Hard Ground

Hard Ground in the city, under tall buildings, occupied by corporations, that employ skilled workers. Skilled workers hired to do only that of which they have experience and expertise. Experience and expertise quite often don't align with dreams. The city, a place where dreamers go to meet opportunity, only to find them selves standing outside closed doors, alone. To stay inside they fight for position in corporations that occupy the buildings that stand on Hard Ground. Workers commit to hard work, in hard positions, only to move up to glass ceilings and be bumped back down to Hard Ground. Hard Ground feels like so many elevations away from the dream...

I'm From New York

I was introduced to this young man, Jaidyn, by his God Mother, a multi-faceted Renaissance woman and Founder/CEO of a multi-Grammy and NAACP Image award winning talent management agency. As a manger of talent, at her level of success, I had full confidence in her evaluation of Jaidyn’s talents and abilities. Upon short notice, on a cold Christmas Eve, I dropped everything to go create photographs with Jaidyn. I provided two scene options “Industrial” or “Country Landscape”, Jaidyn's God Mother chose Industrial. I would soon learn that Jaidyn and his God Mother shared a rooted connection to the Bronx. There is familiarity with wind chill, brick textures and grit. During the shoot, I commended Jaidyn on enduring the bitter cold weather. He said “ ..this cold is nothing compared to the cold in New York. I’ve been riding around here with the windows down. I don’t feel a thing.”