It was such a pleasure to shoot this game at Tudor Fieldhouse.  Ranked 3rd in the country, Baylor proved once again why they are a force to reckoned with. On this night they were too much to handle for a Rice, beating them 89-49. Even though I have to give it too the owls, they played as well as they could. Britney Griner was the headliner for this game, this was her first college game back in her hometown . She had a season high of 35 points and 9 rebounds. I can honestly say she was ballin’. Destiny Williams and Jordan Madden also had impressive nights. For me, this was an opportunity of a life time. I enjoyed watching Griner play in person and hopefully one day I’ll get to shoot her again!! As for me, catch you night owls later!! Enjoy the photos!!

Baylor coach Kim Mulkey enjoys a laugh with the Rice assistant coaches!!

Baylor center Britney Griner soars over Rice’s Jessica Kuster, for an easy put in!! Baylor topped Rice 89-49, at Tudor Fieldhouse!

Brittany Griner Pregame warmup!!

Former Comets coach Van Chancellor.

Last week I had the pleasure to attend the Houston Art Crawl. One of the first buildings that I stopped at was MOCAH (Museum of Cultural Arts Houston- http://www.mocah.org ). I was welcomed with warm arms and people who really wanted to get their message across. One of the queens that I met, was Elisabet González-Barranco, who also goes by Artista Elisabet (http://www.artistaelisabet.com/). Elisabet was kind enough to share some information, that kinda had me thinking. When I first moved to Houston, back in September I initially wanted to be apart of something great and do some type of documentation on one of the wards. Third Ward was initially my main focus, but by popularity third ward has been explored in ways that Im sure people are satisfied.  Then I started hearing about 4th and 5th Ward. I wasn’t initially interested in documenting either one, but the more I thought about it, people need to see what I could do and perhaps have a different outlook from the images that I might shoot.

* Clarification, not to say that 3rd Ward is not important, oh trust me it is, but most of the historical contexts of 3rd ward are still around.  Whereas with 4th or 5th ward, you have to really do some research in order to understand what went on back in the day!!

Reginald Adams, a resident of Fifth Ward stands beside his mural and talks about 5th Ward. Reginald is also the President/CEO of the Museum of Cultural Arts, Houston!

“Where there is no vision, the people perish”

It wasn’t until I photographed Reginald Adams on saturday (shown in all 4 photos), that the wheels started turning. Reginald is a muralist/co-founder of MOCAH and currently lives in 5th Ward. I had the opportunity to talk to him about the neighborhood and about his mural which is pictured behind him. For a man who is originally from Cheyenne, WY, I was deeply overtaken by his passion for 5th ward. So this goes out to you Reginald, thanks for the chat and hope to have more conversations! This project which is currently “untitled” at the moment, will hopefully show how the arts and music scene has shaped the culture of 5th Ward. Little do I know much about the history, but thats what I intend to find out. And each step of the way, I will continue to share photos and writings from my discovery!! Until next time, later cats!

To each, Thanksgiving can mean a variety of things. Most commonly, it’s known for spending time with love ones and cherishing those who mean the most to you. This year, since I am new to Houston, I decided to go out and spend a little time with the homeless, the people who most don’t care about. I can’t really say whether this will end up to be more of a project or not, but for what its worth, I enjoyed the experience. For the majority of the two hours, I talked to a couple guys about there situation and etc. It still amazes me how much you can learn from others, even if they are on the street. Those two hours, felt like I was talking to friends, that’s how great the experience was. I definitely appreciate them taking the time to listen to me, as well. Sometimes you don’t realize how blessed you are, until you hear stories from others. Today I am thankful for Fifth, Roach and Jacky!! What an awesome group of guys!! Cheers!!

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Roach posses for the camera!! Such a character!!

Jacky was definitely the most talkative out of the group!! Jacky is currently working on a book, called “Operation PMS”! And his saying was “One homeless man Maybe The Next #1 Best Selling Author!!

Big Fifth, definitely wanted to be in front of the camera!! Big Fifth, hails from the streets of well obviously, “Fifth Ward”! By far this is a guy I could talk to for hours. We were talking about sports for at least 45 mins. Definitely a very resourceful person!!

New Bedford has been a home away from home for me. These portraits show the true expression of the spirit of New Bedford. Faces intrigue me in a way that nothing else does. How I capture the raw emotion out of someone is still rather puzzli
ng to me. Photography is one of the most natural things for me to do. My love for the camera is more than most can ever realize. Photography has not only saved me from a chaotic first career, but has also made me realize that life is too short. In order to capture your dreams, sometimes you have to start in the place you never thought you would. New Bedford is that place for me. It’s where I started my photography career, and I hope these portraits can shed a new light on the essence people of New Bedford.