eoutofm

2012-02-16T10:47:00.001Z

Fujicolor film
Olympus 35RD

2012-02-14T18:41:00.000Z

Heeeeere's Johnny!

2012-01-29T16:16:00.003Z

In light of last week's humorous discussion on the often unavoidable topic of 'The Salamander' I thought it would be fitting to dedicate this post to the seemingly abused and often misunderstood said jack hammer with a few photographs taken at my boy Kusi's bday over the summer...celebrating diversity in design...errmm...obvs.

*Magic cards owned by Eddie & Katy. *Johnny cake baked by Katy. What a gal!

Give Me Some Signal

2012-01-28T18:26:00.004Z

Missing my besties & the hot weather ( ya, it's bloody cold on this island, believe it!) so I'm rollin' in with delayed summer snaps in the next few posts.
Rodigan @ Boiler room/ 63 /Dalston Superstore/ Dinner at Elmar's crib.

Banat

2012-01-09T20:53:00.009Z

A girlie mix.

Minolta XD7 + Olympus XA
Fujifilm

The National's M Magazine - Abu Dhabi

2012-01-03T10:25:00.008Z

Last month my girl Niky Roehreke, an amazing illustrator based in NY, asked to use me for some illustrations she was commissioned to do for M magazine's New Year issue, Abu Dhabi newspaper The National's weekend magazine supplement ( one of the images was the health godess one I posted last.)

The article was about beauty, health and fitness in the new year, you know a healthier lifestyle, a fitter you! Remember them popping up on you new year resolution list last year gathering dust? and the year before? and before? and before? Ya, thought so.

Naturally, a life changing decision that concerns your health, or at least the thought of it, happens on the all important first day of the year, the day after you've truly gone out of your way to wreck yourselves, a fitting moment where you feel like absolute dogshit to be making life changing decisions. However uplifting the sense of enthusiasm and empowerment you might feel when thinking about a new healthier you on the 1st of Jan every year, it's usually just a fleeting thought drowning in a disgusting but deliciously dirty fry up... or machboos if your in the Middle East, and by the 2nd your back to your regular ways with the thought of a healthy lifestyle probably being the only excercise you'll ever do.

While I certainly don't think I was the best model for this article, it has made me feel like I need to give up or at least relax my unhealthy lifestyle a bit and focus on being good to my body for once if i'm going to be representin' ! Ya it might be just like those other times I decided to go on a health kick then became lazy after a while but at least you start somewhere and acknowledge that you've been treating your body like crap, right? RIGHT!

So after a bowl of super healthy dorset cereal to kick start my morning, I think I'm off to the gym to start my transformation into a glamazonian, aka Giselle, ( ya a bit far fetched but a girl needs goals!) and will probs take up those boxing lessons as that illustration really does crack me up!!

A sneak peak:

more here! http://shar.es/WhHVo

ps. if anyone has the printed version can you scan and send it to me please? As that has the front cover and more crazy pages inside!

TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE!
XXX

BRING ON 2012!

2012-01-01T15:48:00.012Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND FOLLOWERS. I'M GRATEFUL FOR ALL YOUR LOVE & SUPPORT AND HOPE 2012 BRINGS YOU LOVE, HAPPINESS, GOOD HEALTH AND PEACE.

HOPE YOU HAD A FUCKING FILTHY START LIKE I DID! ;) 2012 BRING.IT.ON.

TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE!

MUCH LOVE,

E xxxxxx

Omani bromance- contd

2011-12-30T22:36:00.004Z

Olympus XA rangefinder
Fujifilm

Omani bromance

2011-12-30T18:11:00.011Z

So I'm going on a bit of a engagement trip here as i said some of my closest peeps got hitched this year!

Here's the night my bro got engaged in October. In true bromance style all his boys came over to help him get ready for his big night. Wrapping the misar ( Omani turban, i know ryte) around his head and waist with the khanjar ( basically a dagger. ya, we gangsta), rubbing oud on him so he smells good, making sure that packet of gum is on hand for minty fresh breath and generally just making sure he doesn't freak out. Plus, the pack were about to give away their boy to a female so a close entourage to prep and escort the young one into the next stage of his life was obligatory, as were the fancy cars they've arranged waiting outside to whisk them all away to the mosque together. Lots of love from these fellas!

Big up to Saad & Ahmed for sorting everyone's head gear out. Saved them from looking a right mess! ;)

ps. color pix coming up in the next post!

Olympus XA rangefinder

Ilford XP-2 Super

Smo's engagement

2011-12-30T15:30:00.002Z

A few of my nearest and dearest got engaged slash married this summer. First off being my sista from anutha mista, Smo. Love this girl to bits, welcoming Ahmad to the fam and looking forward to the wedding in Greece! Yay! :)

Cocktail mix

2011-12-29T21:37:00.010Z

A few summer portraits. Wolfie/Jeff/Amr/Elmar/Naz

Minolta XD-7
Ilford HP5, Fuji Pro400H, Fuji Neopan 400

Lazy snaps by the pool

2011-12-27T22:12:00.004Z

Minolta XD-7 + disposable fuji camera
Fuji Pro400H

Synchronized couples

2011-12-27T22:03:00.002Z

Is this what happens when you date someone for too long?

Minolta XD-7

Some cheap german film

oh hey, its xmas already

2011-12-24T21:54:00.008Z

So i know ive totally pulled a disappearing act for, like, a month, but that's only because I've spent countless days and long nights working towards two exhibitions here in Bahrain, catching up on lost sleep, spending some quality time with my muchachos, assessing my work and process, rethinking, replanning and recreating! I may have had to deal with a few assholes along the way but hey! such is life and how blah would it be without a few peeps spicying up your everday by crapping all over you once in a while?

By taking a break from updating my life in the cyberworld, I've enjoyed finding inspiration from books that seemed to be gathering dust on my shelves and old movies that my time machine wants to erase from my hard drive because, you know, technology thinks for itself these fucking days.

So, here I lay on my sofa this xmas eve pretty much not freezing my ass off ( cue, bitching from my peeps in london who are actually experiencing the worst winter yet. ha ha! love u really) and not really celebrating this year, seeking comfort in tasty beverages and the voice of Mike Patton, thinking about the day me and my girl Anna felt like the biggest pervs at the lido as we admired these toned, sun kissed bodies parading in front of us, and enjoyed our rude boy neigbours' flirting...until we came to the realisation that these beautiful bods belonged to 14 years old and you know the whole illegal thing kinda freaked us out, so we did what you would usually do post an awkward moment like that and hid behind our magazines like the real pervs do.

Anyways, I thought I'd share with you one summer in the sun shot tnite (more tmrw taken with a broken cam from the same spot where I lay as I was enjoying the sun too much that day I couldnt be arsed to move) to warm you up because that's what xmas is all about right, spreading the warmth & love! hehe :)

MERRY XMAS! XXXXX

Minolta XD-7

Fuji Pro400H

The Disciples

2011-11-19T21:42:00.011Z

Only God Will Judge

Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone. John 8:7

m7aragi / muharraqi

2011-11-11T16:46:00.008Z

Mohammed, the Muharraqi dude I met while walking around the old souq who seemed to take a liking in my tattoos and then proceeded to strip for me on the streets to show me his.

Midnight cruise

2011-11-11T13:06:00.008Z

Olympus 35RD
Fuji Neopan 1600

'twas a rooftop kinda summer

2011-11-07T13:31:00.012Z

Minolta XD-7

Kodak gold

GRNATA II

2011-11-05T13:19:00.004Z

Minolta XD-7

Kodak Gold

2011-11-03T22:11:00.002Z

Wise guys

2011-11-03T11:20:00.004Z

Olympus XA
Fuji Neopan 400

Sasha

2011-10-27T10:01:00.005+01:00

Minolta XD-7

Kodak Portra 400 + Fuji Neopan 1600

Joe

2011-10-26T11:43:00.003+01:00

Styling: PC Williams
Grooming: Adjhani Barton

Gabe

2011-10-24T19:21:00.001+01:00

Styling: PC Williams
Grooming: Adjhani Barton

Funmi

2011-10-21T20:05:00.007+01:00

ADIDAS X RWD

2011-10-20T17:57:00.010+01:00

ADIDAS X RWD: ABOUT TO BLOW

---------------------------------------------------------

Last month I had the privilege of shooting 5 emerging British artists for an Adidas x Rwd collaborative feature titled 'About to Blow' which appeared in RWDmag's 10th anniversary issue + DECA, a compendium put together by the RWD team to celebrate its 10 years.
It was an incredible experience and a lot of fun working with a great team. A special thanks to Rwd + the Adidas team for the amazing opportunity and to all the artists who kept up the good vibes during the long day of shooting. Watch out for these super talented young ones, their on to something BIG!

Here are the portraits of the artists but make sure you follow the links below to see the other images and read more about them.

Angel

Roxxxane

Lewi White

Sian

The Elite

Check out the feature in the 10th Anniversary issue online pgs 38 - 43 http://issuu.com/rwdmag/docs/october11_rwd?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222 and in DECA from pages 52 - 61. http://issuu.com/rwdmag/docs/deca_online/52

Also, to celebrate their 10 years, RWD mag have curated an exhibition celebrating underground culture at Old Shoreditch underground. Last chance to check out DECA10 before it ends on tmrw!
Totally gutted I can't attend the DECA10 party tnite but would like to wish RWDmag a MASSIVE HAPPY BIRTHDAY! XXX

Tommy

2011-10-19T12:30:00.003+01:00

Styling: PC Williams
Grooming: Adjhani Barton

Lazarus

2011-10-16T22:29:00.003+01:00

Styling: PC Williams

Grooming: Adjhani Barton

Sasha

2011-10-16T18:11:00.004+01:00

Had a little portrait sesh with my girl Sasha before I left London. Here's a sneak peak with more to come very soon!

2011-10-16T12:04:00.001+01:00

“I can resist anything except temptation.” - Oscar Wilde

Polaroid boys

2011-10-16T11:58:00.002+01:00

A few tests from the editorial I shot for RWD magazine for their 10th anniversary which is already out! I'll be posting it on my blog later but you can check it out here now:

http://www.rwdmag.com/2011/10/issue-116-%E2%80%93-october-2011-%E2%80%93-read-online-now-10-year-anniversary-edition/

Homecoming

2011-10-16T01:28:00.001+01:00

So I'm back on the Island after a 9 week staycation in London & Berlin. It was exactly how I wanted it to be, productive and fun! Seeing all my London peeps was amaze and collaborating with my bestie PC Williams on a couple of shoots was so much fun! Expanded my boys series with some fresh European blood, shot new selfies and much more! So lots to update you on as I've finally started to process all my film rolls from the passed two months. Keep checking regularly for the new shit to go up!

On that note I leave you with my homecoming outfit. :)

Summer, summer, summertime

2011-10-03T18:23:00.005+01:00

Screw the sporadic Indian summer here in London (altho it is amazing when it comes!) It's summer all year round in Oman! I haven't been to the beach in 2 months and am suffering terribly :(

Photaumatin'

2011-09-04T12:49:00.003+01:00

Notting Hill Carnival...2006!

2011-08-29T11:38:00.005+01:00

So I know I haven't updated in time, but that's because I'm on a long ass vacation visiting my beloved homies in London and Berlin, soaking up the art & culture I've missed for the last 8 months, climbing the Devil's mountain, almost falling off a bike and getting hit by a tram, binge eating on Asian food which I cannot stand anymore, creeping out on public toilets, hunting for beautiful boys, suffocating my friends with tight hugs and generally just enjoying being at home again with my bitches. But the real reason for the slow updates is that I'm shooting on film and this shit is too damn expensive to get developed and scanned in Europe. Thank god for my man Boney in Bahrain. Ya, you read it, his name is Boney Jose and he's a fucking G!

It's carnival day back in London and since I'm missing out on all the yummy jerk chicken ( i dont care if u say its not the real deal, I dig it!) and all the fun to be had with my mates at the Red Bull Major Lazer partay...AGAIN! (annual torture carnival vibes!) I decided to dig up this long lost roll of film I recently devved & scanned of the carnival back in '06. 5 years ago... eeek! nostalgic vibes!

HAPPY CARNIVAL DAY! XXX

Peekaboo

2011-07-29T19:58:00.006+01:00

Minolta XD-7

Kodak Gold

Florals

2011-07-29T19:03:00.006+01:00

Minolta XD-7

Kodak Gold

FullMoonFriday

2011-07-29T01:33:00.003+01:00

Untitled

2011-07-27T10:51:00.005+01:00

2011-07-24T20:14:00.002+01:00

.

2011-07-22T16:36:00.008+01:00

Minolta XD-7

Kodak Portra 400

Someone's birthday party

2011-07-06T20:47:00.004+01:00

Bit of a blurry night

2011-07-06T12:21:00.004+01:00

Polaroids

2011-07-05T21:17:00.004+01:00

I love my SX-70 and Impossible Film! So many ideas I wanna try out but god damn the film is expensive! Last time I took a sweet ass polaroid that I was really pleased with the color shifted over time to a dull blue, so now I'm preserving all my new polas in the fridge to prevent that from happening again.

Goodbye and Hello

2011-07-05T21:07:00.001+01:00

Ok I know I've been super lame at updating this passed month but I've been sucked into this black cloud of hell which I only just managed to get out of, sooooo this means you'll be seeing a lot of new stuff on here. I just wasted one good month of my 25 years in zombie mode and I intend to make up for it! The world has conspired to put me back on my creative track so good riddance to all the negativity and hate, its good to get you off my fucking skin.

PEACE & LOVE!

And when you die, you'll become something worse than dead- You'll become a legend. We are forever.

2011-05-30T09:07:00.011+01:00

Minolta XD-7

Fuji Neopan 1600

Tests...

2011-05-28T16:58:00.003+01:00

A few tests I did on a rainy day, but then I fucked up by not putting enough dev. Sigh. Anyways it's now scorching hot here so that idea will have to wait a while.

Olympus 35RD
Fuji Neopan 1600

The Roundabout Men

2011-05-25T21:51:00.006+01:00

Olympus 35RD
Fuji Neopan 1600

2011-05-18T09:44:00.000+01:00

II

2011-05-06T12:51:00.006+01:00

Olympus 35RD
Fuji Neopan 1600

I

2011-05-04T23:31:00.009+01:00

Olympus 35RD

Fuji Neopan 1600

2011-04-30T11:37:00.001+01:00

Fellas.

2011-04-27T15:01:00.003+01:00

Anna.

2011-04-26T23:04:00.005+01:00

A quickie with my girl back in November using a broken Rolleiflex and a donated roll of Kodak T-Max 400.

X FOR BODYAMR

2011-04-18T22:35:00.008+01:00

Minolta XD-7

Fuji Neopan 1600

Weeeee

2011-04-17T09:37:00.004+01:00

Light Leak Love

2011-04-09T15:32:00.007+01:00

I wonder why I never put these up...Taken at last year's Field Day.

Olympus 35RD

Fuji Reala 100

Nan

2011-04-06T11:16:00.006+01:00

96 years old and still going strong! LOVE MY NAN!

Olympus 35RD

Fuji Reala 100

Saturday BBQ

2011-04-06T10:45:00.008+01:00

Minolta XD-7
Kodak Gold

2011-04-02T10:26:00.000+01:00

Seduced.

2011-03-22T12:25:00.007Z

Olympus 35RD

Fuji Neopan 1600

Monday afternoon

2011-03-22T12:06:00.003Z

The Little Ladies of Hay Al Baydha

2011-03-21T20:10:00.006Z

I recently visited the projects in Hay Al Baydha, an area located in the wilayat of Bausher here in Muscat and came across a beautiful moment in a sandy pit which sadly I failed to capture on time, but which instead provided me with the opportunity to get a little closer and meet six wonderful little girls.

Whilst driving around the area I spotted this colorful bunch amusing themselves by pushing the sofa below from one end of the pit to the other, and even though I totally missed the moment I decided to meet them where they stopped. The bold colors and the carefree attitude of the girls against the poor stricken, dry landscape was so inspiring and hopeful I felt compelled to capture a moment in their young lives not yet supressed by the heavy weight of reality and adulthood. Unfortunately, I had a few frames left to shoot and was also using Kodak Ektar which I obsessively use for landscapes but never for portraiture as the colors are incredibly off for skin tones. Anyways, I really didn't have time to give a shit about what I had between my hands then and there especially when I saw how excited the girls were to be photographed. It was definitely a moment I didn't want to miss.

So here they are, the Little Ladies of Hay Al Baydha.

Olympus 35RD

Kodak Ektar 100

A rial won is twice as sweet as a rial earned.

2011-03-15T11:01:00.003Z

Ladies of the Pearl

2011-03-14T17:27:00.006Z

Olympus 35RD

Fujifilm

There'll be trouble when the kids come out...

2011-03-13T17:47:00.009Z

Olympus 35RD

Fujifilm

Mirror mirror on the wall, Who's the fairest of them all?

2011-03-13T17:02:00.011Z

Hasselblad X-Pan
Fujifilm

MIA no more...

2011-02-24T13:23:00.003Z

Sorry for the silence peeps but the political sitch in Bahrain right now is totally unstable and as a result of the island's frantic engagement in social media 24/7 my internet has been shit or just completely dead this last week, making the simple task of uploading pics on photobucket (or even checking my mail!) an absolute nightmare!

Cheers to all my amigos abroad who showed their concern, much love to u all. We're all safe here but not ok. When you see the younger generation talking about the politics of their country and region with their friends on many a night out you realise that shit has really hit the fan here. I was never even mildly interested in politics to be honest, but when it hits you closer to home its a major reality check. Who knows what the future of Bahrain will be...

I'll be glad to take a short break and change of scenery next week as I'm heading off to Dubai. In the meantime, lots of updates in the next few days so stay tuned.

As for now, it's off to relax with a few favorites!

Perryhan

2011-02-16T19:08:00.003Z

Hasselblad 503cx
Expired Kodak Portra 160NC

Ye Olde Bahrain

2011-02-14T20:33:00.002Z

Mom

2011-02-07T15:43:00.004Z

Testing out my new Hassy ( Thanks a million Joe for lending it to me, ur awesome!) with some expired film.

Hasselblad 503cx
Kodak Portra 160VC (expired)

My Wonderland

2011-02-05T23:27:00.003Z

THE ONE&ONLY SEXXX SHOP IN BAHRAIN

2011-02-03T15:08:00.016Z

A few weeks ago I heard that Bahrain once had its very own sex shop but it caused such a controversy on the island namely amongst religious extremists that it was eventually shut down, despite the owner who is a wife and mother taking the case to court to defend her business and publicly advocate sexual pleasure and experimentation amongst married couples. So imagine my surprise when I walked into one of the oldest shopping centers in Bahrain last night to find the sex shop situated on the top floor completely by chance, and also to discover they have another branch! It survived AND its growing!

As you can see from the sneaky Iphone photos they've censored the pictures on the boxes with neatly folded tissue, scrap paper and the mother bowdlerizer-The Black Marker. But even though she has done the unthinkable in a society drowning in taboos and sexual repression, she has maintained her cultural respect and even empathizes with the more sensitive and shy customers that hesitantly walk in.

But really who gives a shit about what's on the cover when it's really what's inside that counts, right? I bet you when it first opened all the new customers probably had to think ten times before hesitantly walking through the door and grabbing what they could hurriedly and in major panic attack mode before anyone could spot them. Things have changed a bit now and slowly but surely society will open up and be unashamed of their need for some kinky fun and sexual excitement behind closed doors. Whether your married or in a relationship that is so serious and long it seems like your married, at some point things in the bedroom are bound to get a bit dry, so take if from the funnest girls in town who have given you their blessing to Spice Up Your (sex)Life!

Read this article on Widad Lootah, an Emirati sexual activist, sex/marriage counsellor and author of the highly controversial Arabic sex guide Top Secret: Sexual Guidance for Married Couples, to get a better idea of just how taboo the subject of sex is in the Arab world and how because of the lack of sexual education in the Arab states and the segregation of males and females in some cities, their attitudes towards sex is highly deformed.

http://www.anadubawi.com/dubai_discussions/living_dubai/family_life_dubai/sex_emirates_wedad_lootah_challenging_sex_taboos_help_from_koran

2011-02-01T12:26:00.000Z

The most beautiful men are...

2011-01-31T18:36:00.003Z

Afghanis, and they don't even know it. Check out the guy on the far right, pure untainted beauty.

Men in Uniform

2011-01-31T18:35:00.005Z

Souq Manama, Bahrain

Stalkin' in the Souq

2011-01-31T18:35:00.002Z

Souq Manama, Bahrain

Girls, Girls, Girls

2011-01-25T15:48:00.004Z

I love all my smoking boys!

2011-01-18T11:49:00.001Z

Olympus 35RD
Fuji Neopan 1600

Crackin' Christmas

2011-01-18T09:37:00.004Z

So this was the first roll I got developed at a lab here in Oman and all I can say is BIG MISTAKE! It came back super dusty, scratched, and to make things worse they cut into the frames as opposed to between them before inserting them in neg sleeves, so now some images are wider than others. Oh and there's a purple line running through all the images, another clear indication of their shit processing. Douches! I couldn't believe the careless way in which they handled my film and am thankful that it was only snaps as opposed to work related. Argh! I couldn't be arsed to photoshop the lines out so enjoy them for what it is.

The guy that works at Photo Centre in Qurum is actually really nice and very helpful when it comes to all things digital but DON'T EVER GIVE THEM YOUR FILM! You'll forever regret it like I do now. *That's probably a futile attempt at warning everyone as nobody shoots on film here, its digital4life.*

Anyways, rant over. I usually spend xmas with my girl M and her family and it's always a bit mad. It's always reassuring that I'm not the only one who comes from a crazy family and it's probably why I feel right at home with them. Big love to my extended fam and all their eccentricities!

Minolta XD-7

Fuji Reala 100

Winter in Berlin

2011-01-17T14:47:00.008Z

Obviously I had to make one more stop back to currywust city before the end of an amazing year. Berlin is like a ghost town in winter and I don't blame it! It's a whole other level of cold there man, handling my rangefinder was an annoying experience as it's so small and delicate and turning the aperture dial with my big primark covered (thanx Jeff!) man hands just didn't cut it. All humans were in hiding so here's a celebration of the the graffiti covered city (these were just around Kreuzberg, there a bigger and better pieces all around), empty parks + abandoned playgrounds in the area and a fifty-two foot porcelain penis sculpture, depicting rival newspaper Bild's editor-in-chief Kai Diekmann's genitals, that narrows into a cobra head on the walls of German left-wing newspaper Die Tageszeitun. Ah, only in Berlin! What an amazing city!

surrounded by street art...

Olympus 35RD
Kodak Ektar 100

Goodbye winter, See you later London!

2011-01-16T19:23:00.007Z

So before I left London in December it was snowing like mad, which was actually pretty amazing for about 3 weeks, but then I was over it. Over wearing shit loads of cashmere layers and whatever else I could double up without impairing my physical movement. And definitely over drinking buckets of tea and spending more time in the bathroom than I would care to peeing as a result.
I really miss my hood but I'm sure glad I don't have to suffer more miserable weather in the coming months, instead here I am on the island, sitting on my terrace feeling the cool evening breeze against my face wondering if my neighbors will catch me taking semi-nude self portraits at dawn..and how I should react. Maybe blind them with my flash gun and dive into my bed. The point is I can stand outside butt naked if I wanted to without freezing to death, and all my friends in Europe can't. Ha ha!

Here's my old street in Homerton and my garden. Missing the creperie on Chatsworth road like craaaaaazy! If you ever go there get the New Yorker, how do you say....DEEEEE-LISHUS!

Olympus 35RD
Kodak Ekar 100

2011-01-01T19:54:00.003Z

Teacher says that I've been naughty I must learn to concentrate
But the girls they pull my hair and with the boys I can't relate
Daddy says I'm good for nothing, Mama says that it's from him
Manic sister thinks I'm cracking, Brother says it's in my genes.

Its been nice knowing ya 2010!

2010-12-31T16:04:00.004Z

So here I am sitting in my room back in Muscat ( in Oman for those who's knowledge in geography sucks!) thinking about what the hell I should be writing as my last post of the year ( and what I should be wearing tonite since NONE of my boxes have arrived from London yet and that includes 99% of my clothes and shoes, argh!). I seem to be the only one thats hasnt been bothered to get my hair and nails done for this overly hyped occasion (although my nails have been dying for some TLC since last month..), I'm too low maintenance and rough around the edges compared to other Middle Eastern women, you should see the side eyes I get when I walk around in ripped clothing ( that always drives the 'rents up the wall too. man the older gen!)
Anyways, back to topic. This year has been immense! Best year in its entirety since I can't even remember! Being back in London with my amazing friends, making new ones on the way, doing what I'm passionate about, getting inked with my blud brotha, travelling, growing, seeing, absorbing and last but not least, loving. It's been totally awesome and I know 2011 will be even bigger and better! New goals, new plans, new aims and new place(s)! I've moved back to the Middle East for the next year and will be spending my time working between Oman, Bahrain and Dubai. So excited about all the new possibilities and totally geared up to tackle the new year headstrong( or with my light gun!) HAPPY NEW YEAR TO MY WONDERFUL FAMILY, FRIENDS AND THE REST OF THE WORLD! 2011 WILL BE BITCHIN! XXX

Black,Beautiful & Badass

2010-12-29T20:03:00.008Z

So, finally a proper update after about a month! My last 30 days in London has been absolute chaos but also one of the best! Trying to juggle organizing last minute shoots, entertaining a special guest, travelling to Berlin for a week and trying to see all my amazing friends all at once aint easy! Plus during that time I had no internet so ja updating my life online regularly was a bit of a mish.
Before I left I was approached by the lovely Zeyna Sy to shoot an extension of an a idea she had previously explored in the form of a short film focusing on the color complex amongst black women.

In her own words she describes the reason behind her project:
"I made a short film on the Colour Complex a few months ago specifically focusing on it from a woman’s perspective. Throughout the development of my the project I genuinely had to question and challenge my own ideas, perceptions and opinions on what 'beauty' actually is and by what standards it is measured in today’s western world. I approached the issue of the ‘colour complex’ with a vague understanding of the issue which affects both males and females alike, but during the research and interview process I discovered an utterly new viewpoint that I was not entirely anticipating. I interviewed a group of women in a variety of skin tones/ages and asked them a series of questions about the issue. I did this project because I was told on numerous occasions that i was 'pretty for a dark skinned girl' or 'you're dark, but you're pretty'. Because it happened so often I often ignored it but then when it was said to me in a conversation about relationships I decided to ask the lady what it was she meant when she added 'for a dark skinned girl' and her answer lead to my film being made. The responses were amazing, enlightening and saddening."

So we gathered 7 beautiful enterprising black ladies from our circle of friends and aimed to celebrate their beauty, their strength, their individuality, their creativity and most importantly their empowerment and confidence in how they view themselves.
You can imagine how crazy the studio must have been with 7 excited girls loud, proud and full of attitude! It was such a pleasure working with these HAWT badass girls, each and everyone one of them is majorly amazing and destined for success.

And here are the outtakes which I equally love!

Photography: Eman A
Stylists: Paulo Sperti & PC Williams
Badass girls: (top to bottom) Chalin, Patricia, Zahra, Florie, Yewande, Candice, Dani and Christiana.
Studio: Rockwell House Studios
A special thanks to Kieran for providing us with the lights and Yvonna for her assistance and patience.

Back to warmer temps..

2010-12-26T17:59:00.007Z

Polaroid SX-70 using new film from The Impossible Project

2010-11-24T12:15:00.005Z

Here are my first attempts using a polaroid sx-70 with the new PX 70 Color Shade film* created by the Impossible Project. One pack is hella expensive and you only get 8 exposures, plus there is a whole set of steps you need to take to ensure you max out all the colors shades out of the film. So you can't really freestyle the whole process, its much more systematic.

My first exposure, first one on the left, wasnt so bad (and its my fave!), it kind of went downhill from there so I've only posted 2 others that are fairly worthy of show&tell, so you can get an idea of how super sensitive it is to light. I didn't really build a light shielding device around my camera, I just quickly pulled it out and hid it under the bed covers/fur jacket. It only takes a split second of exposure to light to fog it all up, as you can see in polaroid #3 (the first half second is crucial!!), so next time I splurge on the sacred film you best believe I'll be creating a shield around my camera first, experimentation is expensive!

*They've come up with a new film now called the PX 70 Color Shade PUSH which has an entirely different set of rules for use. Check out http://www.the-impossible-project.com/ for more information on how to expose your films/how to shield your camera & dark slide and much much more.

Noah

2010-11-23T16:58:00.013Z

Olympus 35RD

Tri-X 400 developed in 1+25 Rodinal Special

Naz

2010-11-23T16:58:00.010Z

I was kicked out last night before I could scan the final 6 frames I shot of Naz so more of my boy coming soon!

Olympus 35RD

Fuji Neopan 1600 developed in 1+25 Rodinal Special

Adam

2010-11-23T16:57:00.003Z

Olympus 35RD

Ilford HP5+

Dad

2010-11-16T11:57:00.003Z

Mamiya RB67
Portra 400NC

There's nothing like autumn in Berlin..

2010-11-15T13:47:00.002Z

Spreepark

2010-11-15T12:22:00.013Z

On my most recent trip to Berlin I climbed over a rusty iron fence and trespassed into Spreepark, an abandoned amusement park concealed in the heart of Treptow park, with my partner in crime Wolfgang.

Before my trip I bought a roll of Ektar 100 film just for the occasion and loaded it into my baby before we trailed through mountains of leaves leading to the park. We had to be super quiet so that security wouldn't bust our asses but the crunching sound of leaves beneath our heavy boots didnt help.

When we finally reached the amusement grounds MY GOD IT WAS AMAZING!! The place was huge, the atmosphere was eerily silent and coupled with my brief knowledge of the history of the park and its downfall (Drug scandal involving the owners shipping six new attractions from South America and hiding cocaine in the containers) there really was a heavy feeling in the air that " carried ghostly images of a bygone era."

We began to explore and discovered rusty train tracks, empty tunnels housing bats at night, beat up waterslides and a massive ferris wheel we caught a glimpse of in the distance and began to walk towards. We climbed atop a hill of earth and leaves to get even higher up and began to make our way to see the old control centre, ferris wheel and other strange wonders when we spotted a security guard on his bike. It took what seemed to be the longest 5 seconds for us to figure out what to do and then Wolfie screamed 'RUUUUUUN!!!' We legged it all the way down the hill, Wolfie zooming past me like speedy gonzales while I struggled to run in my bloody DMs almost falling over like a complete spaz down the hill, ran through the wooden rails where Wolfie spotted a security car heading towards the end of the bridge. My face got caught up in my heavy Missoni scarf, I was blinded for half a second which again seemed like a lifetime when your running like your life depended on it, which it it did. Wolfie had previously been there and was caught, second time round was jail time for him. So anyways we ran all the way to the otherside jumped over a huge log and over the iron fence where my body was sort of hanging half and half in limbo, the strap of my bag broke and I could just imagine my ass being bitten by a dog. Anyways, I threw myself across and we ran to a nearby bench, sat down giggling, trying to pretend nothing even happened in case security followed us into the public park. It was SUCH a thrilling experience!! The adrenaline rush was awesome and it was good to break the law again. I'm gutted I didn't get to see more of the attractions, we barely scratched the surface before getting caught.

I love abandoned sites and there's nothing more exciting than a dead amusement park with surreal attractions from the past waiting to be discovered again. I foresee another break in next month...

Olympus 35RD

Kodak Ektar 100

PC Williams

2010-11-11T13:14:00.003Z

Old portraits of my badass BFF. Don't mess with her when she got nails.

2010-11-04T14:11:00.004Z

Olympus 35RD
Fuji Neopan 1600 B&W Film

Souq Muttrah

2010-10-25T14:17:00.009+01:00

The oldest, traditional souq in Oman located in the old town of Muttrah.

Taken with my then sticky Olympus 35RD. Fuji Neopan 1600 B&W Film

Piggy & Friends: Part 2

2010-10-19T16:16:00.005+01:00

Piggy & Friends: Part 1

2010-10-19T14:14:00.007+01:00

Guns and Dolls

2010-10-19T12:25:00.003+01:00

Filters and lamps in my bedroom

2010-10-14T22:54:00.006+01:00

Inspired by the Master.

Variations