Radically energetic and focused. Colorful and (despite herself) obscenely cool. RenegadeBarbie displayed all of those aspects to her character during our shoot together. In one of the converted factory loft communities in the Atlanta area, a couple of friends of mine opened up their home, allowing us to create this raw and edgy set of captures. The sun peered through windows and blinds and we reflected it back on the Renegade…Barbie because she was The Star. She danced with the shadows and playfully teased the camera. The radical diva displayed her patented in-your-face attitude that has...

I’ve been having a wonderful back-and-forth with the founder of BlacqueWidowDolls.com, Jinga Willis. She and I both had visions of paying homage to the unique and extraordinary beauty of women of color. And while we take different approaches, it is inspiring to see that we both have no problems breaking through the limitations of a Eurocentric aesthetic to redefine the standards that allows the blesssings we know to be seen by all. I’ve learned so much from her and she has inspired me in ways she is not even aware of at this point. Soon we will do an interview with her about her site...

I had a moment. It was around the time at the end of session with a model that I’d shot in my HomeStudio. I knew we were done, she needed the images for an online community she was involved in and we had plenty… We took a few more shots. They were a little racy and I was very interested in the play of bright colour on dark skin. They ended up not being used in the set. I think they look beautiful here. Do you? Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post

J Love’s goal is to create images that showcase beauty and creativity. It was that simple and he always had an eye for energetic, creative and talented models. With a background in fashion and love for creating images that portray an inner story he loves any opportunity to take his captures to another level. He’s an artistic explorer and,for a moment, PGNubian was his muse. She was a naptual beauty full of life and originality and vision. The two of them together made a few poignant, colorful and powerful captures as I am sure you will agree. Both talented individuals are visionary...

So I’m at Apache Cafe and Lounge and I am talking to some of the patrons about the portal and the types of images I think we should capture. Artistic…sexy…provocative, most of the things we say are typically used for almost every other venue that focuses on creating beautiful images of women. But no matter how sexy or revealing, there is some aspect to the content that has to be considered. Now not all of what is posted to the portal will be for everyone’s taste. And I personally feel that I walk a line when I consider what I want to create for the Garden. And this is the...

Gus Bennett, Jr. is a Photographer out of New Orleans. I’ve always admired his techniques of combining photographic images with archival painted abstracts to create a soulful creatively intimate capture. I am humbled and inspired by his works. Hopefully, he will be a part of the portal. In the meantime, I share these extraordinary works here. To see more of his works you can find them here and here. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post

In this sequel to Curves and Locs at the Apache Cafe & Lounge I experimented with the images a bit, working on different approaches for digital illustration that I’ve been contemplating for while. I liked the affect. This pictorial is part of a short series of retrospectives on my influences and inspirations. The model goes by the stage name DarknCurvy and you can find her on MySpace. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post

When I met with Shea, she said she really wanted to do a pregnancy shoot but she did want do one that was limited to the typical portrayal of being nude and draped in white…you know, the usual. Well we did a few of those anyway, but that not what these captures are about. A wife beater and blue jeans was the style for this set. I liked creating these images because I approached the look of each shot differently and was pleased that we could produce an array of looks to the images from one wardrobe styling. Shea’s had the baby since this (a boy.) We are planning another shoot soon. ...

As I’ve mentioned before… the vision for the images in Pangea’s Garden all started with my captures at the Apache Cafe & Lounge. This pictorial is part of a short series of retrospectives of how what I’ve seen has influenced and inspired me. The model goes by the stage name DarknCurvy and you can find her on MySpace. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post

It was an exploration for me. A curiosity if you will. I wanted to do a set of captures from a darker perspective. Something bleak and struggling. Not necessarily beautiful but still emotional and passionate. Captures that were intense and, hopefully, told a story. What struck me more was that Sista Khadeshia was down for this, somewhat radical, idea on my part. She pulls out the make-up and the wardrobe and we did the damn thing. A damsel in distress. Check it out. Do you follow it? Is it too harsh or unflattering? Or do you really get the point? Let me know what you think. Bookmark...