#zeropoint95project

June 9, 2019 Sweet for my Sweet & Sugary Portraits I have never been one to rush a story. Stories to me feel like baking sometimes. Taking a portrait is not unlike the unraveling of a well folded tale, or whittling away at a juicy Regal Bakery sugar bun. As a young boy in Montego Bay, I couldn’t wait until the bell rung to race to Regal Bakery to purchase a hot, soft golden sugar bun. If you can allow yourself to imagine the untwirling of each band, as it spins and as you peel away at each roll, you unveil more sugary sweetness, sometimes a cheaply placed sugar crystal or two, and any other sweet spice meant to tempt you into an addiction. I press the camera’s viewfinder close to my eye with the same involuntary motion — the licking of my bottom lip as I sense that with each click between my brain and my vision, the portrait reveals its sticky sweetness. I also try to emulate the meticulous eye that a pastry chef might have in picking his ingredients. And so, my lens choice is oftentimes chosen intentionally. Flour properly sifted, adding sugar, cinnamon and salt until well blended, please don’t smile, then click. You are supposed to find emotional crystals and gems in each portrait I make. #zeropoint95project #leicasl (at Malcolm X Blvd) https://www.instagram.com/p/Byf9iOAFazg/?igshid=166jlutu1btuu

June 30, 2019 Anniversary Portraits But then there were the longer waits, the restlessness, and me seeing images everywhere, I had to shoot. My day started with twelve students belonging to the National Geographic student expedition series shoved together and eagerly waiting to hear what was in store for the day. We talked about photography and how we negotiate different spaces by learning how to use language, reciprocity, exposure and composition. We then headed out into the packed streets of New York City for our first day of our workshop. I did not expect the crowd that I saw when I disembarked the A train. As a result, I was not able to go in. I felt obligated to assigning mini tasks with over 3 million people pushing their way towards the front of every line to get a view of the crowded floats. And so I took photos wherever we stopped while I set tasks or challenges for the students to photograph. For the fiftieth anniversary I would have wanted to upload a serious series, but instead - sometimes it is about the work. Nevertheless I also challenged myself by using this Leica lens to make portraits. #leicasl #zeropoint95project #ngstudentxpride @leicaakademieusa @leicacamerausa #nycpride2019 (at Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzWp8Q6FKzi/?igshid=137m216j9dq9n

June 30, 2019 Anniversary Portraits I started my day with twelve students belonging to the National Geographic student expedition series shoved together and eager waiting to hear what was in store for the day. We talked about photography and how we negotiate different spaces, by learning how to use language, reciprocity, exposure and composition. We then headed out into the packed streets of New York City for our first day of our workshop. I did not expect the crowd that I saw when I disembarked the A train. There was barely any room on the sidewalk to go north or south. As a result, I was not able to go in - I could not find the room to photograph #nycpride2019 the way I have always photographed it. I felt obligated to assigning mini tasks with over 3 million people pushing their way towards the front of every line to get a view of the crowded floats. And so I took photos wherever we stopped while I set tasks or challenges for the students to photograph. For the fiftieth anniversary I would have wanted to upload a serious series, but instead - sometimes it is about the work. Nevertheless I also challenged myself by using this Leica lens to make portraits. #leicasl #zeropoint95project #ngstudentsxpride @leicaakademieusa @leicacamerausa (at Union Square, Manhattan) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzWgZz8FPYo/?igshid=11eoy0dqu7i4s