Portrait: Miss Kelly

One of my favorite portraits hanging at JDP Studios is of Kelly.  She is great in front of the camera.  So much so she and I will be working on a new project soon.

The photo below was taken with a 35mm lens with a shallow depth of field (f2.2) and I was probably not more than two feet away from her.  Most people would close up with me being that close but Kelly really allowed me in to her personal space.  It is because of that I was able to capture such a lovely reaction of her smiling here.

Thanks Kels!

Portrait: Elements

PORTRAITURE

As some of you may know I am on the Board for a church in the Bronx called The Elements Church. We had a board meeting last week and I decided to take my 5D MkII with the 85mm 1.8 lens.  I had never brought my camera before to a meeting.  I thought I could capture a few candid photos.

The meeting was in the evening so the only light in the room was from the ceiling.  Basically the 85mm was living in the f2.0 area the whole time.  I snapped a few photos just to test out the low light capabilities of the lens.

So here are a few of those pics.  Yes, there was no flash used here.


Efrain is the lead pastor. Here he is testing out some new DJ equipment.  Yes, Elements has a resident DJ during worship service.  Shout-outs to Manny aka DJ NuMan!



B&W of Efrain - my fave



Did someone say Cannoli Cake?



Focused Celeste



Miss Denise


Erika was dodging my camera the whole night.  I finally caught her while she was writing notes.  That is what the smirk is all about...lol.



Of course at the end of the meeting she got all cheesey for the camera

Moving Forward

Sometimes I just feel BACKWARDS. I just came out of a very inspiring keynote address at a photography expo in NYC and I feel VALIDATED. Not validated as a photographer, but validated as a person.

The way my brain thinks may seem crazy to others. Creatively I am engaged as a photographer, writer, director, producer, actor, mentor, minister, teacher, consultant, entrepreneur, social architect, and a leadership developer. I don't FIT in anywhere. At times I have felt so ISOLATED. But today I don't. My multiple disciplinary lifestyle has had me feeling all over the place most of my life. Today I have clarity and peace.

There have been so many times I have been consumed with this OVERWHELMED feeling. I was juggling all these disciplines and was FAILING at keeping all the balls in the air. Today I realize I am really shifting BETWEEN disciplines.

When I think of church culture and church leadership it is through a creative lens. Now I understand why I flow the way I do in liberating and invigorating the culture. When I share photos from my jPhone it is because I love making people laugh and smile. I want my image to provide healing for wherever they are at that moment in their day. When I produce and direct a theatrical/video piece, its purpose is to encourage/edify/empower/entertain/educate others. When I mentor/teach, I want to see others grow and blossom with a support system I never experienced. When I photograph w/ my Canons I want to highlight the beauty of people in their natural element. I love the candid/photojournalistic photos of unposed people living and being Real. And I usually do this within an urban landscape.

With my lenses I can capture the "extra" dynamic for those who only see themselves as "ordinary" because I believe every single person is extraordinary in some form or fashion. I want people to believe they are not "less than" but "more than enough, and then some".

This is me y'all. I think on many levels through multiple disciplines while sharing on various platforms.

Shalom