This evening I worked an event for the Woodward Avenue Action Association where they celebrated a new Tribute light feature on Woodward Ave in Pontiac.

This newest Tribute light feature is the 2nd on Woodward Ave with the 1st being in Ferndale.  If planning goes well, we will see a 3rd in Detroit next spring.

If you’re not from the Detroit area, Woodward is a significant stretch of roadway because it is thriving as the premier business, creative, cultural, recreational destination in metro-Detroit. Woodward has been recognized as a Michigan Heritage Route and National Scenic Byway & it’s considered as Michigan’s “main street” as it travels along 27 miles through 11 communities.

The timing of the event was perfect because there is TONS of traffic up & down Woodward Ave as people gear up for the Woodward Dream Cruise. Classic cars were all over the place.

Even at the Tribute event, there were several classic Pontiac cars that were built in the city.

So after the event was over, I decided to head to Sonic for a slush & fries & got caught up in all of the madness along Woodward. The traffic was basically bumper-to-bumper for miles on end. People were our looking at the cars, the cars were creeping along slowly as the drivers were flossing the muscle cars, candy coated paint jobs, fat tires & white wall.

It was really a stimulating spectacle.

At one point, I noticed a banana yellow car parked in a light & I basically broke my neck to get over to it.

It was a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air & it was PERFECT & so bright. The interior was even more impressive as it was totally new.

After I finished taking snapshots, I jumped on the road & wondered why cars have no imagination anymore.

Will anything we’re driving now be exciting to see in 50 years? I don’t thinks so but then again, I’m no car enthusiast.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to photograph friend, radio host of Cocoa Mode (XM169 The Power) & DMV area yogini; Shawna Renee.

Shawna & I met 2 years ago when were both in my BFF’s wedding & we’ve been friends ever since. Actually, I was a fan before I was friend but that’s a long radio listener story.

Anyway, Shawna was in need of some new photos for some exciting new projects, so she hit up yours truly.

My original idea for a photo back drop feel through like a mutha. It’s amazing what how 3 locked doors can destroy plans.

Fortunately, Shawna, was very flexible so we made a quick revamp & the rest is history. During our session, we set up shop on the Detroit River Walk, Millender Center & the Dequindre Cut. It was a quick, sweaty & thirst filled 3 hours.

I’m not sure who said photography was easy because it sure is not! With that said, I’d like to send a special shout out to my baby Olivia who assisted me during the shoot.

One of these days, when someone writes my autobiography, I will talk about how I got Shawna to do the butterfly & why she rode my back during the shoot. It’s about that hard work I was just talking about.

Anyway, I’m tired & need to sign off. The weekend was AWESOME but now I’m feeling it.

My photo shoot today had last minute time change, so I used my extra hour to head to Mexican Town to pick up some treats from La Gloria Bakery.

The La Gloria Bakery kinda has any Mexican baked goodies you can imagine but I LOVE their cookies & raspberry roll.

After going broke on cookies etc, I decided to stroll the new Bagley Pedestrian Bridge for shits & giggles.

The bridge is architecturally beautiful but sadly tagged by graffiti & litter. I guess this is Detroit, what should I expect?

Anyway, when I got home with the cookies, Suite Suzy & the kids were quite happy.

No Friday is complete for me without after work martinis!

Pictured is the white grape martini from the Centaur bar, my favorite watering hole.

This morning I made my way to the Detroit Zoo for the 2010 Worldwide Photo Walk. I was looking forward to the experience because for one reason or the other, I was not able to make the last 2 photo walks.

While I was looking forward to the experience, I was not all that thrilled with the location. I don’t have any strong feelings against zoos whatsoever but I do know that the Detroit Zoo sucks. If you live in the Detroit, you know what I mean.

The last two trips I made there, I hardly saw any animals out which made for long hot walks without any good sighting. Honestly, It’s like I see more wild animals near my home.

By the end of the walk, I felt a little better about the zoo because today was the 1st time in years that I’ve seen so many animals. I actually enjoyed myself watching many of the exhibits with frolicking captive depressed animals.

In terms of the walk itself, I found it to be a bore. Our leader was cool but he seemed to be more interested in talking on his phone than interacting with the group. Then I got separated from the, which was OK I guess, I don’t mind exploring alone but I was hoping to connect & socialize.

Well, I did socialize with this one guy who seemed cool but during the course of our conversation, he told me that he ate a peacock before on a trip to west Africa. I was shocked. Who eats peacocks? I mean, I know that they’re not endangered but I just was disgusted. After he shared, that bit of info, I shook him as fas as I could.  (somewhat related & interesting)

The one cool thing that jumped off after the fact was the super awesome strawberry lemonade that I got from Sonic. I really needed a delicious fruity drink after a 3-hour walk in the heat.

I’m certain that will not do another photo walk in the future unless I organize it! Been there done that, was bored overall. I’m just saying.

Did you do the Worldwide Photo Walk?Did you have a better experience & are your photos posted online. I would love to see them.

See a few of my photo walk photos here.

Last Sunday while in NYC, I spent a little time at the Bastille Day Street Festival on 60th.

The event was quite lively with musical performances, face painting, clowns & of course French foods. Of all the culinary delights available, the pastries, crepes & macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) seemed to be the hottest items.

As I strolled down 60th, I noticed one food tent that had people about to raid it. The crowd was so thick that I didn’t see what the big fuss was over.  Being the nosey person that I am, I waited until I had my chance to get to merchandise at this tent.

Minutes later, once I was at the vendor’s table & saw that the fuss was over these little cookies, macarons. Brightly colored little macarons that were $2.75 each.

I was like these things can’t be that good, especially for $2.75 each but I decided to see for myself.  I ordered two, one for me & one for Suite Suzy. I had the cassis (black currant) & Suite Suzy had the coconut flavor.

The bottom line after our 1st bite was that these macarons were worth $2.75. They were AWESOME! The cassis flavor was out of this earth! The cookie was slightly crisp & chewy, unlike anything that I’ve tried in the past.

I decided to go back to the tent to find out how I could get more to take home. Luckily, the vendor had a café nearby, the MacarOn Café

I’m not even gonna lie to you, that night I had a dream about stuffing my mouth with many cassis macarons. Yes, they were that damn good!

Monday morning, before we hit the road home, I made a quick trip to MacarOn Café to get my goods. Unfortunately, they were already out of the cassis flavor. Oh my!  With so many other flavors to choose from, I got over it.

I picked up a lavender honey, espresso, rose, pistachio, double chocolate, passion fruit, coconut & a few others.

Over the past few days, I’ve been sampling & loving them all. And yes, they are all that as well.

On the drive home Monday, I did some quick Googling & discovered that there are only 2 local options to get these French treats from & both have very limited flavors. So you know that this means that I will be learning how to make these at the crib very soon!

French Macaron History:

The Macaron cookie was born in Italy, introduced by the chef of Catherine de Medicis in 1533 at the time of her marriage to the Duc d’Orleans who became king of France in 1547 as Henry II. The term “macaron” has the same origin as that the word “macaroni” — both mean “fine dough”.

The first Macarons were simple cookies, made of almond powder, sugar and egg whites. Many towns throughout France have their own prized tale surrounding this delicacy. In Nancy, the granddaughter of Catherine de Medici was supposedly saved from starvation by eating Macarons. In Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the macaron of Chef Adam regaled Louis XIV and Marie-Therese at their wedding celebration in 1660.

Only at the beginning of the 20th century did the Macaron become a “double-decker” affair. Pierre Desfontaines, the grandson of Louis Ernest Laduree (Laduree pastry and salon de the, rue Royale in Paris) had the idea to fill them with a “chocolate panache” and to stick them together. (Source | MadMac)

Detroit/Ann Arbor French Macaron Options:

Pinwheel Bakery (Ferndale) – They have about 5 flavors & they are $1.25 each.

Cecilia’s Pastries (Ann Arbor) – Sold on Wednesdays at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. Cecelia has 9 flavors & they are $1.50 each.  Lastly, if you’re feeling adventurous, Cecelia also teaches a macaron class. You can get more information here.

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!

Last night I worked the Detroit Parade Company’s “Flip Floppin Summer VIP Rooftop Party” & had an amazing time!

The event was beyond belief from my POV as a photographer.  If I were a kid, I would have been in heaven because of all of the games, ice cream, cup cakes, chicken fingers, face paining, clowns, goodie bags & of course the fireworks.

The cool thing about me working this event is that it was the 1st time that I have ever seen the Detroit fireworks in real life in all of the 30 years that I have been living here.

It was also interesting witnessing the television broadcast live & in person after seeing so many years while sitting in my living room wishing I was there.

Watching the show gave me this sensation of being a proud American & Detroiter. It was a funny feeling because I am totally not patriotic but this one moment, I was all in. Shit, I even wanted to eat a hot dog.

Anyway, the image above is one of my favorites from the show last night.

Later today, I’ll be posting more for you to feast your eyes on so stay tuned!

On a side note, Tamra Barney from “The Real Housewives of Orange County” was a special guest at the party. In the middle of a conversation that we were having, she said that I had “mitties” (aKa man titties). Then she grabbed one. I kinda liked it but damn.

I’m really sensitive about my man tities. Just saying!

Bravo Bravo is THE hottest annual [charity] event in Detroit hands down.  I love working Bravo Bravo because you get the best of all worlds; beautiful people, good food & non-stop exotic libations. Did I mention non-stop exotic libations?

This year’s Bravo Bravo theme was “Destination Fashion & I partnered with Asia Willis of The Nyla Report & Margarita Barry of I Am Young Detroit, to capture some of the hottest looks rocking in the halls of the Detroit Opera House.

I wonder if I can get Asia & Margarita to do a hot mess of Bravo Bravo next year. The hot mess that you see is so fascinating. Like very fascinating!

Anyway, check out The Nyla Report for this year’s hotness.

When Monica Blaire is on stage, you are always in for a soulfully energetic show & last night at Bravo Bravo was no exception.

After Monica’s performance, we talked briefly & she said they weren’t ready. I laughed because no one is ready for Monica because she brings it hard & different every time!

I love watching her grow as an artist & performer. She is really making shit happen & represents the Detroit creative scene very well.

If you are not following her on Twitter you should! Word on the street (Twitter street) is that she is about to drop a new mix tape. Cop that!

On amother Bravo Bravo note, stay tuned for a post that spotlights some of the hottest looks from one of Detroit BEST parties of the year.

Here’s a quick snapshot from a senior portrait session that I held this weekend out & about downtown Detroit with Breya Bogs.

Breya is currently a graduating senior from Detroit’s Crockett high school & she will be a freshman this fall at Eastern Michigan University.

My session with Breya ended much more smoothly than my last senior portrait session. Namely it ended well because I didn’t drop any lenses & my car was not vandalized.

I also must say that I returned to my car nervously hoping that nothing happened to it. As we all know, It’s so cold in the D!

Here’s to more drama free photo shoots downtown in the COLD COLD D.

Looking to next weekend; I’m photographing the wedding of Jonathan Edwards & Erica deBardeleben Saturday then I’m chilling for a couple days and looking for some Memorial Day BBQ.

BTW, you can see a few more outtakes from Breya’s shoot here.

Here’s a quick snapshot from a senior portrait session that I held this weekend out & about in Detroit with Allyson Lloyd.

My session with Allyson was great & moved rather quickly because I am finding my groove with moving locations quicker & dealing with fewer changes (I had to switch my packaging/change options up after my last shoot).

Midway through the session, I made a careless move when switching lenses & neglected to zip my camera bag. Next thing you know three lenses crashed on the ground.

Fortunately, Nikon pro lenses are built like tanks but my primary lens (Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8) did sustain some damage but it still works & that is the good thing.

After our session was up I made my way back to my car which was parked downtown Detroit to find that my passenger side front window was smashed. Whoever smashed the window did not manage to get into my car & for that I saw some comfort.

Looking at the bright side of things, I would rather have a smashed car window vs smashed lens glass. That is FAR much worse.

So tomorrow, I will be arranging an appointment to get a new window & processing the rest of this week’s photos.

Life goes on & I’m booking shoots so there is a reason to be happy.

BTW, you can see a few more outtakes from Allyson’s shoot here.