Photography/ Creative Writing Workshop

Thanks to my wonderful friend, Dr. Crystal Leigh Endsley, I will be hosting a photography and creative writing workshop at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY near the end of this month. A big "Thank you!" also goes out to the students for making the above flyer!

my motion picture adventures begin...

many many many moons ago a good friend of mine told me i should try my hand at film since it's just a camera capturing motion and i'd be good at it. a month ago i upgraded my dslr to one that also shoots HD video. this change was meant to be.



i've made it my mission to document and share the spirit of community, culture, music, art, spoken word and dance wherever i may encounter it. why? because it's love in it's most creative form and i hope to inspire others to continuously explore and expand their creative self.

i am a citizen of the world. i am here to share the goodness that comes from it.

Art Portfolio: Bonn Duong

Fine artist,Bonn Duong, from Annandale, VA, poses with her pastel creation. I met up with her at the Union 206 Studio recently to help archive her art work digitally.

We had some technical difficulty figuring out how to hang her largest piece. Just to give you an idea of how large it was, Bonn stands at about 5'3.





Bonn's self-sculpture. I think she tried to ride the HOV with it that day... I kid :)

musical musings

this summer 13 year old abby, has been playing covers of today's popular song hits at local cafes such as cafe moka in chesapeake.

mike and michelle watch their daughter, abby, play an acoustic set at borjo's in norfolk, va.



i am a proud auntie.

vocabulary of a gadget girl

Pia, who just turned three years old today, says, "Dada, download a new game."

The Draft Lottery 3

reasons why i enjoy photographing b-boys and b-girls.

animal spirits: praying mantis

one morning I decided to finally pull all the crab grass that took over the lavendar plant and to give the lavendar a trim so the walkway to the house was clear. I came upon a praying mantis in the lavendar. with fascination, i watched it be still during all the commotion of pulling the grab grass. The following morning I saw another praying mantis on my car and thought "this is a message!" and looked up its symbolism.

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/animal-symbolism-mantis.html


Praying Mantis Meanings in the Realms of Animal Symbolism

The mantis comes to us when we need peace, quiet and calm in our lives. Usually the mantis makes an appearance when we've flooded our lives with so much business, activity, or chaos that we can no longer hear the still small voice within us because of the external din we've created.

After observing this creature for any length of time you can see why the symbolism of the praying mantis deals with stillness and patience. The mantis takes her time, and lives her life at her own silent pace.

* Stillness
* Awareness
* Creativity
* Patience
* Mindful
* Calm
* Balance
* Intuition

These traits have lead the mantis to be a symbol of meditation and contemplation. In fact, in China, the mantis has long been honored for her mindful movements.

The mantis never makes a move unless she is 100% positive it is the right thing for her to do. This is a message to us to contemplate and be sure our minds and souls all agree together about the choices we are making in our lives.

Overwhelmingly in most cultures the mantis is a symbol of stillness. As such, she is an ambassador from the animal kingdom giving testimony to the benefits of meditation, and calming our minds.

An appearance from the mantis is a message to be still, go within, meditate, get quite and reach a place of calm. It may also a sign for you to be more mindful of the choices you are making and confirm that these choices are congruent.

Union 206 Studio: April 2011

"the world is black." - charles butler, owner of Union 206 Studio
charles explaining the science behind light falloff. i like to refer to him as "light macguyver".




the beauty dish.

photo courtesy of lori esque


behind the scenes set-up.

photo courtesy of lori esque

in front of me.

the ring flash.