great stories.

In addition to some fascinating stories from Piper’s experience as a Fashion Week photographer with Vogue & various blogs, she gave me some great quick pointers & lens suggestions.

Looks like I need to pick up a Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 (rental of course) OUCH!!!

On a funny note, Piper asked me if I’d have an assistant while work. I told her no, she then looked at me with this wild look & did this funny body move & was like Hmmm, good luck on that…. Oh shit. After this season, Ill have personal knowledge & see how far I can go it alone.

In general, I will need to get my aggressive Detroiter skills in full effect just incase I have to check someone that TRIES to check me.

I hate having to be aggressive while working but you gotta do what you have to do to get the shot….

Ingredients:
- 10 Fresh mint leaves
- 3 ounces of rum
- 2 table spoons of cane sugar
- 1/2 of a lime (quartered)
- Ice
- Club soda
- Sugar cane

The Jump Off:
- In your shaker, muddle (I hope you know what this means) your sugar & mint but don’t pulverize it.

- Once your mint & sugar are set, muddle your limes in then toss in your rum & ice.

Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake! Shake that shit up!

- Pour your mixture into a high or low ball glass (high ball glass pictured) fill the remainder of your glass with club soda. Note, if you go with a lowball, you’ll be in the zone much faster because there will be less room for club soda.

- Stir & garnish with sugar cane & a sprig of mint.

- Sip, enjoy, rinse glass then repeat until you forget your name.

On a somewhat related note:
- The name Mojito comes from the African word “mojo,” which means to place a little spell. The exact origins of this tasty Cuban beverage are unclear as some say that it was formulated by African slaves while others claim that hero slaver Sir Francis Drake came up with it all on his own. Hmmmmm.

Recommendations:
- If you need a muddler, I HIGHLY reccomend the PUG muddler. I can’t imagine not hacing it in my cocktail gear collection!

- My favorite shaker is the Boston shaker from WMF it really helps you to shake some shit up!

If you follow me on Twitter of Facebook, then you know that I’m planning on being at New York Fashion Week this fall.

As I said, I’m PLANNING on being there no matter what! My application to photograph has been submitted to IMG & the plan is to work with my home girl, ace boom cool & style-watching partner Asia Willis of The NYLA Report.

While I sit & wait for a yes or no, I’ll be dreaming that I was chosen to work some of the hottest runway shows with a fun team of style/fashion journalist led by Asia.

So if I am not chosen, I will still be in the city with an obviously reduced schedule of events. I plan on just being out & about doing street photography & wrapping up my Analog Portrait series.

Which ever jumps off, it will be a great opportunity & I plan on having a ball because I have chosen to see the silver lining. But, I so want to be chosen.

Speaking of being chosen, just 24 more days before the voting for the Black Weblog Awards are closed for voting.  If you have not already voted, please consider choosing me for the best photo blog.

Your vote can be cast here for “Tafari’s Mindspill” (best photography blog on page 4).

If my blog is chosen for the best photo blog, I will post a video of my doing my happy dance while doing my bitch scream. I know you want to see that so cast a vote!!!!!

By the way, I got my little apprentice Olivia to help me compose this shot. She’s great but hardheaded around my equipment. I guess she’s a lot like me.

And… you will see more of this chair. It’s my new “gentlemen’s chair” that I won in an auction. I saw it in the window 3 months ago at DuMouchelles auction house & I had to have it. One month & 1 bid later, it was mine. Sadly, it fits nowhere in my home but I will find a way to make it work!!!!

See-line woman. Dressed in green. Wears silk stockings. With golden seams. See-line woman. See-line woman. Dressed in red. Make a man lose his head. See-line woman. See-line woman. Black dress on. For a thousand dollars. She wail and she moan. See-line woman. Wiggle wiggle. Turn like a cat. Wink at a man. And he wink back. Now child. See-line woman.

The photo above is of one or my long time & dearest friends Yvette Tamaika combined with my new favorite typeface Afrobeat, which was created by Spanish designer Giuseppe Salerno.

I stumbled across Afrobeat on the Kiss My Black Ads blog & fell in love immediately. You see, I’m a font whore! A font whore who has been know to drop a few hundred dollars on face types only to regret it later. Well regret it until it appears in a project where it looks totally awesome.

Inspiration:

“The pounding tribal rhythms of Afrobeat music is expressed through this psychedelic brand new font, Afrobeat. Every letter becomes art as every letter is elegantly placed side by side, like music notes, creating music for the eyes.

Afrobeat is a musical style performed by many African artists such as Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti, Antibalas and many more, which is a fusion of jazz,funk, and psychedelic rock, originating from the 60s and was based on the political movements of Nigeria.”

It takes a lot for me to splurge on a typeface & it’s been a while so I’m in a good space.

Are you a typeface whore of junky? What your favorite & what’s the most that you have paid for a font. Don’t be afraid to speak, you’re amongst friends here.

Thanks to your help, I’m excited to announce that I’m a 2010 Black Weblog Awards finalist for best photo blog [insert a "hell fuck yeah" here]. I was astounded to see that there were over 32,000 nominations & I still made the cut [insert a "go boy" here].

In the photo blog category, I’m in good company with four other photographers so this will be interesting because we are all so different.

Outside of my own finalist position, I was very happy to see MANY of my friends listed as finalist in other categories ranging from business, fashion, web, design & culture. So many winners even without this contest that showcases the nest of the Black blogosphere.

While YOU’RE VOTING FOR ME (Tafari’s Mindspill), be sure to check out some of my peeps & consider casting a ballot for them as well. None of them disappoint!

• Afrobella
• Black and Married with Kids
• Friday Favecast
• The Gentlemen’s Standard
• Kiss My Black Ads
• Mostbeautifullist
• SoulBounce
• What Would Thembi Do?
• Womanist Musings

To vote: Visit here & select your blog choices accordingly. And make sure to vote for Tafari’s Mindspill in the “best photography blog” category!

Black Weblog Awards on Twitter for updates on the awards. BTW, vote for me! OK. Thanks. Bye!

Art Credits:
Model: My sexy ass
Photographer: My main home slice Myron Watkins

This photo represents the perfect storm for me because I love tightly cropped photos, I love well balanced light, I love Olivia’s eyes & I love big hair.

I’ve known Keturah aKa Dr. Jeffries since my high school days. If you know me then you know that it’s been a long time. A LONG time.

Now that I’ve dated myself…..

Photographing Keturah and Ray was a pleasure as we made our way around the Cranbook House & Gardens laughing while trying to keep cool.  Sometimes I wonder if I should be having as much fun as I do on my assignments like I do.  I guess it’s a sign that I really enjoy what I do even when working with a banging headache.

Keturah & Ray’s sweet baby girl Riley will be here in a few weeks & they are so ready to love her. It was evident.

Driving away from the session, I thought to myself that Riley will be one spoiled little girl & lucky to have a doctor in the house. How awesome & Huxtable is that?!?!

You can see more from my session with Keturah & Ray here.

So, I’m walking down Broadway in SoHo minding my own business when I happened to look up to see this beautiful cocoa brown woman walking my way.

I basically jumped in front of her & asked to photograph her.

Her hair was great, her skin was great, her make up was like totally perfect; almost too perfect considering how hot it was on this day.

While I was photographing her, she explained to me that she had JUST finished a photo shoot with a clothing designer.  I mean, talk about timing!

This image happens to be one of my favorite from the street portraits that I captured on this trip.

What I love about this photo are her eyes & glossy cassis lips.  The effect over her eyes actually occurred in the camera & was not part of my digital processing workflow.

The same thing occurred in another photo that I took in a portrait composition. I think I may avoid doing portrait comps with this camera although I got lucky a few times with interesting & random results.

You can see more of the beginning of my new NYC Analog Portraits project series here. Be sure to click the “show info link once the slide show starts to get the back story to see my captions.

I made a quick trip to Cousin Dee’s house the other day & noticed how beautiful & lush her begonias were.

I was hesitant to ask for a few clippings but I got over it quickly because I just had to have a few.

I LOVE begonias!!!

You can see more of the images here. There were 3 flowers & 8 totally different looks.  It was hard to choose a favorite.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this was the 1st year that I ever attended the Detroit fireworks. This occasion was also the 1st time that I photographed any fireworks & it was quite fun to do.

Once I had my settings in place (each image was shot at f/16 with a 6 second exposure & 200 ISO.), the rest was history. I may try to make it to another local fireworks display in the next few weeks to give it another try to see if I can get sharper results as a test to myself. We’ll see! For now, I hope that you enjoy this 1st attempt!