From the category archives:

Photography

Journey of a Photog

by Thought Provoken on January 28, 2010

So the first time I picked up a camera was nearly 4 years ago.  I bought a Nikon D50 with the extra cash I had from selling drugs for Pfizer (yeah I was a drug dealer).  I had a passion for the imagery and artistry that photography brought but never had the money for film.  When I found I could shoot all I wanted via digital, I salivated at the opportunity.

Like a kid with a new puppy, I fell in love with my SLR.  I slept with it, carried it everywhere with me and sought to fuse my mind with the machinery in my hand.  Essentially, I became the camera.  Once I mastered the mechanics of the shutter speed and aperture, I was able to tell my story through the ultimate lens (the eye).

Like a shapeless being, I floated through my surroundings and became the fly on the wall on the subways, through the gardens, and in the concrete jungle of DC.  The year 2006 marked a turning point in my life where I fell in love with a form of expression that I cherish to this day.

So flash-forward 4 years, 7 countries and hundreds of images that are timepieces of my progression as a human being.  This is the year that I will host my first show and I want to take you along the journey with me.  I had the opportunity to have a sit-down discussion with a phenomenal photographer friend of mine Tara who I have known since college.  She is a genius when it comes to the art and has a keen eye for how to market the expression of photography that helps the art transcend to new levels.

Right now I am going through the process of boiling down my work to a body of work.  Its such a violent process for me because its causing me to systematically disassemble what I think my work is about to recreate a stream of thought that ties the work together.  It takes a non-objective mindset and a willingness to destroy an original image and mindset in order to rebuild a message of uniqueness.

Today, I went through hundreds of my photos and picked some of my favorites.  There is no consistency in the work, just a grouping of images that are most striking to me.  The next step is to decide who I am as an artist and then chose the images that best represent me…

this is my journey…

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Trip to Turkey… A recap in parts.

by Thought Provoken on November 25, 2009

THE FIRST DAY
My first day in Turkey was quite interesting. Turkey itself is a very conservative country with a history that represents that of struggle, independence and the maintenance of a nationalistic ideology. Turkish people are very proud of their country and the leaders that helped them get to that point. Pictures and statues of the “Father of Turkey” Mustafa Kemal Atatürk pepper the streets glaring at passers by reminding them of the rewards that come from struggle. Store owners gingerly assemble their crafts and wares in store windows and small bundled up children walk hand in hand with their parents.

The city itself possesses a Mediterranean feel that lends the notion that there is a certain Euro-cosmo sophistication. In addition to the modern extravagance, there is a deeply vibrant Afro-Asian-Arab vibe that melodiously expresses itself in the beautiful rugs, ornaments, and clothing that drape the store fronts. People walk along the streets barely looking up as if they try to hide their kindness, saving it for the people that they are seeking to meet at their final destination. Once in a while my eyes cross with a passerby and I can feel the warmth of their spirit flow through their brown and white orbs.

As I am visiting the country for only a couple of days, my time is indeed short and I must be focused. I arm myself with my camera and some lunch and take off for a rapid photographic analysis of the endless sea of people and structures. Moderately overwhelmed, I pray that I do not get lost and burn away precious seconds of sunlight… Then I retreat from my fears and realize that I am where I am and indeed nightfall follows the light…

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Struggling to find life in a city of people…

14 October 2009

The image to your left has significant meaning to me.  Although there is no organic subject in the frame, the image bleeds character.  Maybe its the boarded up windows or tape riddled street post but when I took the image, I could feel the history of this one ten foot by ten foot street corner…  [...]

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