Guilt

January 14, 2018

Me: I did this to you, I caused you pain. I have to accept that and carry this as a lesson.

Her: Don't expect me to thank you for being selfless and thoughtful!

Sweet Talker

September 29, 2017

I've found my value through my struggles, so take me as I am.

I did that because I knew you'd be watching me.

It will always come back to you because you've seen me through all my transformation. You never lied to me.

Come here and love me!

I could tell how bad you wanted me from your sweat and moan.

Lovejoy

September 3, 2017

It didn't make sense to why she woke up with that note, so she spent that day wondering what she did wrong. Prior coming to Earth she was taught that mankind needed love to overcome all their struggles. While in her training she was also told never to reveal to anyone on Earth what she was and she thought maybe thats where she went wrong. Her training could of never gotten her prepared for what love actually felt like, and in her moments of vulnerability, she revealed to her lover who she was.

Its been three days and she no longer wanted to keep contemplating on rather she is good enough for mankind or if she could complete her mission. Though she didn't know much of how she came to be, she always had a feeling that she was surely special. Now she is ready to go on and keep exploring Earth. In a way she feels free.

The Moon had sent her on this mission, but never told Lovejoy that she is meant to go through this many times until mankind actually gets it right. Her first time on Earth was April 25, 2007 and has been here in 2011, 2013 and was last seen 2015.

Are we capable of to fully accept Lovejoy.

For The Monk

August 7, 2017

Well hello there,

Its been a while since I did a blog post, so I won't waste your time telling you what I've been up to and get right into the dopeness. I am very fortunate to have peers around me that trust my vision and are willing to work with me. It is a great feeling and very motivational.

Thelonious Monk is a very well known musician and what I also appreciate about him are his album covers, especially Monk's Dream. That picture will stand against time and thats the kind of pictures I thrive to capture. While hanging out with a friend, I saw that picture and in that quick instant thought of New Jersey rapper Moruf. So I took that as a sign to recreate that picture with my own twist. I quickly reached out to stylist extraordinaire Sean Mayers, I've worked with Sean before so I knew he would be able to deliver. I gave him full control on the direction with the styling just as long it matched the concept. So at this point I have the vision, a stylist and now all I'm missing is a location to shoot. Again fortunate to have people that trust me. I took a chance on asking FreeTown if I can use their space for the shoot and they agreed. FreeTown is a new black owned cafe shop that recently opened in Newark.

All of the planning took about a month or so because we had to get Moruf could fit the clothes and finding a good day to shoot at the cafe. The day of the shoot was probably my favorite because I remember looking around and felt like I belonged because I was surround by creatives, visionaries, entrepreneurs, and most importantly, they all looked like me. Everything went smoothly and we were all on the same page, and thats very important to photographer while on set.

So here are some my favorites and hope you enjoy!!!

Also a very special shout out to Chef Maz from brownbox for opening shop for us and also Wellz for adding that extra sauce during the day.

The Real Deal

December 29, 2015

I am an aspiring fashion photographer and until last week I never worked on set with a professional fashion photographer before. Well I can tell you for sure that it wasn't luck that I got to work with this photographer because he purely believes in the universe connecting things and people as they were meant to. Shamayim is a award winning international fashion photographer that likes to wear all black and also has a great taste in music and you should definitely let him give you a lecture about the relationship between you and your camera. It was like a dream come true for me being on set, but I had keep my cool and I think I did a great job at that. My job was to capture behind the scenes shots and was having a bit of difficulty at the beginning but through the guidance of Bizzy I got the hang of what they're really looking for. The experience showed me the value of being a great student which required me keeping my ego and pride on check at all times. The lessons I learned will all be made cleared in the pictures I will show you; if you go back to my recent pictures and compare them with these, you will see all that I've learned, the little talks I had with the models and make up artists, the connections I made with everyone on set, that one time we were all clogged up in the bathroom to get that perfect shot, going to that hotel and being amazed of the view and balcony, those amazing pineapples and blue cheese and finally, the dam best meatless sandwich I ever had. So it wasn't luck at all that I was given this opportunity because I can honestly say I that I've evolved as a photographer with a much greater appreciation of the art and all of its technicality.

Soul Society & r é x Takes on Philly

December 8, 2015

you probably heard me preaching about going out there and making the kind connections with people so that they keep calling you back. well this was the first time it actually paid off for me and thats going beyond just being a photographer. i've been working with Mile High Club for a while now (their IG, MHC) which is also associated with Soul Society. a quick little recap on Soul Society, they highlight black travelers by sharing their pictures with their followers; fast forward, they got associated with Visit Philly which are the official tourism location for Philadelphia. i will never forget when Rondel (CEO of Soul Society) asked me if i wanted to tag along and take some pictures for them to highlight what Philly has to offer. best text ever. everything was paid for, from the train ticket, the hotel, and restaurants. we had to get into full "tourist" mode which required taking pictures of every single thing. the days were planned for us through the itinerary and all we had to do was go out enjoy, and capture some great moments. so i'll share some of the pictures with you.

as a photographer, this was the best experience thus far and it really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities out there. some people are willing to pay to bring you out so you can work for them and i'm talking beyond being a wedding photographer. this kind of stuff is right in my lane because i love to travel and it did not feel like work at all during this trip. i was being a bit hard on myself at times because i wanted to make sure i brought the heat so that everyone can see what i'm capable of, but still enjoyed myself.

You Are My Catalyst

November 24, 2015

dear muse,

i use you as a catalyst for my emotions, to make all my fantasies and dreams into reality. in a world full of chaos and confusion, you are the perfect stimulus. in return i promise to never share with the world the real you, they are not worthy.

thank you

r é x

Would You Let Me Be Your Getaway

November 2, 2015

you know my past, you know of my demons but you're still willing to take me with you. i will go with you, but please be patient. this kind of feeling is new to me and i find it hard to look at you sometimes because i'm afraid of what you might see. but i trust you. just promise you'll still be here after you see all me.

Should I Write It In A Letter

October 12, 2015

...her skin is what stood out to me and the way she wore it.

i thought to myself: how can i pay homage to the richness of its beauty? i'll write in a letter. it is as if her skin spoke foreign language i did not understand but still wanted to listen to what it had to say - music to my ears and a beautiful gift for my eyes. i wonder how her skin would react to a soft gentle touch, or if it likes it a bit rough. however if her skin reacts positively to a gentle touch, then i would treat it as a delicate thin notepaper to write the many tails of my love. i would imagine it to have the texture just as a peach pit. i envision brown richness shinning bright and being loud as a banging drum under the sun and as soft as a young fruit being protected by the shade. i feel power, protection and beauty emerging for Her.

**Revised by innerG

Murphy's Law

September 20, 2015

the saying goes Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and i've never felt more bonded with those words before until this photoshoot with ASHA. it took quite a while for that day to actually come to reality. We've been planning this shoot for about a month with many setbacks; i first approached Daija with the idea to use the The Wearhouse for a shoot and she liked the idea, which also lead her to introduce me to Jhoana who is a stylist. the concept was to put ASHA in some very dapper menswear and have her portray confidence with each look. i've never been more proud of myself after a shoot because absolutely NOTHING went wrong under my leadership; well the only problem we had was that i forgot my camera in Jersey City and had to postponed the shoot for an hour. i realized after that i was meant to forget my camera, because that made everything else fall into place that day. we only did two looks, so here is the first on.

a big special thanks to my awesome sister Marie for doing an amazing job with the make-up. this was our fourth time working together and i couldn't be more proud. also a big special thanks to Sean for assisting with the styling and coming up with second look.

S A V E D

September 15, 2015

it was a long day at work and she wanted to reward herself. her roommate was out of town and the dogs were asleep; the perfect time in her mind to let loose. she put on her sexiest lingerie and called someone. she didn't say much over the phone and neither did this unknown person over the line. the conversation was kept short and to the point. after hanging up she made her way downstairs with her blanket wrapped around her. being as quiet as she can to not wake the dogs, she slowly elongated her legs down each step as if she was putting on show. once down the stairs she used her blanket and some pillows to lay down on the floor while waiting for that unknown person, but she could no longer hold back her urge to play wit her self. she wanted to take her time, so she laid back and closed her eyes. with her left hand on her pussy, she starts gyrating up and down and in circular motion and with her right hand she pinches her erect nipples. it seemed she hit a nerve because she started twitching and moaning and in no time she started feeling the sensation and tension building into an orgasm; right before she got off, the door bell rung.

**Revised by inner G

T H E S E A R C H

September 12, 2015

inner G is the writer.

she represents the true artistry within all of us that struggles with the ability to express themselves in many ways. though she is known as a model to most, but her true passion lies with her cleverness to write and evoke emotions within us with her words. so its only appropriate to get some pics of her in her element, a book store. these pictures were crafted to give the feeling as if you were in the book store with her as she takes us on a journey to pick out a good book or to simply get inspired.

. . .

T H E S E A R C H

A day with the Mans

August 16, 2015

today was probably one of the most productive day i've had in a long time and best part was that it wasn't really planned. the only thing i had on my schedule was to meet with Asha to talk about a shoot which i want her to be part of; but what ended happening was me meeting with Jazaroni and brought her along for a little shoot Jasmine Mans asked me earlier that day and these were the outcome from my point of view, Jazaroni captured some great shots and i'm very proud of her for that.

Jasmine Mans photo by r é x — Jasmine Mans *photo by r é x*

i came up with the idea of what she should wear right before the shoot, looked on tumblr for the some inspiration. got the idea of the bandana from an Outkast picture i saw on there. Jazaroni proposed the button down shirt. i always wanted to shoot in her backyard so we just decided to bring the chair from her room and the mirror; as we were taking the pics we realized how everything really complimented each other. after the shoot, we went to meet with Zig and Asha about future shoots. so overall, it was a great a day.

Emma n u e ll e

August 11, 2015

Part 1: "Unapologetic"

The year is 2100 and the future isn't what you've imagined it to be. I currently work in a Public Library and have been handed the task to eliminate all subjects related to a women and their bodies. In the year 2056, some fool with power proposed the idea to erase a women's identity, if it didn't relate to professionalism. In all honesty, I am perplexed as to how the idea has come to fruition and how it has been accepted by the community. My name is Numi but will go by Emma n u e ll e. I currently live with both my parents and I am an only child. I don't know how I have managed to work in a public library but it has presented me with the opportunity to see how free and unapologetic women were. This law came into play when women were being portrayed a certain way. It was around the time when women of all shapes and sizes were being praised. The praising became too much to handle and that was all that was spoken about. That is when power hungry congressman swooped in and said he had enough. As a woman, I am writing to you in order to express how much I detest this ideation. Seeing how things were in the past has given me the idea to do something crazy.

The perks of working at the library nowadays is an invitation to all fancy government parties. There is one coming up at this luxurious hotel downtown, tomorrow. I've heard some groups are rebelling against this law and so I ask you to accept this letter as an open invitation to join me in being free and unapologetic.

COME AS YOU PLEASE.

Sincerely,

Emma n u e ll e

**Revised by: Jazaroni Matos

Penthaüs in The House

July 23, 2015

Skipthebs photo by r é x — *Skipthebs photo by r é x*

i'm very proud to be an artist in this generation, though i think its the hardest it has ever been because everything is oversaturated, but what i love the most is being surrounded by folks that are doing their own thing and not waiting for some big cooperation to notice them. over the weekend i had the pleasure to shoot with the Penthaüs Entertainment crew which is a collective of local rappers that are not afraid to make you aware of them (check out their latest tape Neighbors track 12 bangs). they were full of energy during the shoot and i wanted to make sure you get a feel of that with each pic. while editing, also developed a different style that i felt was necessary being with how creative these guys were, so check them out

Pura Vida

July 10, 2015

In Costa Rica, its Pura Vida

as some of you may know by now, i went exploring in Costa Rica and from the moment we landed the words "Pura Vida" kept going around as if its they were no other words. it means "pure life" and thats what the people of Costa Rica live by and i took that to heart. i went and made sure that i wouldn't have any regrets for four days we were there. the plan was to backpack between the two hostels we were to stay at and going in at first, i was very nervous going in a unknown country and go through different hostels, but all of that was put to rest from seeing how friendly and open total strangers were willing to help us navigate around. if you haven't traveled, i suggest you do so right now and i am being very serious. it wasn't until i had a little taste of what it felt like to go to an unknown country and meeting new people that i realized i haven't been living. there is something that can only be experienced when you go out there and see what the world has to offer and its much more spectacular hearing stories from other travelers; and also, the world isn't as dangerous as we make it out to be.

*Arenal Backpackers Resort in La Fortuna, Costa Rica photo by r é x*

now, i could go on for days about my trip in Costa Rica, from me getting over my fear of heights and did zip-linning or on how i almost stayed to work at a hostel in Jaco or how we snuck in a hot springs in total darkness, but i that will be too long. i'll gladly tell you all of that over a nice cup of tea or water (the tea or water will be for me) if you run into me, but until then i hope you enjoy the article and some of the pictures i've posted.

*Somewhere in Costa Rica photo by r é x*

PS taking pictures of buildings doesn't excite me anymore not after seeing mountains and mountains of trees and going through the jungles of Costa Rica.

week fifteen: Jojo Day / Mile High Club in DC

June 15, 2015

Jojo Day

when you have friends, you want to make them feel special on their birthday. that was the plan for my friend Jojo on his day. i told him that i wanted to have a little shoot with him and told him to wear a floral shirt so we can go take pictures at the park. being that i'm into the whole natural thing, i thought to bring him along. after the shoot, i sent our friends different pictures so that they post with hashtags dedicated to him, and it was magical. #JojoRevolution.

Street Dreams Magazine instaMeet

i also got to partake in my first instaMeet that was organized by the great people at Street Dreams Magazine. i would see the outcomes from their meets on Instagram but never saw how people were connecting and networking while doing something they love. it was a very hot day with the Sun having no mercy on us but yet we still got together in Dumbo, Brooklyn to take pictures and making new friends. i got to meet a dope photographer, we started talking about our mala beads and we just clicked. check out his work @Burhon_N my man is dope.

Mile High Club in DC

and here is to my first traveling gig, as you remember i did a post on the Mile High Club and they had their first event in DC and brought me along with them. getting there though was mission in itself. i went out to the city the night before and came home at 4am and found out that my ride to DC couldn't come anymore so i had to go by bus. my bus was to depart at 8:30am and had to take the 7:04 train back to the city. when i arrived to the DC i could of easily taken a taxi to the location but i decided to walk for about an hour taking pictures of DC along the way, got to do a little photo journalism. i encountered a lot of homeless folks and they were nothing like those in New York. they were more upfront on how they talked and approached you which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. i also noticed a lot of constructions being done and a lot of new apartments being built.

week thirteen & fourteen: Lake Harmony / Pita Griffin

June 8, 2015

Lake Harmony

hey folks, sorry i didn't post anything last week, things we pretty crazy. i was out of state for a friend's birthday spending some time with some friend at a lake house. everything was perfect, we were surrounded by nature and was in great company.

this was the house we stayed at, all 17+ of us so you can imagine the madness. coming back made me realize how much i love shooting nature and being surrounded by it. i was also saddened by the lack of air fresh that we get from not having a lot trees and made a promise to myself to go out more and explore as much as i can because those four days at that house wasn't enough. this is highly recommended being that its nice out, so get out there and explore.

Pita Griffin

ever since coming back from that wonderful retreat i've been quite busy with gigs, closing deals with new clients, or just spending time with friends. also, i got booked for a gig in DC and that will my first traveling for work. my highlight came from a shoot i did with that wonderful Pita Griffin. i was referred to her by a friend and it felt good hearing that. this was also my first time meeting her and we just clicked as the day went on. she was very easy to work with because of her energy and also she already knew what to looks she wanted to go for, so all i did was direct her and captured those great moments.

week twelve: Rita Silver pt.1

May 25, 2015

week twelve will go down as another good week because i was able to create freely, collaborated with friends and got the chance to revisit an old story, the story of Rita Silver. they are two sides to Silver and it was while working with Melissa Mittelholzer that i felt that she would be a great to bring The Lover to life. as mentioned, i created the two sides of Rita Silver after watching how female characters were being portrayed in movies. the female characters for some reason, no matter of their success, seemed to always be weak when it came to the male characters that played their love interest. i didn't quite like the message it was sending that men had that kind of power over women. so as a treat i will let you all read the story that Darian Mudruh wrote, hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think.

RITA Silver:

The Lover

RITA’S VILLAGE

The usually Orange skies of Planet Argonous were clouded by gray, as green raindrops splattered on the ground. In a small villa, Rita Silver lay in bed, locked in embrace with her lover, Mohammad.

“I shall miss you, Rita.” Mohammad said regretfully.

“You don’t have to go, Mohammad.” Rita replied.

“It is my duty.” Mohammad stated. “I am the general of your father’s army, and Ledeno’s men will not kill themselves.”

“Is this war truly necessary?” Rita asked, rising off the bed to her feet. “Why do we need to fight the blue skins? Why can’t we share this planet?”

“Because this planet belongs to OUR people.” Mohammad responded. “We are the aboriginals of Argonous. If we do not show them might, they will walk over us. They have tried to do so before!”

Rita paced back and forth in frustration.

“We have never tried integration!” Rita exclaimed. “And we should! This civil war has torn our planet apart. War will consume us, Mohammad! Don’t you understand?”

Rita sat beside Mohammad, kissing him on the cheek. Mohammad grabbed Rita’s hand, and brought it to his chest.

“You don’t have to fight.” Rita said softly. “What about peace?”

“You are stubborn, Rita Silver.” Mohammad said, smiling. “But then, so am I. I suppose…that is why we fit.”

Mohammad kissed Rita on the lips, before rising from Rita’s bed and departing.

BLACK SKORN DESERT

Mohammad and the aboriginal army marched in scorching heat, wiping the sweat from their temples. As they made their way to battle, they found a group of people blocking their path.

“What is the meaning of this?” Mohammad asked, looking at the civilians dressed in rags. “What are you aboriginals doing with the blue skins? They are our enemy!”

“They’re friends.” Rita said, revealing herself by taking off her hood.

“Rita, what’re you doing out here?!” Mohammad shouted. “Does your father even know about this?”

“I’m here because I implore you to stop this violence!” Rita exclaimed. “There has been too much bloodshed! Do you see us, Mohammad? Aboriginals and Blue skins standing as one. It can be done!”

Mohammad and his army looked ahead, as the leader of the blue skins, Ledeno, approached with his army.

“What a lovely day for a massacre!” Shouted the youthful Ledeno. “Mohammad, it is a pleasure to see you again! I’ll have fun slaughtering THIS rag tag group of soldiers as well!”

Mohammad and Ledeno’s respected armies looked on at each other, both blockaded by Rita and her protesters.

“Ledeno, I urge you to turn back! Now!” Rita screamed. “You and my father can work this out…bring stability to this world by coming together!”

One of Ledeno’s soldiers nervously aimed his gun at Mohammad.

“Rita, you foolish woman!” Mohammad yelled. “There can be no peace! There can only be a winner…and a loser!”

Amidst the bickering, Ledeno’s soldier nervously fired a shot at Mohammad, causing Rita to instinctively push Mohammad out of the way. Taking the full brunt of the energy blast, Rita dropped to the floor.

“R-rita?!” Mohammad stammered, cradling Rita. “No…don’t do this to me, understand. Don’t…”

“Mohammad….don’t go down this road.” Rita wheezed. “You’re soul is too beautiful…to be tainted…any furth-- “

Rita died in Mohammad’s arms. Mohammad closed Rita’s eyelids and carefully placed her body to the ground.

“Attack.” Mohammad said quietly. His eyes were focused on the soldier who took Rita’s life.

“I SAID ATTACK!!!” Mohammad shrieked. Mohammad and Ledeno’s men charged at each other, stampeding over the peaceful protesters. The violent war had begun anew.

THE END

week eleven: All Hail The King

May 17, 2015

Happy Birthday Jasmine

from the success of my last post, i came up with the idea to cover the marvelous Jasmine Mans. interestingly enough, is just so happen that today (May 17) is her birthday, so happy birthday Jasmine Mans.

i've had the opportunity to work with her in the past, whether filming one of her shows or doing couple of shoots with her and we always tend to have profound conversations after, whether its about art or any recent topics and i always enjoy them.

i am very happy that she can consider me to either film something or take pictures of her because i have a great amount of respect for her and what she does.

she reached out to me earlier this week to do a little shoot with her and quickly met up to make it happen. before we actually went out to shoot at the park by her house, we had little talk about what it takes to own your look in order to take great pictures and i think she did an amazing job.

as photographer i find that it is very important that your subject can take very good direction, but it makes the shoot a million times easier if the subject knows how to own the look that they're going for. there's a misconception out there that modeling is very easy because all you do is stand in front of a camera; well it is more than that.

being a model is a another form of art, you have to transform yourself into what you want to portray in the pictures and all artist must go through some kind of transformation.

lucky for me Jasmine understood that and was wiling to go through the required transformation to take good pictures.

she is due to partake on the w2w Tour with Rob Hill Sr. and Karen Civil, here are the dates: Jasmine Mans Shows