First Quater of 2024
My work so far this year has been off to an amazing start. There is still so much to learn and achieve this year. Overall I am grateful for the opportunities that I have been able to experience.
Oahu, HI
A few highlights so far this year has allowed me to set higher standards for myself. I took a trip in February to Hawaii for my 23rd birthday and was blessed to capture my environment and work with some other creatives in the area. It was an experience traveling so far, but I made sure to capture as much as I could. I decided to spend more time developing the images so that I could create something that reflected how I felt during my vacation. My goal was simple: come back home with photos that were unique but relaxed and effortless. I didn’t have anything specific I wanted to take photos of. I shot what I wanted and when I wanted walking down the streets of Downtown Honolulu. I met with some other creators during my time in Hawaii. Mady, a photographer, model, stylist and creative director in Oahu had a specific theme she wanted with this project. We had already discussed on the mood board and style of photoshoot she wanted to go for. She had everything set up and planned from the outfits, models and props. While visiting the island, I had the opportunity to portray her vision and make it come to life. I am grateful to have been a part of the process, working with others that have the similar interest in art. Overall, I had an amazing time just being a part of an unknown environment capturing what’s around me.
Below are some photos I captured on the island of Oahu.
First Wedding Event
The following month I was blessed with an opportunity to shoot my first wedding event. I’m extremely thankful to capture such a beautiful event. Usually, I never shoot any events, but I thought I take a new approach and take a chance to diversify my portfolio. I wanted to go for something that was fresh and unoriginal for a wedding event while maintaining a professional look. It was challenging at times because I was the only photographer, but I didn’t let it discourage or distract me from the task at hand. I’m looking forward to shooting more events in the future.
More work from this year so far…
I’ve been crazy busy planning and organizing some personal things in my life at the moment so finding time for my passion has been challenging. Lately, I’ve had to ask myself how bad I really want to get better at my craft and no matter how busy life gets I will always find time to sharpen my photographic skills because there’s no getting time back once it’s gone.
I hope and pray everyone who’s reading is well so far this year!
Here’s some more work from the first quarter of the 2024!
Harmony of the Seas Cruise
My first experience on a cruise. It was a blessing to get the opportunity to travel on third largest passenger cruise ship in the world.
My First Cruise Experience
November 2021 I was blessed with the opportunity to board one of the largest passenger cruise ships in the world. We traveled to The Bahamas, Jamacia and Haiti. Like most people traveling somewhere for first time, I didn’t know what to expect. There were hundreds of families piling up with their luggage to board The Harmony of the Seas Cruise. I was extremely excited because this was my first time boarding a cruise ship and I couldn’t wait to capture memories that would last forever. Leading up to the trip I was eager to diversify my portfolio. This trip would challenge me to not be a cliché photographer who brings their camera, pointing it at anything to take basic tourist photos. Yes I was a tourist, but I wanted my photos to be more creative. I planned to shoot with purpose so that my photos could tell a story. However, I had to remember to enjoy the cruise and not let my passion take over entire trip.
The plan was to take some shots of everywhere we ported. While we traveled from port to port, I captured the inside of the cruise and its amenities. There was plenty to do from sliding down the crazy waterslides, watching the World Cup on the giant screen they displayed outside, eating endless pizza from Sorrento’s and much more. Whenever I got the opportunity, my goal was to freeze time. It was pretty straightforward because there was so many things happening around me, especially on the cruise. The feeling of stepping outside of a moving environment to capture a moment in time is euphoric. To capture a moment and make it last forever is one of the reasons photography important to me. It’s also why I love to travel with my camera, the art is already there and I get the benefit of making it my own.
If I had to choose one word to describe these photos it would be raw. Whether it was objects or people I intended to capture these images with a basic principle and let the creativity of the photo speak for itself. No editing shapes or sizes to make things appear smaller or larger than they were. The images were exactly what I saw in the moment and how I will always remember them. I aimed to create a feeling towards my viewers to want to travel. At the same time, I wanted them to come up with their own perspective of how they wanted to perceive the images. We all have different experiences in life and that allows all of us to view the world differently from one another.
I am extremely thankful for my family that provided the opportunity to travel on my first cruise, it was one of the most memorable highlights of my life.
Solomon’s Island, Gander RV
My experiences traveling in an RV with my camera. I learned how to immerse myself in an environment when taking photos.
The RV named “The Black Cowboy”
I got the opportunity to travel to Solomon’s Island in the summer of 2021. It was an amazing experience that I am still grateful for. This experience allowed me to take my photography to a different level. We were surrounded by nature and isolated with some other families so there was lots of subjects to capture. Anytime where a photographer finds themselves in an environment where there are limited to no distractions is an opportunity to get better. There were no excuses to not take photos and this was a chance to dig deeper to discover who I was a photographer.
One thing I remember was appreciating how quiet it was. There wasn’t much to do and I loved that. It was a time to sit back and enjoy the stillness of nature. There are many times I feel that life consumes my attention and it can be difficult at times to enjoy the smaller things. I got to soak up the scenery by bike riding, walking on trials and I even picked some wild berries and raspberries. It’s one thing to visit a location, take pictures and leave. However, as a photographer I believe that there are situations where I need to fully immerse myself in an environment to become as creative as possible. I tied a deeper connection with the photos I captured and it made the process more memorable. Now when I look at these photos I can think back and feel the warm weather and hear the sounds of the trees swaying back and forth. I get to feel what I felt during this trip for a moment.
I don’t know when but I definitely want to go on another road trip somewhere and do something like this again. I think I could’ve got more photos and honestly taken better pictures, but I learned a lot. I’m upset I didn’t get any more images of the surrounding areas or even the berries I picked. It was my first time doing something like this and I got to learn from my mistakes. I want to use all of the knowledge I’ve gained since traveling here and apply it to another opportunity similar to this one.
Montego Bay, Jamacia
My first experience outside of the country.
Thanks Ma, I love you.
In December 2020 Ma blessed my brother, sister and I with a vacation to Montego Bay, Jamacia. It was my first adventure outside of the country and I was eager to capture as many photos as I could. We stayed at an all inclusive resort 30 minuets away from the airport. The resort was located on a beach, like most resorts and it wasn't packed with people due to Covid. The resort’s staff was amazing and I really felt like it was a home away from home. There was plenty to do on the resort, but eventually we got the chance to travel to different parts of Jamaica. This gave me the opportunity to capture some photos outside of the resort. We traveled to local food spots and we also stopped by a beach where we could walk up alongside of a waterfall! I got to meet some of the locals and they were friendly and welcoming. I will always remember this trip to Jamaica because it was a blessing to travel out the country with my family and capture moments I will always remember.
I intended to diversify my portfolio by trying different styles such as street, food and candid photography. When I shared these images, not only did I want my viewers to feel like they were there, but I wanted to create an urge to travel. When I took the photo of my box of food, I wanted you to come up with what you thought it smelled like. The people I captured pictures of were an addition to the entire frame. They complimented every part of the photo from top to bottom. The colors or patterns of their clothing and their actions made the photo come to life effortlessly. All I did was capture what was already there. Looking through the viewfinder in the moment is my favorite part of the process. Before any downloading or editing, this step is the most exciting because it’s the foundation of a great image.
If you look below this box of a chicken thigh and leg with palatines and rice you can view some of the photos I took while traveling to Montego Bay, Jamaica.
