Call Him Mr. Rose
Fashion Editorial with Aaron Rose
“A man should look as if he had bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care, and then forgotten all about them.
”
For this shoot I asked my coworker who is an actor, so he was perfect and plus I needed more male models to add to my portfolio. After a month of waiting we finally was able to set things up.
I used the LA River and Art District again for this shoot as this has became one of my favorite locations to shoot. With these looks we did men’s fashion and a little bit of spider-man cosplay.
We met at Urth Cafe and it seem like they were doing something down there so things were cut off on one street. Once he arrived we headed to the river to get the ball rolling.
This turns out to be great shoot with a lot of laughs and a lot of fun in the end. It’s never a dull moment when I get in the groove of things with a session. We had music playing to really help us folks on getting the shoots they we need to get. I used the entire area around the Art District using the environment to different graffiti spots. Then the finally location of the parking structure across the street into Lil Tokyo. That spot was all Spider-man.
Travel Series - J'ampple Paris!!
Family trip to Paris, France.
It’s my mom’s birthday month. So for her 49th, I suggested Paris with a tour if possible. As time got closer we just kind of made an adventure out of Paris. So, the beginning of the trip was a show. We get to our flight and we didn’t make it so, we had to change over to Amsterdam then connect to Paris. After a few minor hiccups and getting things in order and restructuring we were off to the Netherlands. We finally arrived, and Meech was on a earlier flight than ours because KLM doesn’t allow parents to fly under contract. Meech arrived in Paris as we were boarding our flight on Air France. Land in Paris we all finally get back together. The first night was a chill night as we all decided that a day flying through different time zones was extremely tiring.
Day two was a start of the adventure. As the day started we planned out what we wanted to do, so Muse du Louvre it was. We took an Uber to the first providence. We arrived and wandered about the area and took pics and videos around and inside the Louvre. While buying time to get in, Meech was spotted by a few of his fans. First a group of guys then one girl with her friends from South Africa. We took pictures and he chatted with them for a good five minutes. Now it was time to head in as the morning is the worst time to go to the museum. Tickets are cheaper at the museum than online! I didn’t know the museum was below ground then goes back up above ground. We seen the Venus Di Milo and the Mona Lisa. I was highly disappointed with the Mona Lisa. For one, it was protected behind a glass and a barricade separating you ten to fifteen feet. It takes away the nostalgia of seeing the painting. It was only maybe no larger than a 16 x 20 picture. I honestly enjoyed looking at the statues and other paintings. One last stop was to the Louis Vuitton store but from my miss calculations I took us to the Paris headquarters instead of the actual store.
It’s a new day and also our Mom’s birthday. We were suppose to have breakfast but we started a little late. Instead of breakfast we went to Five Guys to get lunch from there and walk to the Louis Vuitton store, so she can get the birthday present she always wanted to get for herself many years ago. After she got her bag, we stopped real quick and took a few pictures. In doing so, Meech told her to open her card. To her surprise it was money to hey her mortgage (which probably all came from Meech himself). At that moment of time it was tough staying afloat while living in Los Angeles.
We continued our exploration after her emotional moment. we started to make our way to Notre Dame, along the way we stop at a dope spot near the Louvre. We did our picture and videos. We finally arrived to Notre Dame, I forgot to mention it was pretty much a rainy day. There was a line to get in but it was never the plan to go inside. After that we made it back to Five Guys to regroup and eat then head back to the apartment.
Last official day in Paris, and Meech is sick and I have a shoot at three, so it was a completely late day for us. Thinking he cold would get better it never did. What makes it worst was it continued to rain and once we do to our destination we were taking pictures and trying to kill time til my model arrived. She finally arrived and we started right away. Fifteen minutes into the session it began to down pour like crazy for ten minutes. Mom and Meech were caught in, and they were done for the day. So, he had to cancel his meet and greet because the rain killed the entire day and he was sick and soaked. Once your feet get wet, it is a wrap for the whole day.
An artist has no home in Europe except in Paris.
Friedrich Nietzsche
“An artist has no home in Europe except in Paris.”
The morning of was almost a shit storm as there were no Ubers out in our area and the owner had to call us one and the guy that worked for the host was late as hell. There was a ton of traffic and our driver went to the wrong terminal. We barely made it to our flight. we were the last ones to board on the flight. A long eight hours flying home. Arriving was no better as the line for customs was overly long and took forever. We enjoyed ourselves minus a few setbacks but definitely planning more European trips in the future.
Five In Five Days
My days in Detroit was just a busy trip home. Click to read more.
Dark Alley with Ashley
The first of many shoots and events when I got into Detroit. Ashley wanted to shoot at the Z-Belt, which is a common place for photographers and tourist, and I despise it. I hate it for the simple fact that creatives aren't able to work there even if they were to call ahead. Everything is always a "No" to equipment. We started out in the garage but was quickly shut down. So we moved to the alley and they managed to shut us down again but not before we were able to get some shots off. Now we were on a mission to find a new spot which we didn't find til we came across another part of the River walk and used a fence next to this training faculty. To continue the gritty look we were going for. After the shoot, we dropped her off at a party she was attending that evening
Lost in the Woods
Following the race, I had to run home real quick and dump everything from the race then I had to race back to Belle Isle to meet Stephanie and Dedan. I met Stephanie first near the entrance after the booth to pay. After met Dedan over at the casino. From there we went over to a dirt path that was suppose to be mildly secluded, but it had so much traffic that it was a car every two or three minutes. We managed to get a lot of great shots for the first look we used a Paul C. Buff Alien Bee B800 with 7ft parabolic silver umbrella. The tight throws so much light back that I had to use a higher f-stop than I normally use. After that we moved to a second location still on the Isle. We came to a bridge this time we used the Paul Buff beauty dish because winds started to pick up, and using the umbrella would be like a huge sail in the wind. After another hour of shooting I dropped Dedan off at his car then Stephanie and I went to Bucharest to have lunch. She never been to Bucharest before so she really enjoyed it.
P. H1ll Foundation
For the third year the P. H1ll foundation has held their annual 5k run/walk marathon downtown Detroit. Every year there is a nice turn out, and every year it has been on the cold side but when the sun rises it becomes better. Last year there was news coverage from Fox 2 and Channel 4 WDIV, this year there was none. In my opinion is was fro the better. The event brings out police officers, family, friends, and those who just like to run marathons. The owner of the foundation Deodge Hill have hired George Mitchell and myself to cover the huge event. This year Dennis Radford was unable to help as he had moved to Texas. So, we brought in De'Andre Elliot. Even with the three of us, we still wasn't able to cover the entire event. There is just too much for three people to cover. From video to photography it's just too much space.
This year, I did something a little different. Since I have two reliable cameras now and a GoPro. I setup the second camera on a tripod and shoot the finish in a time lapse then as a second angle during the results ceremony. The GoPro was mounted on Deodge's son to give a first person perceptive of the race. In the end I missed one moment due to me having to go grab my second camera from the starting line.
Video can be found on Youtube.
Warmin' Up
with A-Train Super Fit
And they are off!!!
Deodge with A-Train and crew
Best Male and Female Torphies (Overall)
Fashion with Symona
Afther lunch with Stephanie, it was time to shoot with Symona in Dearborn at the Artist Loft. I was a little behind schedule but it didn't matter. Dedan got there before I did, soon Symona arrived. The spot I wanted to use was a little crowded due to an art show that was being held in the newly renovated area. Everything was going smoothly til the trigger sattery began to die on us. We had to change over to using natural light for the second look. While shooting the first look we wanted Symona to sick off the wall into a strong pose. While Dedan and I were demostrating the look we drew a crowd of onlookers who were interested and cheering us on at the same time. After from the wall we went over to the steps and that was a riot act all in itself. The stairs were grated and she had on stilleto style heels. You can only image the silliness that ensued.
Family Memories
This one is short and sweet. After the passing of our Uncle Reggie, Meech wanted to do a family portrait because we don't have anything recently. You never know when life will end. It took a little planning on Meech and I ends to coordinate when both of us will be back in Michigan. So, we planned everything out with the family we were to do all black and I thought of using the black background. So black on black like a black mafia family.
“There are things which nobody would see unless I photographed them.”
“I see little of more importance to the future of our country and of civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist. If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.”