I was fortunate enough, back in September, to cover the NAACP One Nation Spoken Word Showcase Tour in New York City. Here are some images from the event.
As always, contact info is available and I look forward to working with you at your event soon.
NAACP One Nation Spoken Word Showcase Tour NYC
Posted in clients, events Tagged event photographer, events, naacp, northern virginia photographer, nyc photographer, showcase 1 Comment
11 photography goals for 2011
Cheesy title right? It just happened to work out that way though, I didn’t sit down and intentionally come up with 11 goals just to meet a theme for the year. In fact, I should change the title to ’10 goals for 2011 and something else I want to do.’ Okay… that’s stretching it.
2010 was a powerful year of changes for me, I lost my mother at the beginning of the year, celebrated my 1 year anniversary with my beautiful wife, welcomed the birth of my son, quit my job in New York City, and moved to Virginia. There are probably some other things in there, but I’m not really known for remembering things. Of the mentioned, only one of them was planned, and I definitely had no idea at the top of 2010 that I would be taking the journey into photography as my source of income.
Those who know me, understand that I am a forward thinker, even if I don’t say a word about it. I also don’t lend myself to failure easily. I’m wise enough to know that any field of art, if not everything in life, will always be a process of learning, applying and developing. So, I came up with a few things I would like to see with my photography and my now photography business in 2011 that will aid in my perpetual process.
- 50 Blog Posts. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot but I know how my level of interest rises and falls. I may be super interested in blogging right now and next week it may be the greatest chore.
- Monthly Photo Projects. I’m not going to the Swiss Apps to photograph snow capped mountain ranges, I’m talking about manageable projects that are both fun and challenging. I have most of my ideas together and I’ll be sharing them in a later post. There will be one project per month.
- 50/50. I think this is a popular project, but I want to simply take 50 photographs with a 50mm lens (that I don’t own yet).
- Solidify My Bag And Be Happy With It. I’m not a gear junky when it comes to photography, I just want to have a complete set of tools to do the job that I have set forth to do. I guess if I were a dreamer I’d have 2 D700s, 4 SB900s with accessories, and a couple lenses – 14mm-24mm, 24mm-70mm, 70mm-200mm, 50mm 1.4g, and maybe the 105mm macro… mmm…
- Learn and Understand 3 New Photography Techniques. Only three, but the door is always open for more. Only three because I want to have a complete understanding of the 3.
- Get Printed Portfolio Books. I have plenty of photos I can show from my computer to any perspective clients, but there is something special about handing a physical book over.
- Allow My Photography To Take Me Places. I get my fair share of traveling in, and I’ve taken photos almost everywhere I’ve been. I have yet to really have my photography be directly responsible for me being in new places (aside from exploring the neighborhood). And not just physical places, I want to achieve new things with my photography.
- Take Only The Jobs I Want. Of course, with the promotion of my photography I get plenty of requests to photograph things that I have no interest in, and some that are utterly ridiculous in purpose. I am good at saying no, but there is a difference in saying no versus declining underpaying, overly stressful, or personally undesirable projects.
- Enhance and Influence My Photography Network. I have always believed in surrounding myself with like-minded people, and people who have achieved things similar to my aspirations. I think the greatest compliment is projecting a positive influence on that group of peers and teachers.
- Six Photowalks. True, I can do a photowalk at anytime whenever I feel it, but I have yet to do a photowalk with other photographers. Since I enjoy the company of people who share like passions, I want to walk with other photographers and share ideas and images. And its cold out so I should be able to get in six during warm months with no problem!
- Be Greater Than The Camera. I love the technology packed into digital cameras, but in the end the camera is just a tool used to freeze the frame of the minds eye. As a musician, I easily recognize the music that lives within me. As a creative, I dream constantly and understand the process that starts with me. As a photographer, I see imagery through my eyes first and then seek to capture it.
As a bonus, I also have determined in my mind to Answer My Phone! I currently have 29 personal voicemails because I don’t like talking on the phone. I wouldn’t imagine allowing that personal preference to spill into my profession, but it is something to remain mindful of.
What are your goals? not resolutions…
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what happened to my 365?
Yup. I started a 365 project back at the beginning of August. Yeah, I stopped it. It was getting to be too much to manage with a full time job outside of photography. So I quit my full time! I vowed to myself that with an open schedule I could focus and get the project done, and enjoy it… wrong.
I quit my job because it was time to leave, not because my 365 was that important to me that I needed to clear my schedule to focus on a rewarding 1 year project… sounds nice though. I recently read a post by Scott Webb that listed a bunch of reasons why 365 projects never actually make it to the 365th day. I wish I had read it earlier so I could factor those reasons into my decision to start one. There were a few items that screamed at me, though they all fit in their own way.
Scotty wrote:
- The 365 project quickly becomes so mundane.
- The 365 project starts to focus on your boring, dreaded, and soul sucking tasks.
- The 365 project tells you that your camera is too bulky and you should leave it at home today.
- The 365 project tells you that you live in a boring city with nothing worthy of your attention.
I started my 365 for strictly personal reasons. I wasn’t overly concerned with how many people viewed it, although I did hope to get feedback from other photographers. Among my reasons, some comical, were these:
- I wanted to prove to myself that I took photography seriously
- I have a short attention span and I wanted to know I could stay focused
- I knew that making sure I shot everyday I would become a more experienced photographer
Yeah, so…. my 365 didn’t really meet my expectations. Granted, I did shoot everyday. And it did make me more experienced. But more than anything it frustrated me because I was forcing myself to find something to shoot about and I felt that I failed the day if I didn’t. I still have a short attention span, and generally when I uninterested. Um… I’m rather uninterested in my own project now because it has become ‘mundane.’
Fortunately, I have noticed that I take photography seriously. Unfortunately, it’s not because I was so focused on my 365 project. I realized while I gradually fell away from my interest in the project, I have been involved and interested in photography since 1997. I think that 13 years of interest is a good sign that it isn’t a passing phase. The only thing left to do was to ‘decide. commit. succeed.’ (P90x). So I did.
I have also decided that with the dawn of the new year, when so many new 365 projects will begin, that I am going to address things a little different. I am going to commit one month at a time. For the next 12 months, I will choose one photography project per month. And the project will be wholly by my choosing and often by my own creativity. Now I will be able to focus on things that I directly want to improve, and keep interest in projects that directly and specifically interest me.
I’ll let you know how that works out in February 
The Arlington National Cemetery Wreath Laying
Since 1992, the Arlington Wreath project, coordinated with the Cemetery Administration and the Maine State Society, has orchestrated the laying of wreaths on over 5,000 headstones at Arlington National Cemetery. This year, through my military service, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the event that honors the sacrifice of our nations fallen heroes, my brothers and sisters in arms.
Military members from all branches of the service were in attendance as well as cadets in auxiliary services performing small ceremonial gestures.
The group of Airmen I participated with are stationed with me at McGuire AFB, NJ. We took a moment to honor the crew of the crashed B-52 over Guam, and the opportunity to visit the grave of our bases namesake, Major Thomas B. McGuire. We also attended the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
It is a Jewish tradition to lay stones on the top of gravestones as a symbol of taking part in the burial process. Among other representations, it is a sign of respect for the dead.
Additional photos from the set can be seen here.
Posted in clients, events Tagged arlington, cemetery, national, photography, photos, r media, rashad pleasant Comments closed
winter solstice lunar eclipse
for the first time i actually was awake during a visible lunar eclipse! well… i was actually sleep and i woke up to my son crying, but… i remembered that there was an eclipse happening and i peeked out the window to find a beautiful clear night.
this year’s lunar eclipse fell on the night of december 20th thru the morning of december 21st which coincided with the ushering in of the winter season in the northern hemisphere. icy temperatures, or the middle of the night, kept my neighbors from joining me in witnessing the concurrent events that won’t happen again until 2094!
although the event gained a certain wow factor for its timing, it only felt like a cold december night. but the scene was gorgeous…
for more photographs from the set visit the r media facebook page. if i’m around after my 115th birthday i promise to post more photos!
photographs of the changing autumn scenery
This weekend I was made my monthly contribution in the US Air Force Reserves. I always like making the trip to the base because it gives me the opportunity to get away from the city and ride through active farmlands and ranches. The open terrain also allows me to see better sunrises and sunsets.
While I was leaving the base this weekend the sun was setting and making the already picturesque landscape look even more pleasing. Though I didn’t take any direct photographs of the sun setting, I did take the opportunity to capture its affect on the land.
Driving down Route 68 I passed maybe two farms and one horse ranch. I guess neither the stallions nor mares were that interested in the setting sun because not one was out when I rode by.
But there was still farmland.
Equipped with silos and all!
I all honesty my first frantic stop on the two lane highway came when I looked out the window and saw a pumpkin attached to a vine. I went from (lets called it) 60mph to zero in about 3 seconds to get a closer look. Right over the embankment I saw an entire pumpkin patch that had already been harvested. I was a little disappointed, but I journeyed in for a couple shots.
I only wish I had my camera with me when the moon rose over the golf course Saturday evening in a full orange glow seated low on the horizon. It was the first time in my life I saw something that took my breath away.
Posted in travel Tagged autumn, farmland, nature, new jersey. travel, pumkin patch, sunset, tree line Leave a comment
photos with lynnette
i’ve been working on my website for about a week now and i’m down to the fine tuning. i have created a couple blog posts to see how well my custom theme handles them but the one thing that i have yet to do is create a post with full size images… so here it is.
every so often i have a friend of mine at work stand is a model for me when i need to test settings or do comparisons or even make sure i know what i’m doing in a certain environment. for that she deserves an honorable mention.
ladies and gentlemen, lynnette adorno [facebook.com/aprilfools81]
she probably has her favorites of the hundreds of images i’ve taken of her, but these are from one of the current sessions and i like them a little.
so, i greatly appreciate lynnette making herself available to feed my whimsical ideas. it gives me an opportunity to grow as a photographer, and it gave me photos to add to this post 
.
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to be a photographer
this decision is not to be taken lightly. photography is easy to maintain as a hobby but what happens when you leave everything established to turn your hobby into your main source of income?
this blog is not directed at teaching survival based on a hobby, however it will show you my progression after having made that very decision.
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