Elixir Studios: black female model

03:57

She's Crying

03:57

Ever since I started as a photographer, this blog has evolved from a platform where I only share my work, to something like a sanctuary f...

Ever since I started as a photographer, this blog has evolved from a platform where I only share my work, to something like a sanctuary for me. The safe space where I can truly express my ideas in a way that feels natural to me. It carries the photo projects that are nearest to my heart, and for this one, I decided to speak about something that should be a sanctuary for every one of us; the Earth.

Over the past few centuries, the levels of industrialization and technological advancement have grown significantly. But with all these improvements, the quality of our lives and the quality of the environment we live in seems to be on a downward spiral. The severe changes we are experiencing in our natural environment, as well as harsh climatic and weather patterns, are all evidence of how much we are hurting our world through pollution and extreme resource exploitation. But instead of finding ways to contribute to the betterment of our natural world, most of what consumes us is based on political and social sensations. At some point, we just have to ask ourselves, " What is more important?"

As a concept, "She's Crying" seeks to create an African representation of Gaea, the Greek portrayal of the living force that is Earth. My main objective with this photo project is to develop the living essence of our Earth in distress.

I will not dwell so much on the wording, but let you view the images and interpret them objectively for yourselves.

Our environment is suffering; Mama Earth is crying. What can you do to play your part?

This huge collaboration was shot with the help of:

Model: Naimutie Nyoike

Brass jewelry: Roelle Crafts, assisted by Chelsea Guya

Body paint: John Ong'ayi

Don't worry, we cleaned up after ourselves when we were done shooting..
If you may need any more information about this project, please feel free to contact me.

Peace, love, and light! ☀☀

02:57

Yin Yang

02:57

Lately, I have noticed that more and more people are making efforts to highlight the importance of mental and emotional wellness. Many of u...

Lately, I have noticed that more and more people are making efforts to highlight the importance of mental and emotional wellness. Many of us are facing a multitude of challenges, with no significant way to deal with them and address these issues. Therefore, we find ourselves shrinking back and hiding from these problems, as well as from everyone and anyone. This happens to me too.

I recently did a shoot with a close friend of mine, and I truly got to understand what many people are going through as society forces them to live behind a mask. What I have come to realize is that while most people seem to have everything figured out, this is not really the case. We have different faces that we present to different people at different times. On the surface, we display a false sense of control, but on the inside, we are crashing and struggling to cry out.

My thoughts on mental illness and emotional wellness have greatly been influenced by the Chinese concept of "Yin Yang". Based on my research, this concept represents the idea of how two seemingly opposite energies work together in the natural world, and how these forces give rise to the one another. For example, night and day. For the day to begin, the night must end and vice versa. This means that two opposite forces make a complete whole and each aspect contains the beginning point for the other. This also applies to happiness and sadness.

For the purposes of this series, we will focus on how happiness and sadness correlate. One without the other cannot exist. For you to enjoy happiness, you must come to appreciate the sad times in your life. Over the past few weeks, I have been strongly criticizing myself for not being happy most of the time. I get frustrated when a pending business deal stalls or fails, when I fail to book enough clients, when I disappoint someone, or someone disappoints me. Then when the feelings of self-doubt start to creep in, I lose it completely.

However, without these moments of extreme anguish, would I be able to enjoy the small blessings in life? Or when things start going my way? I think not. Without allowing myself to feel all these emotions, then I would not be able to appreciate their place in my emotional journey. It is important to understand that nobody has a solution for everything and that you cannot fix everything right now. Find a balance, and find yourself in all the emotional chaos.

Express yourself and your emotions to someone who is willing to listen. It might just make a difference both ways. That is what I have done here, and I will leave you to interpret the photo series for yourself...

Shot with the amazing Wendy Omanga.

This conceptualization of this project was inspired by Francisca Kalekye, who was in-charge of the hair and makeup. Her work is straight fire!! 🔥

Special thanks to Bev for the awesome shooting space and hospitality. 💪💪👐

Until next time, you got this!!

P.S. Looking to do a "Pink October" series for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Interested? Hit me up...

01:07

Lip Service

01:07

This concept has undergone a lot of transformation from when I first started thinking about it. Two times before shooting, once when shoo...

This concept has undergone a lot of transformation from when I first started thinking about it. Two times before shooting, once when shooting, and even now as I write. I hope that by the end of this post, I will be able to adequately communicate my thinking behind the concept, and what the photographs mean to me. If there is anything my most recent project taught me, it is that I need to know what I want to express here before I come rolling in from the bushes. But anyway, here it goes...

From thinking about different color schemes to matching the sitter's makeup with manila backgrounds, to finally settling on using the Kenyan flag as the main theme. By the way, this is the third time I have used it, and this concept marks the beginning of my fourth year as a photographer. Still growing and moving forward with the goal of serving better content on a regular basis, and extremely thankful to everyone involved. We also used some balloons as props to add some interest to this shoot. 🎈🎈😎

As a concept, "Lip Service" aims to give the photographer and the sitter a common ground where they can share their love for their country, Kenya. The clothing, props, and shoot location all worked together to capture a unique blend of beauty, strife, and happiness. Our society is tarnished by so many stories that leave us asking ourselves how and when did it all go wrong. Every day, we wake up to different scandals that are often swept under the rug. Then, what we are fed by societal heads leaves us in an even more disheartening situation. All we get is lip service.

However, as Kenyans, we manage to wake up the next day, make a few memes, and move on to the next one. Call it resilience, disregard, forgetfulness, or whatever you want...we still manage to get up and push on hoping to build a brighter future for ourselves and our families. No one can take this away from us. Our happiness lies within us.

Shot with the stunning Pauline Waithira at the Made In Kenya Store.

See you next time my resilient friends 😂 Happy viewing!!

P.S. For more information about this shoot, drop me a line here or use some smoke signals.

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