Shae and John: Back Where We Started
Shae and John are both doctors who met while attending Tulane University Medical school. These doctors decided to come back to New Orleans to reminisce at some of their favorite places in the city.
Listen to some Jazz and tour through New Orleans with this couple.
New Orleans: 7th Ward & the French Quarter
7th Ward
Hi-Ho Lounge
Big O's Original Pops
All Natural Shop & Cuttin For Style Barber Shop
The Homies
E.Buckles
French Quarter
Amberine & Robert's Marriage @ the Tabard Inn
On the last Saturday in May, surrounded by their closest friends and family, Amberine and Robert officially became husband and wife!!
Amberine and Robert got ready and had a heartfelt ceremony at the Tabard Inn in Washington D.C with their families witnessing the love, excitement, and memorable vows they shared.
On the last Saturday in May, surrounded by their closest friends and family, Amberine and Robert officially became husband and wife!!
Amberine and Robert got ready and had a heartfelt ceremony at the Tabard Inn in Washington D.C with their families witnessing the love, excitement, and memorable vows they shared.
The Perfect Duo
THE CEREMONY
This was the first time Amberine & Robert’s family met so there was another layer of importance to hearing the heart-felt words of people they love the most!
Congratulations to you both!! I was honored to document the official start of your married life together and wish you many more epic sunsets together!
xo,
Shaq
First Collaboration Since the Pandemic
This is the first collaboration photoshoot I’ve done since the pandemic. Working in the mid-day sun is always difficult but I’m excited about the results.
Talent: Diantè Johnson
Location: Druid Hill Park
Weather: Hot as hell
Gear: Sony A7III + Sony G Master 24-70 f 2.8
AFGE Protest - New Orleans
Last week I had the pleasure of taking pictures of a rally put on by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). They were protesting against Donald Trump’s anti-union attacks and advocating for collective bargaining. Although the rally didn’t last long, it was remarkable to see how dedicated and resilient everyone was in making sure their message was heard. Gigs like this ground me in the importance of art and the responsibility we have as artist to portray history.
P.S Using my camera in the rain was by far the scariest thing I’ve experienced this year 😂
Old Protest Photos
Photoshoot with my Girlfriend: Motion
This is a brief snippet of a photoshoot I did with my girlfriend. In New Orleans there are a lot of colorful houses, so we found one in our neighborhood and did a quick photoshoot. I've also been experimenting with creating short videos for my photoshoots, so here's a snippet of what I created. The vibrate colors you see came with the help of Trevor Bobyk Cine4 Luts pack. I'll include a link to his page and YouTube in the description.
Each week I'll be adding more content to my youtube page. If you're interested in seeing more photography/videography content, subscribe to my channel and drop a comment below. Thanks again.
Brand Photography
The power of visual communication has reached an all-time high with the rise of digital and social marketing – media that modern marketers use to promote their content and brands. As a result, photography is becoming more crucial to the promotion of a product or service than ever before.. Restaurants that want to remain competitive in today’s fast-changing marketplace can’t afford to be laggards. From photos to videos, engaging prospects and customers with eye-catching media ar key to a business future success. Actually, all businesses benefit from effective photography. The exact nature of the photos depends on the brand that’s being built, the target audience, as well as, the impression that business is looking to create.
But here are the three ways photography will benefit businesses:
Great photography creates a great first impression.
Great photography leads to more conversions.
Great photography is good for a business online presence and SEO.
Photography tells a story. And while there are many ways to share a company’s message, it should always be accompanied by powerful visuals that help them see what the brand is all about.
If any of you need help or want feedback, contact me at theoptimistdreamer@gmail.com. Don’t forget to drop a comment below.
Cafe at the Square
Class of 2019
Congratulation to Class of 2019
“My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to. Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small and that you never need to carry more than you can hold.”
- Rascal Flatts
“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own.”
- Michelle Obama
Freshman and Sophomore Picnic
I love photography because it allows me to seize priceless moments so that I can live with them forever. I’ve been working on expanding my abilities to videos. Last week my students went on a picnic to celebrate the end of the year so I decided to take my camera and make a recap video. This is my first time publishing a recap in a long time. If any of you need help or want feedback, contact me at theoptimistdreamer@gmail.com. Don’t forget to drop a comment below.
Color Manipulation
Intro
The core of my brand lies in the colors I produce in each image. Whether it’s portraits, landscape or street photography, my mission is to present rich colors that enhance the viewer’s experience.
Example
On Saturday, E.Buckles and I were working on a Mother’s Day project (photo/video), when I saw a gondola passing through City Park. At the time, we were looking for a location so I quickly opened my bag, grabbed the first camera I could, and started taking a few pictures. Below is one of the images I took. As some of you may be able to tell, this picture is overexposed. Typically i like to underexpose photos because I know I can recover more details in the shadow, but I was in a rush to get started with the Mother’s Day project. Although overexposed, i saw the potential of what this image could look like after post-production.
Editing
Just like writing, photographers should create an outline of how they’d like to edit each photo. Planning before editing is important because it speeds up post production. Prior to editing, I knew I wanted to decrease the exposure, evenly expose the trees (right side of the photo), and change the color of the trees. Below is an image of the my color panel is Adobe Lightroom Classic CC. Based on my knowledge of color theory, I knew I could manipulate the greens so they look like gold. I felt as though the gold would create a magical feel for the image. If you’re interested in color manipulation, i suggest reading about color theory. Once I adjusted the colors, I went to the adjustment tool to overexpose the trees to the right. As a result, I was able to produce the image below. If any of you need help or want feedback, contact me at theoptimistdreamer@gmail.com. Don’t forget to drop a comment below.
Before
Nikon D750 w/ Nikkor 85 mm f1.8G
ISO 100 f/ 2.8 1/250 sec
After
Nikon D750 w/ Nikkor 85 mm f1.8G
ISO 100 f/ 2.8 1/250 sec
LA Trip: Day 4
Yesterday I had plans to go to the beach and enjoy the LA sun…….but I got super sick. I woke up with a headache, sinus congestion and a terrible cough. I pretty much stayed in my Airbnb and worked on my website and editing. This post will not reflect my day, but rather an insight on how I practice my photography.
Random Building DTLA - ISO 80 f 8.0 1/160
In 2014 I graduated college, lived in New York City, and started to take photography serious. At the time, I didn’t feel comfortable taking pictures of others, so I would practice by taking pictures of the things I saw around me. Doing this everyday taught me how to control my camera in various setting and create stories through candid shots. Now, I work on creating consist images with intentional color palettes. For instance, the picture above is a random building in Downtown Los Angeles. I took this photo around 8 am so It was a gloomy and cool morning. I immediately knew I wanted to create a photo that accentuate the features of the sky and building so the image can look moody. Below are more photos that I took while I was in LA. The first two images have consistent color palettes as the building and the last three have more of a earth tone. Every image was intentional and I was fully aware of how I wanted the images to look in post production. As a photographer, it’s important to understand tones and create consistent intentional photos. Clients want someone they can rely on and they want to know exactly what they are paying for. If you are a photographer reading this post, the world is your oyster. You don’t need a model or a specific person to work on your craft. You just need your camera. Take the time to walk around your city and practice with intentionality. If any of you need help or want feedback, contact me at theoptimistdreamer@gmail.com. Don’t forget to drop a comment below.
LA Trip: Day 3
This is my third day in Los Angeles and I decided to spend my time in downtown LA. I started my morning by doing a fashion shoot with the lovely Angeli Macc (IG: @angeli_macc). This is the second model I’ve worked with in LA and it was a awesome experience. Initially we wanted to do the photoshoots at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, but they were close. We decided to stay downtown and make the most of this experience.
Raw File - Sony A7iii - ISO 160 f/ 2.8 1/400
After the photoshoot I went to The Broad. The Broad is a contemporary art museum on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. At the museum, I got tickets to see SOUL OF A NATION: ART IN THE AGE OF BLACK POWER 1963-1983. (BTW: Tickets to the museum is free. The “Soul of a Nation” exhibit is $18. I suggest registering for your tickets two weeks in advance.) Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power shines a bright light on the vital contribution of Black artists made over two decades, beginning in 1963 at the height of the civil rights movement. Prior to this experience, I wasn’t privy to how to the impact black artist had in depicting and telling the stories of the African American experience. Two of my favorite artist were Barkley Hendricks and Roy Decarava. Barkley Hendricks is a painter and photographer best known for his realist and post-modern portraits of people of color living in urban areas. Roy Decarava critical acclaim for his photography, initially engaging and imaging the lives of African Americans and jazz musicians in the communities where he lived and worked.
“The title image of the "Soul of a Nation" exhibition at London's Tate Modern is a bold, life-size portrait. Barkley Hendricks has painted himself into the picture, naked from the waist down, calm and almost nonchalant. His Superman t-shirt recalls a quote made by Black Panther founder Bobby Seale, who once declared in court: "We're hip to the fact that Superman never saved no black people."
Coltrane on soprano, 1963. Photograph by Roy DeCarava(c) Estate of Roy DeCarava 2017. All Rights Reserved.
After Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power, I went upstairs to experience the rest of the art the museum had to offer. I spent about 3 hours at the museum and that wasn’t enough. Without giving too much away, I’ll share some of the photos I capture while I was there and I highly encourage anyone in the LA area to check it out.
