A word to the wise:  Never, ever tell 34 year-old model/actress Jay Faabulousone that she cannot do certain genres in modeling or acting because of her size.  She will make you eat your words by showing you that she can and will take it to the next level.  Jay makes it known that she is unapologetically proud of the skin she is in and her full-figure will not deter her from her goals. The 5’10” curvaceous Philly stunner is a chameleon when it comes to her modeling.   Artistic nudes, beauty, erotic, fashion, runway, commercial…this lady does it all and with a smile on her lovely mocha...

Like the phoenix, I rose up from the ashes of my self-destruction.  I was reborn anew to manifest this life better than before.  Heartbreak, betrayal, fear, and depression nearly ended my life.  There were countless times where I thought, “If I could just disappear, I truly would.  I don’t want to go through this pain.” I looked to people and things to make me happy, excited to be alive, and to feel beautiful, only for it to be a temporary fix.  I craved to have some kind of approval from others to have them tell me that I’m a good person, a loving, caring individual, if I’m talented...

Small, lazy breezes blanketed the late afternoon sun as earthSista Isis surveyed the meditative seduction of the lake, the trees and the sky. Named after the Egyptian goddess of nature and magic, the young nubian’s captivating beauty was only enhanced by her surroundings. She strolled proudly and gracefully in the atypically warm weather, basking in nature’s glory. Baring all to God’s glory, Isis is expressive and resplendent and candid. She brought the whole woman to nature, bright nature and her dark seduction to these captures. She was the exemplar of natural glamour. When...

It was like a ritual. Clutching ropes tied to wooden planks, earthBrotha SkyHy and earthSista Angelica, danced around each other in an awkward strutting peacock sort of way. Momentary respect gives way to intense curiosity and attraction. Walls tumble down as ginger embraces become bold, welcome intrusions. Awkward moments become warm comfortable embraces filled with smiles and laughter. He kisses her shoulders. He kisses her breasts. And on these swings in the public where anyone may pass, SkyHy and Angelica drop all walls, boldly and proudly baring their brown bodies to one another. In the heat...

Playfully exuberant, earthSista MoreEssence (MoEss for short) gleefully marveled at the exquisite hand-crafted artistry of Moebanga bangles. MoEss started this photo shoot in her favorite HarvestGirl design. And as the late morning sun bounced brightly off the white Egyptian cotton sheets, she laughed and smiled in awe of the creative variety that artist-photographer-cinematographer (an all-around creative) Maurice Evans had spawned. MoEss was sassy, provocative and beguiling. She was also delightfully mischievous and frankly lighthearted; a true free-spirit. When we created these images, I was...

Amazones, a project born in 2001 between PACO “Iron Man” RABANNE and photographer, Thierry Le Gouès, is a collection of reflections with the light and metal and skin that sparks concepts of futuristic imagery. Thierry “armed” the Amazones with the Paco’s creations for an imaginative set of shoots on the volcanic island of Lanzarote, cliffs of Etretat, Brazilian beaches of Nordeste, the desert of the Sahara. In union and homage to his first book “Soul” (first published in 1998,) Thierry Le Gouès’ Amazones are rising generation of black fashion divas: Nina Keita, Kadija,...

Pangea’s Meet & Greets were two gatherings last year that were geared towards a few of us getting to know each other better with the hopes and intentions of creating works together. After all, Pangea’s Garden is a network of individuals with an appreciation for afrosensual culture and beauty. And all of us, with our varying perspectives came together a couple of times to celebrate that. But how do you do that? How do you celebrate that? I am trying not to be self-indulgent here, but I am an artist, a photographer and a graphic designer. So I have various ways of expressing my ideas,...

BleuRose kept saying how cold it was! Grinning from ear to ear, playfully strutting like a peacock, she appeared to be basking in the sun but she was not kidding. It was really cool out. Although the sun shined brightly, it was early in the day, air was dry and while the wind was comforting, the sun heat was not with us at that time. And even know she talked about it, the earthSista never complained. BleuRose’s spirits were high as always (I’ve yet to see this sista face challenge with anything less than positive attitude.) The earthSista’s lighthearted nature was infectious and...

By Makeda Voletta This is a 12 month calendar featuring a collection of fine art collaborations between myself and a variety of amazing photographers. All of the images are raw. No touch ups. I seek to bring the wisdom of the Dark Moon Goddess, the Sun Goddess, Bee Priestesses, and all of the Powerful Amazons who come before me. I walk with the power of my ancestors. It’s all about being true and free. Nothing else matters at the end of the day. Featured Photographers: Jan – Ondre Hunt, Philly Feb – Ron Ceasar, Washington, DC/Baltimore March – Andy C. and Irina Sarnetskaya,...

SirReal Photography presents Signature: blax·ploi·ta·tion A genre of American film of the 1970s featuring African-American actors in lead roles and often having antiestablishment plots, frequently criticized for stereotypical characterization and glorification of violence. Gordon Parks described his blaxploitation projects as “a picture people go to see because they want to see the black guy winning.”  Being a late 80’s baby, I always found it quite difficult to understand the Black community’s attraction to blaxploitation films let alone the term.  But growing as a Black artist has...