new face: DEZ BRAXTON @ soul artist mgmt.

Jason and Andrew at Soul Artist Mgmt sent me one of their promising new faces, Dez Braxton, to see what i could do with him....

 

 I was growing bored with shooting clean images that do nothing more than show off  how photogenic a model is. I want to do something fun and that showed some character and personality and would leave a memorable impression on viewers. I didnt know what to do with Dez but I knew I wanted to utilize my artistic abilities. I wanted to do something special and unique so i decided to do a quick caricature of  him on a t-shirt.

 

 

 

Dez has an amazingly unique face so it was easy to render a likeness of him on a t-shirt. I hadn't done anything like this in years and it was a lot of fun. I was so happy when he walked in the door and saw the shirt...it was priceless. It was like seeing a kid's face at Christmas.

Dez loved the shirt so much, time he saw it, he immediately put it on and insisted on keeping it.

(...of course i let him have it. :) )

preview: DARK GIRLS

I SAW THIS EVERYDAY WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. I UNDERSTAND THAT ART HAS THE POWER TO HELP MAKE PEOPLE SEE BEAUTY. I HAVE MADE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO CREATE IMAGES  THAT MAKE PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THE BEAUTY THEY HAVE IN THEMSELVES. IT IS BECAUSE OF THE FILM BELOW,


Dark Girls: Preview from Bradinn French on Vimeo.

New Face: RAINER BOUCARD @ Saints International

Deiwght Peters  of Saint Intertaitonal Limited (one of the top agencies in the world) hit me up to squeeze in time to work with one of their new faces arriving in New York to make his rounds to the top agencies in nyc for representation. The moment I saw Rainer Boucard I had no problem work in time to shoot him. He was great to work with and I enjoyed him. I could have shot his face all day long. He's already been in VMan magazine  and I look forward to seeing him do more.

VIDEO HOES: NATHAN OWENS, LAMAR JAMES, & STEFAN BAIRD

When I was growing up music videos was everything! They shaped my aesthetic of what was interesting and beautiful. They helped mold my fashion vision. They entertained me.  Music video networks like MTV, BET, and The Box showed videos 24 hours a day. Every 20 minutes i could catch a glimpse of my favorite music artist. Black models like Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Tyson Beckford, Beverly Peele and many more seized the the opportunity for consistant exposure since  fashion editorial opportunites were limited. This gave me a chance to see some of the most beautiful black models ....regularly, especially on BET.

Some of the top male models I have worked with are doin' it vixen style by appearing as leads in some of the hottest music videos right now.

NATHAN OWENS

major model mgmt. nyc/ wilhelmina la

California King Bed - Rihanna

LAMAR JAMES BALLARD

wilhemina miami

What Could Have Been - Ginuwine

STEFAN BAIRD

DCMA  - nyc

Far Away - Marsha Ambrosius

PIERRE WOODS by Kai Karenin

Kai Karenin is a visual artist who is based in Russia who decided to create artworks from photographs i  took of supermodel Pierre Woods who is one of my friends and one of the current faces of  POLO Ralph Lauren.

if you want to see more of Kai's amazing work, check him out at http://kaikarenin.blogspot.com/

OUTSTANDING BODIES for GEIL MAGAZINE

Geil Magazine is a men's fashion magazine based in Germany. They hit me up to do a body-based editorial featuring black male models. I had less than 10 days to submit enough images to do an 8 page spread so I dug through my archives and sent them a selection of images that were consistent in look and style with a diverse range of guys. I treated it like a tribute to the best of the black guys I have shot. I wanted each photograph to carry confidence, dignity, and strength.

models included in the editorial Oraine Barrett @ Soul Artist, Pierre Woods @ New York Models, Jeremy Rosado @ Boss NYC, and Robert Evans @ Major NYC

also featured : Evander Holyfield Jr @ Ford Direct, Omar Kennedy @ Next Miami, Darrell Walden Jr. and Remi Alade Chester @ Re:Quest, Marcus Hill @ Soul Artist Mgmt., Henry Watkins @ Red, Stefon Baird @ DC Model Mgmt, and Unsigned  model/ actor Ralph Torres

Check out the full story on HERE....

introducing DREW CHRISTY @ Ford NYC

I have worked with Ford represented Drew Christy a few times already, but we really turned it out with this quick test shoot giving him what I like to call the "Beyonce" effect with his hair blowing beautifully in the wind.

 

 

special thanks to Dorian Lowe and the rest of team at Ford Direct, the always send me great models to shoot. :)

THE ART SHOWCASE

its all about the showcase.

 THE ARTISTS from left to right: Victor Ross II, Greogry Prescott, Sidney Etienne, Me, and William Elliot Springfield

Sidney Etienne, Gregory Prescott, William Elliot Springfield, River Clark, Victor A Ross II, Ocean Clark, Willaim Hessian and MYSELF participated in a group art show at Pudding Factory in New Jersey. This was my first time being involved in an art show this year and I had a great time hanging out with fellow art friends.
I decided to show my photographs of photographer Ron Arrindale as Jesus for my Jesus Was A Black Man series.

  I had fun hanging with "my dawgs" and viewing their work. I was a great opportunity to expose the fine art community to my work. I enjoyed the reactions I got for my Black Jesus series. It allowed me to exercise a more artistic aspect of my photography. I even gave out my 1st autograph which was soooo exciting.

 Me and Victor had never been to Hoboken so before the art showcase we spent the day hanging out....

JESUS WAS A BLACK MAN....

After watching comedian Paul Mooney's, Jesus Is Black and So Was Cleopatra, Know Your History, on Netflix, it inspired me to put together a series of powerful images to showcase at this art show.

Come out to a artist showcase event in Hoboken, NJ at the Pudding Factory, featuring me, Sidney Etienne, Gregory Prescott, William Elliot Springfield, River Clark, Victor A Ross II, Ocean Clark and Willaim Hessian on May 5th. Click on link below for ticket details. 8 great artists under 1 roof. http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1394477921/efblike