Young Queen
Happy 21st birthday to my first born child, my young Queen. It’s so hard to process this much time passing by, and what was once my little baby has become a full grown woman! With every passing year I feel both happy and sad. I try to enjoy every moment with you because I know your next steps in life will move you away from me, and I’ll have to learn how to let you go…How did we come this far so fast?! Seems like you were just graduating high school, and now this! No matter what, you’ll always be my baby.
I love you with all my heart!!!
Happy 19th Birthday Son!!!
I’d just like to wish my one and only son a very Happy Birthday today! I LOVE YOU Jr.!!!!
Grown Woman
Happy Birthday to my first born. I can’t believe that you’re 20 years old today! Where did all this time go? Sometimes I sit back and think, it really trips me out that you were actually born in the 90’s. I’m so proud of the woman you’re becoming. As a father you make me so happy! I wish you all the best going forward in your life. You’re one of the sweetest people I know and I pray you’ll always stay that way. Oh yeah, you may look just like your mom but, you act just like your old man! 😉 I love you so much!!!
Lights Out!
As a photographer light is the most important element to creating images. Through photography I’ve gained a better understanding of light, and the importance of light. Light is something that we all need, the critical source for our very sight, but also a power that we all take for granted. We’re usually unconcerned with how much we appreciate having light, until it is taken away from us. We’re also unconcerned with how difficult our daily tasks would be without it, until we have to try and function without it. Such is the case with the following example.
It seems that whenever it rains near my house the power goes out. Sometimes it doesn’t even matter if it’s a heavy or light rain. I’m not sure what the technical issues are for this particular area or house? But never the less, it’s still a pain to deal with regularly! Power outages are never convenient, but they’re especially inconvenient when you’re right in the middle of preparing dinner! I was preparing dinner for my daughter and I when suddenly all of the power went out. Thankfully the food was almost done, and the oven retained enough heat to finish cooking even without the power. This was the second power outage we’ve experienced in less than 3 weeks time. In fairness, these outages tend to only last a few hours at worst, but on a hot summer night, or a cold winter night they can be brutal. The images that I’d like to share are of my daughter as she tries to enjoy her dinner despite the darkness.
These unedited photos were intended to capture some of the frustration of dealing with a lack of light while doing something important. All of the photos were lit by the flashlight from my iPhone, as well as a single candle that I found. The light that I provided my daughter was not included as a way to expose the photographs, but rather to assist her in finishing dinner. The idea of photographing her was a complete afterthought.
(Please click on each photo for larger view)
Princess Of Color Series Pt.1
My princess of color series was created to depict a more realistic and identifiable image of princesses to young women of color. The idea is to show girls of color that royalty looks just like them, as opposed to the traditional notion that we’ve been conditioned to accept throughout history. The series is meant to convey the message that you are beautiful and important just the way you are, so be proud of the skin that you’re in. Having a daughter myself, my goal is to get more people involved and have more representations from children of all different cultural backgrounds.
This first set of images feature Princess Madison.
(Please click on each image to enlarge)
Childhood
“Youth is fleeting, as life begins…innocence blows away, like whispers in the wind.”
-Robert N. Jones
Portrait Of My Princess
A simple black & white portrait of my daughter from yesterday as we stood outside enjoying a slight breeze and discussing our favorite foods.
Happy 15th Birthday Nas!!!
It’s mind blowing how fast time flies right before our eyes. I can recall everything I was doing at 15 as if it literally happened yesterday, and now I have a fifteen year old son…it’s crazy! It’s almost like watching myself growing up again in another body! Anyway, I’d like to wish my son a very sincere Happy Birthday today! I love you Prince!!!
Weekend Walk
I went out for a brief walk downtown last Sunday on an unseasonably warm day and I was fortunate enough to come home with a few photos that I’d like to share with you now. Enjoy!
(Please click on the photos for a larger view)
Halloween 2015 Continued
After re-reviewing my Halloween folder I decided to add a few more images that I actually like that I completely overlooked the first time around. Seeing this new set of images made me really wish I had tried harder to take more shots that day. Now I have to wait until next year…
(Please click on each image for a larger view)
Climbing
I’m so happy and excited that fall is finally here! The weather has cooled down a bit and this weekend was beautiful. I decided to go out to the park with my son and shoot some nature. While shooting, a family seemed to appear from out of nowhere. This shot was captured when this little girl entered my frame to try and climb these big, slippery rocks. I quickly snapped 2 shots and when I reviewed them later on the computer I chose this one over the other. That’s just one of the cool aspects of photography. You don’t always have to search for every shot, sometimes they reveal themselves to you. As long as you’re alert and prepared, sometimes some of the best shots will materialize right in front of you.
Happy 4 Year Blogging Anniversary To Me!!!
I’m so very happy to announce my 4 year blogging anniversary! I can’t believe I’ve been at it this long?! Sometimes it’s very easy for me to write and post pictures, but other times it’s a very difficult task. You never really understand how much work goes into it until you start doing it. When I started out I had no clue how to even set up a blog, and by no means would I consider myself a “master blogger” now but, I have been expressing myself and sharing my work for the last 4 full years of my life. Needless to say I’m very proud of this accomplishment. I realize now how much dedication it takes to maintain a project like this in order to reach such a milestone.
Now I’d like to share a photo today exactly the same way as when I first started, with a picture of my little friend Adayah. As you can see a lot has changed! She’s no longer a little baby, she is, in her own words, a big girl now. I’m so grateful that her mother has allowed me to document her growth and development throughout the years as I’ve been privileged to witness her evolution as if she were one of my own children. This recent photo is just a quick snapshot from their last visit but, I hope to do a more formal shoot with the little lady to commemorate this special occasion very soon. Isn’t it amazing how time flies when you enjoy what you’re doing?
I’m honored and humbled. 🙂
A Quick Stop At The Skate Park
About two weeks ago I took a trip to one of my favorite places in the entire city, the skate park. The heat was unbearable but, I guess when you’re having fun you push through it? I can’t believe how dedicated these young skaters are to come out and practice their craft everyday despite the intense temperatures. As always I had a great time. I met some talented new skaters that, surprisingly were more than happy to give me a few shots, as well as a very cool fellow photographer. What was intended to be a quick stop on my weekend outing turned into a long meaningful visit. In total I believe I stayed out there for about 5 hours?! At the end of the day I was both dehydrated and tired, but very happy. I had more fun than I expected, plus I made some new contacts. That’s what I consider a successful day! Here are a few of the images from the trip:
We Love Summer!
It’s starting to get really hot out. Most adults try to avoid the heat as much as possible but, kids sometime seem completely unaffected by it. What is it about being young that gives kids the energy to have fun in any situation? Maybe it’s there active imaginations? Maybe it’s their naïveté? It could be a combination of both? Whatever the case, kids definitely know how to make the most out of their recreational time. Here’s a perfect example. I spotted kids outside enjoying their summer, trying to cool off in the intense July heat. What’s the best way to stay outside and stay cool at the same time? Water! Kids love summer and they love to splash around in the water. Walking past these children playing makes me instantly nostalgic thinking back to my own childhood. It’s a shame that growing up steals so much of this innocent joy from our lives. As I close my eyes and listen to the sounds of the children having fun I can’t help but wish that it was me and my best friends all over again. Just being outside, living, totally unconcerned with the heat and relishing every moment of our free time together.
Same Area Different Results Part #3
Here is the third and final part of my series on shooting in the same area located in downtown Columbus. If nothing else I’ve learned how repetition teaches patience and discipline. I’ve also realized that although I’m sure eventually I’ll get tired of shooting in this area I still love to go there and relax. The relaxation I feel from visiting the water helps to re-energize me to head back out to the streets and try harder to find more interesting opportunities elsewhere. Off to the next adventure…
Happy Sweet 16 Ameera!!!
I Can Remember Almost Everything I Was Doing At 16 Like It Was Yesterday And Today I Have A 16 Year Old Daughter. I Can’t Believe It!!! I’d Like To Wish You A Very Happy And Special Sweet Sixteen Today My Ameera (Princess) Your Daddy Loves You More Than The Word Love Could Ever Describe!!!
Live From The Fair: Color Explosion
Happy Sunday everyone! It’s Spring Fling time once again and it’s a beautiful day out. One thing I love about the fair is all the wonderful colors everywhere. I’m trying to capture as much of them as I possibly can! I hope to have a full post from this event up soon. Enjoy your day!
Happy Birthday To My Prince!!!
I’d like to wish my son a very happy 14th birthday! I love you with all my heart!!!!
Shadow Skater
I took my son out recently to practice riding his new skateboard. This should prove to be a very interesting process. Stay tuned to find out what happens…
School Daze
Taking my daughter to the bus everyday at 6am. Unfortunately being the true night owl that I am I usually go to bed on average between 3am-5am. Now do the math. Needles to say, I’m always very tired! It’s way too early to be up….but it’s for my baby.
The Serious Gamer
I captured my nephew late one night during my last visit when he should have been in bed sleeping. Instead he was very much up and intensely playing his video game. The light from his cool red controller lit the entire room, painting him in a bright red glow. This photo takes me back to my childhood when his father and I use to do the same thing. He looks and certainly reminds me of his father in this picture!
“The Embrace”
Could you figure out what it was? Well, it’s actually an abstract shot of my children hugging. Taken about 2 years ago to test my new camera and lens, this was the very first shot with my new gear. I was so impressed with the amount of detail in the file I decided to keep it. Later I grew to appreciate the emotional value of the image. Although my children very rarely get into any type of fight or disagreement, I thought it was a particularly genuine moment where they shared a very sweet embrace with one another. It’s kind of hard to decipher because there’s so much hair in the shot but, that’s exactly why I love it! It just goes to show that sometimes the photos we dislike or maybe think very little of at first can eventually turn out to be some of our most cherished. I’m so happy I decided to keep it! ❤
Transformation
The more my son ages the more I see him as a miniature version of myself. He is starting to become a direct reflection of me as a teenager. Watching this transformation as both a parent and observer is quite amazing…it entrigues me, while making me happy and sad at the same time. I’m very curious as to how much more we will have in common and how much he will differ from me as he grows into an adult and fully develops his own personality? I will continue to try and document this process in the hopes that he will someday look back at it all with his own children and appreciate my effort to catalogue his development as a person created in my own image.
Versatility By RNJ 