Author: duepayer

Let Me Be

The silver skyline sighs for sunshine,
Waiting for me to glow from below,
Darkness seeks peace,
In what we reap and sow,
Withered roses show their age,
From baseless praise,
Reminiscing on brighter days,
Made of quick sand,
True as lips land,
In regions meant for pleasing,
So rests a heart seasoned in angst,
Looking for love where it aint,
Hope grows faint,
Painting days with jade,
But the trick is to never let it fade,
So I pray for days,
Where fair skin,
Leads to something deeper within,
And a darker hue,
is shown the love it is due,
I am meant for you,
As time is to fate,
Knowing you’ll come,
Not a moment too late,
Place me where I should be,
Under duress,
To summon the strength with which I was blessed,
But know not,
Test my spirit,
with lyrics that beckon a better me,
So I can sing my true melody,
but above all else,
just let me be

LA Bound

LA hat

Its funny how things come together. I’ve been rockin’ this hat for the past year just to be different. I’ve been out to LA once and actually didn’t care for it too much. At least not in comparison to New York. To be fair, it was the last stop after a long 26 city tour (Lolapalooza 2003) working for theTruth, so I was really just ready to get back home. I didn’t quite have the energy to really “do LA” and give the city a fair shot. Since then I’ve been hoping to take another trip out there but never could quite find the time to do it. So when I was offered an opportunity to take on a new challenge and relocate to LA for a new job at CBS, of course I jumped at the chance. I’m really looking forward to getting a taste of the California lifestyle. As my homie CJ told me a few days ago, I’ve always thought that “LA was more my speed.” I’m a laid back dude for the most part so the slower pace should suit my personality much better. I’m hella excited to get out there but I’m definitely gonna miss New York – specifically my newfound love affair with Brooklyn. But I’ll be back sooner than later. I’m especially excited to take some new pictures out there. Can’t wait to share those and my new experiences with you all. Wish me luck!

Ice Cream Kids

I love taking pictures of kids. As a novice photographer they make for incredible subjects because of their expressive faces and overall activity. You can go from shooting a cute candid like this to an action shot of them playing with one another. Once again, this was my first shoot using my 55-200 mm lens. Its great for candids as you don’t have to get up close on your subject and risk losing the moment. In this picture I got caught trying to sneak in a shot but it came out well nonetheless. My cousin’s daughter Kiani is especially photogenic and this is one of my faves from the day. Can’t wait to make some more pictures at the next family event.

Creative Control Presents Terri Walker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfwbVWcgNbs&feature=player_embedded

Let me just say this outright. I LOVE the Creative Control movement. Dame Dash is really doing a great job of re-branding himself and finding a new lane after being black-balled by the industry. I’ve always thought he was the ear behind Rocafella’s talented roster…

With that said, another new artist, Terri Walker is emerging from the Creative Control camp and of course she’s official. I love the way they put together these promos. They’re shot beautifully and feel very candid and human. Love seeing how things come together behind the scenes during the creative process.