I had all the best intentions of waking up at 9am today to fix myself breakfast, & prepare for my 1pm photo shoot with Detroit rock group Fluxphonic.

In my head the plan was solid! Well, it all went to hell when I woke up at 11am.

I jumped out of bed, rushed to get dressed, packed my camera bag, gathered light equipment & loaded the car. Before you know it was 1150, everything was in the car & I was on my way to the set with a very empty belly.

I totally had no time to stop for a quick bite. Oh my!

I HATE working while hungry!

Well, none of that mattered because I had to make it happen.

Then… I get to the set & realize that I left a vital lighting accessory at home. Bummer! So I improvised like one should.

The clock tics & tocs & the shoot is going great; before you now it, we wrapped about 4:15.

Before heading home, I stopped at Popeye’s for a quick meal, which I later suffered from. BIG TIME!

Lessoned learned from today:

- Set 2 alarms, maybe 3
- Triple check the equipment checklist
- Pack snacks no matter what
- Never eat a Popeye’s spicy 3 piece on a totally empty stomach

With all this said, my clients never saw me sweat or heard my belly growl (I think).

Pictured above: Fluxphonic (Steffanie Chris’tian (Left to Right) Kris Wilson, Danny Lecours, Russ Dobson)

If you’re in the Detroit area Saturday March 27, you can see Fluxphonic at the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History “Black Women Rock! A Tribute to Betty Davis”

Side Note: Who is Betty Davis?

A wildly flamboyant funk diva with few equals even three decades after her debut, Betty Davis combined the gritty emotional realism of Tina Turner, the futurist fashion sense of David Bowie, and the trendsetting flair of Miles Davis, her husband for a year.

It’s easy to imagine the snickers when a 23-year-old model married a famous musician twice her age, but Davis was no gold digger; she turned Miles onto Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, providing the spark that led to Miles’ musical reinvention on In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew, then proved her own talents with a trio of sizzling mid-’70s solo LPs.

See a few more out takes from my shoot with Fluxphonic here.

Have you experienced the deliciousness of Mexican Coke yet? I’m still so hook on this stuff?

The tasty looking jicama & fennel slaw recipe that I saw last year on The Hungry Mouse inspired me to try my own version. This is a very easy side dish / snack to make & the flavors burst!

Ingredients:
1 Jicama root (about 2-3 lbs)
1 Red & green jalapeño
1 Cup red cabbage
Cilantro
1 Carrot
5 tbsp Honey
2 tsp White wine vinegar
½ Cup olive oil
½ Cup freshly squeezed lime juice
A Shot of your favorite tequila

Honey Lime Vinaigrette:
- Combine your wet ingredients (olive oil, fresh lime juice, honey, white wine vinegar) in a mixing bowl & whisk vigorously.
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Set aside
- Consume your tequila shot

>>>OK, now the fun part!<<<

- Peel your jicama root then julliene into nice small strips
- Dice your jalapeños
- Shred your carrot
- Shred your red cabbage. (I cheated with Dole bagged shredded cabbage)
- Mince 5-6 cilantro sprigs
- Combine all of your cut veggies & vinaigrette into a large mixing bowl & stir like crazy
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Chill then serve

With my slaw, I served chicken sautéed in salsa & blanched asparagus spears.

This recipe serves 5 & my kids love it!

Jicama root facts:
- A legume from Mexico and it can be eaten raw or cooked The roots are light brown in color, and may weigh up to 50 pounds.

- Has the texture of waterchestnuts & quite crispy. The flavor is that of a barely sweet apple.

- Packed with vitamin C, and used as a source of starch. One serving of jicama equals 1 cup, which contains about 45 calories.

Usually, I am able to execute most of the photography concepts that I scheme up. If I’m not able to get what I want exactly, I close enough to be happy with the end results.

My idea with this image turned out the exact opposite of what I wanted & I’m so/so OK with it.

My original idea was to have a hand holding the compact fluorescent bulb with the bulb not over exposed & while using strobe lighting. Kinda like those clever ads for CF bulbs or environmental stock type photos.

I knew that I would have to pull off the concept with two exposures but it just didn’t happen.

I think I will try again & figure out how I can make my concept a reality or get daring & try the tip that was featured on the Strobist website a few years ago.

So much for my bright idea!

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!

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!