On a Tuesday evening in May, I met earthSista Nubién at the 5-Points MARTA Train station in downtown Atlanta, (if you are an ATLien, you know what I am talking about.) Nobella was with me and we’d scheduled her to participate in the Atlanta Photographers Guild weekly group photoshoot. While en route I thought I saw earthBrotha SkyHy swaggering down Peachtree St. like he owned it. We yelled at him but he didn’t hear us. So after we swooped in and grabbed Nubién, we called SkyHy on his cel and asked him if wanted to crash the group photoshoot with Nubién and in a moment of impulse,...

… toiling the garden for greatness: a journey from emancipation to redemption “Yearnings of success & acheivement haunt me in my sleep, startle me awake, inspire journeys of sensual exploration & at times suffocate my breath; these yearnings come in many visual manifestations & demand to be inhaled, explored & conquered; these yearnings beckon & insist on being shared with the universe so it’s creative principles live eternal like my soul. I toil in the creative garden as commanded by God & I dare not eat from the tree of good & evil, because only greatness...

The UdoU Series was always intended to be in two parts 1) women creating captures of their own Afrocentric beauty and sensuality and 2) photographers creating an image collection with these women that is inspired and informed by how the sistas see themselves. It’s that opportunity for us to own our beauty, proudly, without objectification. earthSista NikkiVonNu and photographer Bobby Williams were the first to explore this pioneering concept. But there are many sets out there that are still in stage one. Are there any photographers willing to pick up the baton and carry it to stage two? ...

TO CLEANSE: to rid of impurities by or as if by washing. TO PURIFY: to clear from material defilement or imperfection: to free from guilt or moral or ceremonial blemish: to free from undesirable elements: to grow or become pure. ♥ NISHDana MistressofMayhem Major and James Brewer Photography Tanisha Lynn Pyron aka (PRETTYFIRE) is an artist and a visual storyteller, currently working on her MFA in acting at the University of Illinois. The young artist considers herself to be a modern day...

A woman is such a large vessel that she can become filled with so much and not overflow, not so for a man, men spill. Kwesi Abbensetts Kwesi Abbensetts is a South American born photographer, hailing from the country of Guyana.  In 2006 while in his final year of film school at Brooklyn College, Kwesi purchased a FUJI 5600 digital camera and from thereon his love for photography blossomed.  Photography gave him the immediacy that was missing from film.  A self taught photographer, Kwesi had no prior formal training. Having traveled around...

“egyptian molasses burnt sugar sweat black RAW drizzled agave citrus honey syrup brown honey musk cane juice sex“ - Kwesi Abbensetts the art of sexual intensity. nothing more to say here. Kwesi’s forays into afrosensuality are unparalleled in their creative daring. I will stop here because the works speak volumes. Don’t you agree? -Vincent, the humble gardener Kwesi Abbensetts is a South American born photographer, hailing from the country of Guyana.  In 2006 while in...

“I’m a guy with camera who is inspired by the naked female form. I shoot the sacred… and the profane, as they are one in the same.” -Michael Joseph Edmonds Michael Joseph Edmonds’ [MJE] subjects are cheeky and strutting. That sashay before his camera with the attitude and swagger necessary to create captures of Edmonds’ perspective of his work as ‘filthy glamour.’ Indeed, the rawness of his images are expertly crafted and consistent in their provocative reach for your balls. Proudly playful and indecently glamorous, Michael’s works tease...

seeing ourselves as beautiful… sometimes… you know we get so caught up on trying to make this happen or that happen… trying to put food on the table or close that next big deal that will make us successful… successful… you know, in the context of what was just said here, success is a dirty word. corrupted word.  because success should not be defined by the result of our struggles but in the journeys of our peace. sometimes… we should remember why we are living. remember our loves and the beauty they bring to our existence. sometimes we should celebrate our time with them. revel...

At the end of a day of shooting EmJae wandered to the dark side of the Garden. It was a tentative step into a world of fishnet and fetish. Shadows and color danced around a stormy backdrop as EmJae’s dark eyes seduced the lens. She had a coy swagger as she stepped outside of her comfort zone to experiment with the creation of these images and the emotions they invoked in her. She was tempting and playful. And as time passed she found the dark diva inside her and became assertive and cocky. As the shoot progressed, she vigorously pulled and ripped the fishnets from her thighs, perhaps a sensuous...

Michael Joseph Edmonds [MJE] says that he is inspired by the naked female form. The New York based photographer is a the lead photo retoucher for AVON by day and an artist of eroticism on his off hours. His fascination for sensuality is ubiquitous throughout all of his works. And while is portfolio of images is broad and diverse, this is Pangea’s Garden and we decided to focus on his unique perspective of the afrosensual. “I like to call it erotic editorial but filthy glamour is probably more accurate.” –Michael Joseph Edmonds His works do tend to have that raw edge of New...

“Every photographer has his moment when he sees his thing and presses the shutter. It is a Thing, only your eye knows it, and it will always look for it, click.” – Kabb “You look at it, it jolts, you nod “its art” but then you are still visceral in the inside, and you look again and think my my “the things we imagine.” – Kabb Nude Study- I am currently casting for models for my current project – Nude Study. It can be shot on location or or more formal with plain background. If you would like to Pose and be part of this project then send me an email to kwesiabbensetts@gmail.com....

What is Afrosensuality? A few months ago I spoke to a photographer  who didn’t know what afrosensual meant. This makes sense because its not in the dictionary; its not on Wikipedia. No one has created an official definition of the term and I won’t pretend to have the authority to do so, here. I can only tell you what it means to me. You see it started a picture of a sista and her shay butter. It was a simple portrait, set on a warm day in a sun-lit apartment in Atlanta’s West End. But the capture haunted me. It reminded me of a beauty that I had not seen in the galleries or the...

On the back porch, sitting on that old couch that my aunt wanted to throw away, we played. Late in the morning on a Saturday that everybody else decided to sleep through, we just rose up and chilled in the morning sun. It was warm but the air was dry and the breeze felt really good. We heard the wind and the birds but nothing else really. It was as if the whole world decided to sleep in and this morning belonged to us. Just us. Laughter. Fingers touched fingers. Hands stroked chest and massaged feet. Skin on skin. Humble caresses gave way to an intimacy that made a moment worth living. And as...

“the intention of an image has always been to capture a model’s unique qualities, beauty and form” Jay Huntli has two primary motivations for his photography: 1) to capture a womans beauty and uniqueness and 2) to hone his skills by experimenting with technique, lighting, and poses. From an early age, he says he was drawn to photographing people. He recalls creating captures of his five-year-old sister when he was eight. He went on to spend his grade school years producing portraits, mostly in black and white. And as he matured, he moved on to color and weddings. Huntli says...

“I enjoy using my body as a canvas. I’ve been Blessed as of late to have the opportunity to put this canvas in front of a camera. Hoping that my Artistic expression will have the chance to appeal to broader audiences, also with this opportunity, my hope is that an interest will be sparked in my fellow Brothers or Sisters. That you will be inspired or moved to artistically express yourself in a way that you haven’t before.” -Kwentonza Kwentonza’s very presence draws your attention and inflames your imagination. Her effervescent personality makes her a joy and fun to be around. If...