Linked up with the homie Adam Villegas of LOUD clothing and took a couple of fun random portraits downtown. It's always a good time filled with good incense, good vibes and creativity. Adam is one of the coolest and kindest people I've met since being in Madison and his motto is one we should all take note of.
Check out some of my fav shots from the shoot and remember to live your dreams out LOUD!
3rd Dimension, Majestic Theater 2017.
Had the pleasure of photographing Hip Hop group 3rd Dimension during one of their recent performances at the Majestic Theater, here in Madison. This was my first time shooting in this theater but I loved how easy it was to move around and get different shots, and of course I had plenty of light to play with. I'm excited to get to see this group again as well as some other talented artists like Ra'shuan and DJ Pain 1 perform this Saturday at the Madison Hip Hop Awards. Check out my favorites from this night, and make sure to book me for your next performance or event!
Lilada Gee & Bria Simone, Madison Wi, 2017
Black Girls are overlooked and treated as if we are invisible unless of course someone is attracted to our style, using our bodies and ideas for their own personal gain, or leaving us with the burden of saving the world with little to no recognition. Here in Madison we are a special kind of undervalued and Ms. Lilada Gee is doing the work to make sure our Black Girls feel loved and supported.
With healing initiatives like a children's book written by and for Black Girls as well as a collaborative video project with the talented Bria Simone, Ms. Gee is reminding us that Black Girls are not only magical, but human. I was invited out to her most recent event, Black Girls Live: Writing Workshop & Photoshoot and got a couple of good behind-the-scenes shots of some of the beautiful and inspiring girls in attendance. Check out the shots below and if you'd like to find out more about the Black Girls Live campaign click here > https://www.gofundme.com/BlackGirlLive
"We have to consciously study how to be tender with each other until it becomes a habit because what was native has been stolen from us, the love of Black women for each other." - Audre Lorde
Allow me to re-introduce you all a familiar face on my site, Nani Lee. She's a vocalist, a lyricist, poet, and quite obviously A QUEEN. Be on the lookout for some of her new vibes, and check out some of the flicks from our latest shoot. #Flashback
Nothing gets me out of a slump better than shooting my favorite muse, Cammie Nicole. Lover hit me up weeks ago about this location she passes on her way to work and wanted to check it out and shoot there. The timing was perfect because we were also able to take some snaps of her new cut. I loved the aesthetic of the whole setting, it was right off of a highway and even though we'd just missed the sunset (which was not part of the plan) I was able to get some great shots. I positioned her in front of the fluffy looking flowers and in a place where the light from the cars driving by could illuminate her face once in a while. Been really impressed with what I've been able to produce with my little baby pancake lens (40mm 2.8) Check out the photos below, like, comment & share! I appreciate the love!
The Fountain, 2017
Marcus, 2017
DJ M White, 2017
Black Joy w/ Issa Rae, 2017
Took a very long overdue trip to the Chazen museum located here in Madison. Accompanying me was the talented painter Ashley Roberston of West Label Art, we used the variety of the space offered to get some practice shots in. While generally scanning the galleries for good things to shoot, this particular sculpture caught my eye. The emotions or lack there of on the faces of the womyn in the piece really struck a large question mark in my noggin, I couldn't help but place my own feelings & thoughts in places I had unanswered questions. My fear was and has been a consistent theme in my mind. My fear of never being able to beat my best self, or never being able to sustain a living doing what I love. Over the next few day I was unable to get these womyn's faces out of my head, wondering where their fear lied. I did some research on the piece while editing and the title was all the answer I needed...
"Are One Hundred Playing You? Or Only One?"
Big thanks to Contemporary Chinese Artist Xiang Jing, for giving me a permanent answer to that little fvcker in my head called doubt.
Me & a couple of fellow creatives wanted to take a few portraits in a colorful, quirky place, so we decided to visit the children's section of the Public Library in Downtown Madison for a brief session & when I say brief I mean SWIFT. Not knowing of course that when they labeled the section for children & families, that meant adults without children weren't allowed, or maybe it really just meant no perceived African American adults allowed... I am curious to know if a 25- year old white male photographer would have been greeted with the same resistance while politely taking pictures in a small corner of the totally empty kiddie section of a public library. None-the-less, this black girl is magical, and within the 5 minutes it took the pressed yt-female librarian to find some browner "library monitors" to tell me to leave I was able to capture some pretty dope portraits.
You did it from the get go, get go, get go Let's go, let's go, let's go look for magic, yeah They not gon' get it from the get go, get go, get go, get go Don't let, don't let, don't let anybody steal your magic, yeah But I got so much y'all You can have it Yeah"
- Solange Knowles
Welcomed 2017 in with beautiful & talented vocalist Malkia Mshairi, we decided to collaborate on an impromptu shoot to celebrate the new year, new beginnings, cool hair cuts & future creative projects. Check out some of the photos from the shoot & be on the look out for the new visual we will be dropping for Lover's Go.
Was offered the opportunity to travel to Miami to shoot some footage for Intellectual Ratchet and the talented homie Landon Devon. Can't wait for all the trips and visuals to come in the new year! Shout out to the good folks at Intellectual Ratchet and of course Landon. & enjoy the footage below.
On the eve of my birthday I decided to attend and shoot some practice footage at an after party event for this years Madison Hip Hop awards presented by Daily Cheifers & Strange Oasis ENT. It's always pretty challenging shooting at this location, minimal lighting & space mixed with a crowd of drunk folk is the perfect mixture for a good time. Being a bit inebriated myself (Hennythingwaspossible) definitely added to the fun. Overall I appreciate the footage I shot because I captured some timeless moments as well as learned a lot about my equipment's (5D Mark III+ 40mm f2.8) lowlight/action capabilities for shooting video. Impressed with what I was able to accomplish without using my steadicam or any external lighting sources, though with the light I had to work with I would have preferred to atleast have my steadicam to be able to boost my iso way up and still shoot at decent shutter speed. It was a great show on a great night and I was blessed to bring in my birthday doing something I love with some folks I vibe with.
Keep Creatin'
There is truly nothing better than being around people with 1 common goal, TO CREATE. After the turn up for the homie Landon's Bornday calmed down a bit, a couple of creatives chilled, rolled up and started to do what we do best, I hope to be able to vibe again in the future, and maybe with a lilll less turn up haha. Here is some shots below. Shout out to the lyricist and to the overall great energy.
I had the opportunity to style & shoot the talented homie Landon DeVon on his special day, I've been a fan of this guy since first hearing "Help" from a friend of a friend. I was honored when he reached out and let me know he loved my work and wanted me to style & shoot some photos for his website, it also happened to be his Bornday! Check out the photos below and head over to Soundcloud and vibe to his latest album Opaque.
Linked up with entrepreneur Marlon Brown to get some shots for his upcoming website. He wanted various fitness looks that highlighted the re-start of his fitness journey. We started with some cardio for the warmup by a railroad track that I pass by daily, before making our way to the gym. I like the gritty look and think it went well with the overall fitness feel.
Stay Tuned for Part II of the shoot!
Fellow photographer Dylan and I linked up last week for a quick portrait session. He was interested in getting some personal style shots in one of his fav spots. Here are some of the shots.
Check out his photography here > DHVNSEN
Dope show was held at the 608 Underground Loft, with performances by Hip Hop collective 3rd dimension, artist Riel Prophet, ICE of "ATM" & many more. All the super talented artist put on a show fitting for the Friday the 13th date it fell on, full of energy passion and good vibes. Here are the shots I took of the show below. I played around with a lot of different lighting options most of the night, the venue's lighting was outstandingly better than what I've personally experienced in the past so it was refreshing to be able to move through the crowd and pic up different lights and shadows.
Felt really old this weekend while shooting some pictures of my little brother and his friends before their prom. Can't believe he is now 18 and about to graduate high school. Check out the some of the pictures I captured and big thanks to the guys for letting me snaps some shots.
March 9th of every year is a very special day, it is the day My lovely grandmother was born. It is usually a pretty rough day emotionally for me, and this year was no different. Well I guess one thing did make it different this year, I purchased a new camera. Yes after 4 years of making art with my old cropped Canon t3i, I finally upgraded to my new love 5D Mark III. So it was only right that I remove myself from my grief induced stupor and take some self portraits in the name of Sarah. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy. MCMXXIIX
I was invited by Will Nunn himself to come out and shoot his birthday show at the Frequency, here in Madison, Wi. Will has such a deep love for hip hop that he decided to put on a show for his family & friends. Himself along with some other local artist blessed the stage and performed their own works. Even Will's girlfriend performed for the first time and tore it up!! Though the love in the building was abundant there is always those folks that cling to drama, but I was able to capture some great shots before it all came down. #nomorepartiesonmain
