American Vogue Shoot

Photographing Veronica Webb has always been fun, but to shoot her for American Vogue was something I will never forget. When I received the assignment to capture Veronica's portrait I thought long and hard about how I wanted to light her. The assignment was a portrait job and in true Vogue fashion I wanted to keep it simple and timeless.

Veronica Webb Photographed for American Vogue

A simple white or grey backdrop always works well for portraits in terms of making them timeless. For the lighting, I used a Profoto bi-tube head with an Octabank umbrella. The only other gear on set was two wind machines. One wind machine was on the ground and coming from behind, and the other was used by the hairstylist, Oscar James, as he saw fit. 

Veronica Webb photographed for American Vogue

When using a wind machine (or fan) make sure you don't have it coming from the front. A direct fan on your subject will dry out your subjects eyes and cause their eyes to tear. For this reason having a fan coming from behind is best. You don't need a strong wind machine to give the feeling of movement in hair, just a light breeze. Have fun!

Always Dream Big

Inspire The World Through Your Photograhy

Before I published my first book, Sepia Dreams, in 2001, I was met with many stumbling blocks and hurdles. There were times when I wanted to give up on my first book project and call it a day, but something deep inside me kept pushing me along. After a while the hurdles became something I expected and each time I jumped over one, I became stronger.

Sepia Dreams, my first book published in 2001

Many of us have big dreams but when a difficult moment comes along, or our friends say things that discourage us, we give up on our dreams.  Today, I am here to push you forward and tell you that you, and you alone, have the power to bring any dream to life. The only thing standing in your way is you.

In Sepia Dreams I photographed and interviewed 50 African-American celebrities about the struggle to make their dreams come true. Each one told me there were times when they either quit or wanted to quit. Even with my photography I gave up on it early in my career, but then learned that a bad day as a photographer was better than a good day doing anything else. Remember, when you have hard times, it is only the universe testing you to see how badly you want something. NEVER GIVE UP!

Hold fast to your dreams and do something every day towards them. Today I would like for you to pick up your pen and paper, and take 10 minutes to write down your personal goal or dream. Put the date at the end and sign your name. Each day I would like for you to write what you did towards your goal. Day by day you will gain more confidence towards bringing your dream to life, and before you know it you will be working on your goal every day until it become a reality. Don't worry about how long it takes. Time is only an illusion and it will pass by anyway. Be fearless and always dream big!