This is a day that I won’t soon forget! I was granted the opportunity to be invited to a Sony Alpha event in Redhook, Brooklyn! My photographer friend, Oveck Reyes invited me to this amazing event… The who’s who of the Sony family in regards to ambassadors and aficionados we’re all in one place! During this amazing day there were models hired for us photographers to go on Photo walks as well as indoor studio lit environments! The company also offered the use of some of their top-of-the-line cameras and lenses to use throughout the day and offered a free memory card with each rental! I personally used the A7RIII with the 24-70mm f2.8 GM as well as my personal 90mm f2.8 Macro to shoot with all day! I swear it was like driving a high-end Italian sports car!
You can see some of my images below:
At the end of the event one of the host for the event offered that anyone who would be posting images on Instagram should use #BeAlpha to be considered to win one of five A7RIII cameras as well as high-end lenses! I’m not sure as to who won but I know I put a lot of energy into the possibility! These nine images below are what I offered to be in the running… Your thoughts?
All in all this was an amazing event that I was honored to be a part of! I only hope that one day I’m fortunate enough to win or fortunate enough to afford this beast of a camera! I’m looking for good fortune to come my way soon and hope this is one of the spoils of such!
I hope this is step closer to joining the Sony Family... Officially’
I can start this blog with the origin of me being a Father (physically) or I can take you from where I get my inspiration to be a Father from (emotionally)! I get my inspiration of being the best Father I can be from my Mother! She raised both me and my brother as a single parent in Virginia Beach, Virginia!
There was tough love, there was motherly love, and there was encouraging love! Growing up, my Mother would sing around the house all the time! Her voice was like a fragrance that filled our home with love! She would come home (still in heels) from working a full day at her 9-to-5 job for the government! Regardless if she had a good day or bad day, you would never know it because her singing was always the elixir for anything that ailed her emotionally! When she sang, I never saw it as a talent thing… Only a mom thing! Although we didn't get all the things that other kids had, we had the things that we needed that she could afford as a single parent! Of course as children we didn't understand why we couldn't get some of the same things that other kids could! Later in life it became apparent as to why things were the way they were!
As I've grown into myself to be the man that I am today, I've always thought to take the talent that's been bestowed to me through the legacy of my Family, to give back to my Mother for all that she's done for us! I found that this need to "give back "to her came in the form of me living right and having a Family of my own that she can be proud of!
Me and the Fam
Being a Father in today's society has been one of the biggest achievements in my life! I know that I am not perfect by any means, but I feel that I'm heading in the right direction with the support of my "Little Lady" and Mother! To take a quote from my idol, Will Smith… "BESIDE every good man is a good woman "!
Rings and Things
Being a Father and today's time, especially in the black community is an all but lost form of leadership that's missing! One of my personal missions is to make a dent in that negative statistic in America! There are various ways in which I express my Fatherhood! I do my best to post positive images, moments and stories to let people know that being a "dad" today is something to aspire to and not shy away from! It's important for us men to create the leaders that we look to have in our future!
I for one, will fight hell with the squirt gun to do just that!
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
Anna and Gio
Sunday Funday stroll... Photo credit: My Little Lady
So I'm sitting here on the first day of April with the temperature at 52° wondering if we'll ever see Spring! It should be at least touching 70° at this point of the year! I've been a bit of a funk this winter as it is and with the tease of spring looming, I can't help but wonder when I'll be able to take my son out to the park without the repercussions of the sniffles to follow! Oh, I get it... It's Mother Natures "April Fools" joke!
Carry on with your sun-filled warmer days my Southern Friends! I'll be joining you soon! Me and the Family are moving back to Nashville on June 1st! I got a publishing deal that will keep me super busy with actually WRITING for a living... YAY! All my Nashville Friends, send me your info! Love to catch up and set up times to meet up and gauge where to live! It's been a while since I lived there and KNOW a lot has changed!
There are so many perks to living in New York… There is the endless electric night life… There are the inspirational bright lights of Time Square… There is the infectious shopping from 5th ave. to the boutiques and vintage shops of Brooklyn… There are also little undiscovered eateries on every corner… Not to mention, style for miles from the fashionistas of the Upper East Side to the Bespoke shops of Chelsea!
One thing that doesn't excite us New Yorkers is the SNOW... and TONS of it!
I live in Brooklyn and ACTUALLY have vehicle (SUV to be exact)
Given last years winter, I knew that I had to protect me and my Family from the ills of THIS winter! Thank GOD I got it because this winter is worst!
Just when you think there will be a "break" in the weather to transition to Spring, ANOTHER wave of snow is forecasted to take the wind outta my sails! I could vividly remember when I was growing up that when the calendar hit "March", there would be one good rain to wash away the snow! Soon after, we'd set our clocks ahead 1 one hour and look forward to the warmer weather of Spring! It is now March 5th and no Spring in sight! I know that just recently wrote a song about our 'social' climate entitled, "When Will It End", but now I'm REALLY asking about our physical climate...
Outside my Home
WHEN WILL IT END?!
Share YOUR "Snow" experience via Comments or Photos...
