New work for an activist’s website

A recent job had me creating new images for the stellar, human rights activist and  radical feminist Farah Tanis. Cool, minimal design by Betta Lang.  Check out the new site here. Check out some of her projects including a museum in Crown Heights devoted to promoting Transnational and Black Feminist histories and traditions as well as this activist…

Nonprofit work in West Bengal, India

Here is a selection of images for a nonprofit I worked with in West Bengal, India in 2004. I spent two weeks with the Economic Rural Development Society photographing the many different operations they conduct around the state for their marketing materials.  These portraits were for their “Adopt-a-Granny” program.

Carnival in Crown Heights

Decided this year to skip J’Ouvert the folkloric musical procession that opens the West Indian Labor Day festivities and just stroll Eastern Parkway, meandering through the almost 2 million attendees.  The smell of bad weed, BBQ and sweat is omnipresent, as is the incredible costumes which root from each of the island’s cultural traditions.  

Video on the Ethiopian coffee ceremony

In Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, the daily drinking of this ancient beverage is part of a ritualized cultural ceremony rich in history and sometimes hours in length. The beans are freshly roasted, incense is burned and multiple cups are passed around.  The 30 minute video I recently completed for an Ethiopian nonprofit has this 2 minute video about the ceremony with-in it….

Post-Pride celebration in New York City.

Reportage from PRIDE late night festivities.

The markets of Aksum, Ethiopia.

Been in Ethiopia for a month now and recently returned from the north. Aksum, which 2000 years ago, was the helm of an African empire, was where Queen Sheba reportedly comes from and where Christianity was introduced to Africa only 6 years after that willy Jew got whisked back up to Gods bosom, was wind…

The NYC Pride Parade and WOC lesbian after-party.

I got a great assignment this year shooting the Pride Parade for the venerable NYC non-profit Housing Works.  You can see all of those images here. These are some of my favorite images from the parade.

New portrait for Housing Works

I recently shot the Pride Parade for the incredible non-profit in NYC, Housing Works, which assists people living with HIV.  Here is the first use of those images, a nice portrait for a profile piece.  Eric Bartley, below, has a great story, check it out.  

Sakura Matsuri in Brooklyn: Where cherry blossoms, Cosplay, Autism and acne finally intersect.

The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens had their Cherry Blossom Festival last weekend and the Cosplay (costume play) that transpired was much more vibrant and colorful than the trees themselves (they actually have yet to bloom).  I wandered around in jaw dropped amazement at this sub-cultures breadth and was shocked to see how its practitioners sat so comfortable in what seemed to…

Bikers of Detroit

One night while photographing the area around Palmer Park for another story I spotted a huge gathering of motorcyclists congregating in a bowling alley off of Woodward. It was a weird amalgamation of bicyclists, hip-hop chicks, video productions and bad ass bikers. Lots of burning rubber, big booties and attitude. Hung out a bit. Listen…

Detroit’s Palmer Park: Where ghosts of past and present collide

Sven Gustafason and I did a story for HOUR Magazine on one of the largest and most historical public parks in Detroit and its current iteration and  rebirth.  Here is a post with more photos and an updated and more in-depth version of  Sven’s story. Sven Gustafason To me, there might be no better microcosm for the Detroit experience…

St. Patricks Day in NYC; a wondrous melange of snow, Irish tradition and vomit

It came and went again but this year it was graced with blustery winds, beautiful snow and freezing temps. The side streets around the 252 year old parade are packed with staged parade participants waiting, sometimes hours, for their turn to enter so its a perfect place to meander and photograph. Back on 2nd Ave.,…