Photos By Kwame

What Happens When a Funeral is More Happy Than Sad? - Mississippi Part 1

2010-10-13T22:39:00.001-07:00

On September 22, 2010, my wonderful grandmother Momo said good night to her physical presence and became a strong spirit in our hearts and minds. I featured her in a previous blog and thought I have to share her lasting legacy with you.

As the offspring of Wilson's and Duckworth's made their way to Columbia Mississippi, we all had very heavy hearts knowing this would be the first time we would arrive and not get the warm greeting hug from our mom, grandmother, great grandmother, great great grandmother, Momo, Mamo or whatever else Mrs. Willie Mae Wilson was known as. She was 88 years young and had the sharpest mind around. While the mind was still sharp as ever, the ole' ticker (heart) just couldn't keep up with her.

Good night.

The quiet family hour had a wide variety of sounds. At times you could hear sobbing, sniffing and sighing. At other times, you heard family expressing their fondest memories of Momo. But the most overwhelming sound was that of laughter and joy from family members that despite being brought together for a funeral, where just so happy to be around each other. You had siblings, fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, 1st cousins, 2nd cousins and distant cousins meeting for the first time in either years or ever, coming together and treating each other like they have grown up together. During the quiet hour, it was everything but quiet....it was a mini-reunion right there in the funeral home. Other than having Momo's shell laying there in the room, we could have been placed anywhere in the world and no one would have been able to tell we had just lost our matriarch.

The women of the family in Momo's hats

Momo's children

After the service at the funeral home, we headed back to the hotel to change and then went to Momo's house. Most of the food was gone but that didn't seem to matter. The age limits seemed to have vanished while we were on the porch and in the carport. My cousins and I unknowingly have slipped into the roles of our parents. Momo's children were now grandparents and great grandparents themselves. Her children's children were now parents and the circle of life couldn't be more on display and evident.

Four Generations

It is now November 21, 2010 and the wonderful thing called life has delayed this post. Needless to say I wanted to share this regardless of how delayed it was.

Senior Portraits with Heather

2010-07-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months I have had the pleasure of getting to know the owners of one of my favorite hang out spots....Yogurt Pizazz. Well I had the pleasure and honor to be chosen to shoot a senior session with Heather (@iLoveHeatherR). Heather is one of four daughters of the owners of YP as we fondly call it around my house.

Heather is one of a kind. Not too many students have the ability to graduate early, directly assist with running the family business and get ready to attend college in the fall. We wish you the best Heather and thank you Faith and Lou.

Senior Portrait with Manuel

2010-04-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

The term "time flies" is something every parent can easily understand after the birth of a child. Seeing children change over time is something that can go unnoticeable for years. When I had the pleasure of showing my coworker and her husband, their youngest of three, Manuel's senior portraits, she said "time flies".

Manuel's session was special for many reasons. This was the first Photos By Kwame Senior Rep Model. This is the son of my coworker. Finally, this was another sign of me getting older because I have known Manuel for almost 6 years. Time has flown by and I have seen it through the changes in my own children and in my friends children. Thank you Manuel for making me feel old and for signing up for the program. I hope you had as much fun as I did.

*Note: Manuel is posing with his woman... and his other drawings.

The Author of "These Shoes Don't Fit" - Alfreda Avognon

2010-03-31T00:09:00.000-07:00

A number of weeks ago, I wrote about the Tougaloo Nine and the Tougaloo Alumni event in my blog. I did the shoot as a favor to my mom. Well last week I had the honor and pleasure of shooting a portrait session with the author of "These Shoes Don't Fit". As luck would have it, I met Alfreda at the Tougaloo event and she contacted me to take her picture for her book. We had a great time during the session and she even had a chance to sample my wife's Lia Sophia Jewelry. The book is undergoing some minor changes, new cover, new author photo and some edits and should be back in circulation in the upcoming weeks.

A Special Moment in Time - The Tougaloo Nine

2010-02-24T20:34:00.000-08:00

Over the past weekend I attended a small gathering to take a few pictures as a favor. This is one of those times I was really glad my schedule allowed me to be free and thanks to my wife and my brother for freeing up my time. The event was a gathering of the California alumni from a small college from Mississippi called Tougaloo. I attended this event at the request of one of my biggest supporters, my mom.

As a child, hearing the name, Tougaloo College, in Tougaloo, Mississippi created giggles. For years the only real understanding I had of Tougaloo College was it being the undergraduate institution where my mother double majored and double minored in four years, thus meaning it had to be a pretty boring campus. The Tougaloo Alumni chose the Delancey Street Restaurant in San Francisco as the meeting place. This restaurant has very unique and interesting background. After setting up some remote flashes to keep the lighting consistent, more familiar faces from my childhood started showing up. Some I knew as good friends of my mom's others I knew as aunts and uncles, not by blood, but by respect.

My mother the outgoing Chapter President performed duties as the moderator. She introduced a woman that I had seen many times at functions at her house but never knew who she really was. I never knew how important she was to me, to you or anyone else that benefited from all the hard work that brought about Civil Rights in Mississippi and the Country. I know her as Gerry or Geraldine Hollis, a fellow alumnus of my mom. She told the story a small group of Tougaloo College students that decided it was time for a change and on March 27th, 1961, they did something about it.

Nine students from Tougaloo College, went to the Carver Library to request some books. Knowing the books would not be available, they peacefully went to the Jackson Public Library, to find the books they requested. They retrieved the books and began reading them. In 1961, this was a very bold move for nine black students to leave the "black only" Carver Library and step foot inside the "white only" Jackson Public Library. This was in fact illegal and the nine students were arrested and held for over 30 hours in jail. This act, this peaceful act of sitting in the library (a "sit-in"), help start the major change that was needed in Mississippi and all over the South. Her name is Geraldine Hollis, formerly, Geraldine Edwards, and she is one of the Tougaloo Nine.

For more information, please follow these links:

Tougaloo Nine and Jackson State Protest

10 Most Endangered Historic Places List Unveiled - Jackson Municipal Library

For the record, I still giggle in my head when I say Tougaloo, but now its so much more than just my mom's alma mater.

Siblings - Madisen & Logan

2010-01-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

This was a special shoot that took place in an attempt to surprise their mother with a portrait. This is Madisen and Logan, the children of one of my coworkers. Madisen had been wanting to plan this for months but between her college schedule and Logan's water polo, the shoot just was not happening. So one night the two came to my studio and we took a series of shots. These were my favorites and we had a lot of fun despite our rushed time table. In the end, their mom was surprised - Mission Accomplished!!!

Momo

2009-11-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with a very remarkable woman. She has seen so many things change and can also tell you what has stayed the same. The one thing you can always count on with her is her love for her family. This is my Grandmother (Momo). I love talking with her and she is always full of stories, sayings and truthful criticism.

Its really was a pleasure being able to sit down with her a take these pictures in my studio.

Kelly & Dave's Wedding

2009-10-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

Thank you Kelly and Dave for asking me to shoot your special day. Your families were a lot of fun to be around. I wish you guys the best and I will see you around work Dave.

These latest photos are from the third "backyard special" wedding. I really enjoy these type of weddings because they are so much more personal than the large venue wedding. They are just as challenging as the large venue wedding but because the wedding is in a backyard, the family and friends are so much more relaxed and closer to the action.

Big THANX to my assistant on her first wedding shoot with me.

Dancing Lights

2009-10-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

One evening, we were driving home for somewhere and I had the rare opportunity of riding at night. Well this gave me the chance to snap a few shots of the moon and to try something new and deliberate. The objective was to create images with strands of lights but I did not expect the dancing effect. In some of the images, the moon dances along the top of the frame. In a few others you can see the BART train passing us on the left. This was nice clean simple fun and the best part was, I didn't have to drive at night this trip.

A Little Lightening Followed by Thunder!!!

2009-09-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Living in the Bay Area means we miss out on all of the house shaking thunder and lightening storms of the midwest and east. So when they do appear, it brings out the kid in me. One night/morning I woke up to flashes and booms. Soon the flashes and booms occurred simultaneously. The storm was right above the houses. This meant, throw safety to the wind and go out front and shoot this thing. It was awesome, I'm glad I have a porch on the front of the house. The result of my eagerness are here. I hope you enjoy them.

H Two Ohhhh

2009-09-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

Ok this post may seem a little random but while I was sitting here editing wedding photos from this weekend, I was drinking some water. So the thought bubble appeared above my head and out came the idea for this post.

Water, over 70% of the earth....ok just kidding. I am not going there. Enjoy the photos and drink more water.

Susan & Anthony

2009-09-09T23:22:00.000-07:00

Seems as if the theme for most of shoots are set on windy days...well this one was possibly the windiest day of all. All plans were to go out to a park and let the shoot transpire however it would. But no, no such luck so we were back in the studio again.

Anthony and Susan are family members of good friend who happens to be a coworker of mine. We had so much fun interacting together, he is truly a HAM in front of the lens (So is Susan). Thanks to both of them, Sylvia, Mom, and Saida for helping out during the shoot. Believe it or not, most of the help needed was to try and relax Susan..."Work it Girl!"

The Photo Shoot

2009-08-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

While I enjoy posting photos, I want to take some time to explain how I like to shoot. I think the first thing is to establish trust and create a friendship. The next thing I like to do is to find something that makes my client "tick". Something they are passionate about. Next I apply a layer of LAUGHTER and FUN. Second to last is good music. Music has a way of relaxing people and making them feel comfortable. Finally I like to add a combination of things...Canon camera bodies, great Canon glass (lenses), Alien Bee's lighting (in-studio) and some basic backdrops. My favorite glass to use is the Canon 70-200mm L f/2.8 IS. Its big and heavy but well worth it in the end.

The Brazilian's Are Coming....Well They Are All Gone Now

2009-08-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

For those family members and close friends you already know about our Au Pair experiment. Well we invited some young women into our home to care for our children...it didn't go exactly how we envisioned but we met a number of young women and one young man that were in the au pair program. The young women shown here were friends of our au pair and were wonderful. I am proud to call them my friends and they are welcomed back to our home whenever they come back to the States.

Tais, Andressa and Bianca, thank you for being real friends inside and out, and thank you for the wonderful afternoon we spent together.

Oldies But Goodies

2009-08-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

To be perfectly honest, these photos are from a couple of years ago. Santa brought me macro lens (a lens that allows for extreme closeups) and early one morning I went outside and took these pictures. I hope you enjoy....

Ellen & Kodi (Kodiak)

2009-08-18T01:38:00.000-07:00

Ellen and Kodi have been through a lot together dating back a couple of years ago and Ellen being my former boss asked if I would take some portraits of her and Kodi. With the loss of her best friend and husband Bill, Ellen wanted to make sure she had some nice shots of her with her other best friend.

This was my first pet shoot and learned some cool tricks. The chair belonged to Bill and the setting was perfect. Kodi even gave me a few "Best in Show" poses. Thank you Ellen and Kodi.

Janice Turns 60.

2009-08-14T01:12:00.000-07:00

Ok for those that know me, you know who Janice is.... She is only the coolest mom around (she's my mom for those visiting for the first time). Well this turned out to be a very fun assignment. My mom celebrated her 60th Birthday over a 4 day period. These are just some of the family and friends that came out to share the occasion with her.

Isabelle

2009-08-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

I had the honor of taking pictures of Isabelle for her First Communion. Her mother and I are best friends and have known each other since my first or second quarter of college. Isabelle is 100% her mother's daughter. The personality is so evident in this collection from the day.

Thank you Liz, Marco & Isabelle

SURPRISE Wedding

2009-08-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

You ask what exactly is a "Surprise" wedding??? Its a wedding that starts off as party to announce the long awaited wedding day of a wonderful couple and then "Surprise", the wedding is today in about 1 hour up the street in a friends backyard.

This was a wonderful shoot. Despite the challenge of shooting at night, you could not have asked for a more perfect venue with a group of friends and family members who felt truly special to be part of the event.

Thank you Kim & Kevin so much for asking me to be in on the big secret.

Montana's face shows the shock of the big announcement.

Senior Portrait with Morgan

2009-07-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

Morgan is the youngest daughter of one of my co-workers. It was a real treat working with her. We had so much fun in the studio listening to music and playing with my kids. Morgan plans on learning all there is to know about make-up artistry and has hopes of starting her own make-up artist business.

Thank you Morgan, I hope you enjoy the shots.

The 4th of July

2009-07-09T00:35:00.000-07:00

The 4th July was spent with family and my dear friend Liz and her family. Despite the scare of a runaway dog awaiting them when they returned home, we all really enjoyed watching the City of Oakley's Celebration. (BTW Dutchess the dog was found)

Senior Portrait with Sydney

2009-07-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Sydney recently graduated from high school and will be heading off to college soon to play golf and study political science.

She has been one of my more frequent clients and a true friend over the years. Good luck and don't forget us.

Round Valley Excursion

2009-07-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

Spring 2009 -

On a windy cool day of Spring, we trekked into Round Valley. Despite the wind, we found some pretty nice areas sheltered from the wind and took some excellent photos.

Thank you so much Chris, Julie, Cole, Paige and Drew.