Akin and Amy + 0.75

Akin and Amy's wedding was my first, I mean first paid gig! They took me seriously when I was just finding my bearing so you know they have a special place in my heart.
Amy, Akin and I went back and forth for a while trying to pick a weekend that worked for the shoot. Having the shoot on a weekend ended up being impossible and the unlikely weekday shoot was what actually worked out.
We had the shoot at Lake Ann in Reston, VA. During the shoot, I gave a few instructions but I pretty much let them flow and then made a few adjustments. I also did a bit of moving around to try and change my perspective. It was a very satisfying shoot.
Enjoy!

Gangan

I took this picture at my cousin's wedding in Nigeria over a year ago. We call these drums gangan or talking drums. The drums were used to communicate back in the day and it was probably what Nas (rapper) was referring to when he said "drums were the text sending" on Distant Relatives.

Growing up, I never knew what the drums said when a drummer made it talk. I just enjoyed it when it was used in accompanying music.

IMH, you need to be told what the drum says for you to understand. Once you are told, the next time the drum "speaks" the same thing, you'll understand.

Gina

Gina Gina Gina! When I think of Gina I think of cheesecake. A while back, Gina bought cheesecake, had a few slices and put the rest in the refrigerator of an office we both use. Well, I opened the refrigerator and devoured her cheesecake without permission. Instead of going crazy, she laughed about the whole thing cause it was a "mistake"...right?
I can categorically say she developed as a person and got a better understanding of why she is who she is between moving to DC and leaving DC.
It was time for her to move on so a bunch of us came together for a 'lime'. The food was so good that I forgot the camera for a while. I really had a good time a the lime.

Many more years of discovering purpose Gina!

Enjoy the pix!

Gina in yellow