The Subway Series Continues!

Still shooting my subway series when I can, with my lil' NIKON point-and-shoot camera. Photographer Walker Evans would be so proud. :-)

Untitled Train Bars


Rush Hour


Get your boyz permission before gettin' that...


Subway Rap.


Train whizzing into the station


Mixed Company


MASH Subway Portrait


Nosy Neighbor


Flourescent Light Bulb

Kaletra Sculptures

I was helping my friend clean out his apartment today, and we came across boxes of old HIV medication he had once been prescribed. One box contained several bottles of Kaletra. Kaletra is an anti-HIV medication in a category of HIV medicines called protease inhibitors (PIs). Kaletra prevents cells infected by HIV from producing new virus. This reduces the amount of virus in your body, and can increase the number of T-cells.

My friend's dosage was 5 pills twice a day. He tells me he stopped taking the Kaletra, after starting with a "burst of energy", but things soon "fell apart". He had difficulty in following the twice a day regimen, and sooner than later, he stopped taking them altogether. According to him, it was a stressful experience, and the fear of taking the pills at work, being questioned by nosy co-workers about the reason for taking these five, bright orange colored pills. All of this was too much for him to bear.

Going through all the pill bottles, to remove the labels before disposing of them, we discovered something that was to hot to pass up for a photograph! Inside some of these bottles were congealed Kaletra pills! Funny, especially given the fact that Kaletra's materials state that the pills can be keep room tempurature. Yeah, right, but for how long? :-)

Anyway, this discovery also got me to thining about how many brothaluva's in the community don't have or know how to access medication or healthcare. Worse yet, according to the CDC, when it comes to HIV in the African-American (MSM) community, black men account for 46% of HIV infection! A startling number that at this rate, is bound to continue rising!

I was struck with a creative spark when I saw all these orange pills stuck together and went for my camera and began styling the impromptu still life shoot! With my friends assistance, we documented an important chapter in his life, and journeyed
through the process of letting go and forgiving oneself.

T-20 (also known as FUZEON) is the first of a new class of drugs called fusion inhibitors, so-called because they stop HIV from binding to and entering the human cell. My friend was also prescribed this medication which involved reconstituting medication with one needle and syringe, and drwaing up the mixture in a tuberculin needle and syringe, which he would inject himself with. He hasnt been on these meds in quite some time, but he still held on to so much of it.

Men of color in Leather-The photoshoot of all photoshoots!

I had the pleasure of collaborating with Kwame Banks (aka Blackkat), who was (the first African American) Mr. American Leatherman 2005 on this photoshoot for his latest project SAFER + SANER. Shot on location at the Eagle Club in Chelsea, NYC over the course of two days, this shoot proved to be groundbreaking. I don't think there was ever a time before where men of color in the leather and fetish community got together for a photoshoot. 12 men in total all posing for the cause! :-) A lot of work and sweat went into making this shoot a spectacular success! though this is not my particular 'scene', i think it's important to document ALL aspects of the black sgl community without judgement! Visit the new website for SAFER + SANER (www.safersaner.org) as it is choc full of information (and my photos :-)) for brothas in the leather community. With over 400 photos taken during the shoot, I've provide a limited sampling below. Images will be published, shown in galleries and museums, and I'm sure will make a great impact on the community in the months and year ahead. This is also in preperation for the very first NYC Leather Pride coming in 2007! Enjoy!

Water Sports


Wax Play


Blackkat strikes a pose. Mr. American Leather Man 2005 is also the founder of SAFER + SANER (among many other projects), and is a true pioneer in the African American Leather Community!





Toys


Christophe, Mr. Eagle NYC 2006



Crusin'


Water Sports


Leather Alley


Chrispohe, Mr. Eagle NYC 2006


Visit www.safersaner.org TODAY!

"The Hook-up"

THE HOOK-UP is a video PSA that I had the honor of working on with a few other talented men of color. The Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) put an ad out looking for brothas to create a Public Service Announcement, and at the same time, learn the art of videomaking. I'm proud to have been in the very firstl workshop of RAWCUT PRODUCTIONS, with a group of talented brothas: Nathan 7 Scott, William Harmon, and Stefan Tonio. Collectively, we came up with the theme, concept, set design, editing, and each of us served as directors and camera men for our scenes. I shot and directed the first scene where the guy was hooking up on the computer. I tend to like moody images, so to create the mood, I chose to shoot this scene with only the light from the computer scene. :-)

This PSA makes commentary about knowing you and your partners HIV status. It's Better to Know!

Click on the question mark on the box below and watch the short PSA. Hit me up and let me know what you think!

For more info about Raw Cut Productions, please visit www.rawcutproductions.com