The Ultimate Way the Ultimate day, the vibe of Miami Reggae Festival!

With Stephen Marley (Jamaica), Tiken Jah Fakoly (Africa’s Ivory Coast),  Cultura Profética (Puerto Rico),  Natiruts (Brazil), Midnite (St. Croix USVI), Gondwana (Chile), Black Slate & Carroll Thompson from the United Kingdom, Carroll Thompson (United Kingdom), Bachaco (Venezuela), Causion (Antigua), Don One Musical Showcase (Jamaica), Cornerstone Sounds (Cuba), DJ Majestic (Trinidad & Tobago)…..........

What can I say, I was @ home….. Literally @ home, when I was thirsty I was given water, when I was hungry I was given food, this is what life is all about – connecting with the life, the people around you, findingsecure footing while walking amongst thousands, breathing in the rainbow of flavors that intice you. This is LIFE, this is / was the Miami Reggae Festival……

Moving throughout the grounds, old friends appeared, and new friendships were made! What I found was comfort in the rain, I found a kinship with the musicians, I found that all paths in life keep crossing; I found that burned out memories get re-ignited and flare up in the spirit of the lyrics.  A hand shake, a pound, an acknowledgement of acceptance that goes unspoken~

We are @ the Miami Reggae Festival we are chilling with Gondwana, and Bachaco, we are shooting, we are on the bus with Tiken Jah Fakoly we are off the bus, we are trading jokes with Black Slate & the sweet Miss Carroll Thompson, we are all feeling that vibration, the bittersweet hum that enters into your skin and touches your bones.

We are taken to Africa’s Ivory Coast, we are taken to Puerto Rico, we are taken to Brazil, we are taken to St. Croix USVI, we are taken to Chile, we are taken to the United Kingdom, we are taken to Venezuela, we are taken to Antigua, we are taken to Cuba, we are taken to Trinidad & Tobago and NOW WE ARE being TAKEN TO PARADISE, we WERE lead right to the front door of Jamaica!

 

WE were taken by our hands and by our souls, we were taken by our minds, we were taken by Stephen Marley, we were taken, we were transformed, we, the willing were following………………………..are following….. the voice of  Stephen Marley

And when we thought we had reached a plateau, we had hit the highest levels, with the vibrations passing through each and everyone of us at the same time! Only to hear Stephen Marley introduce his brothers Damian and Ky-Mani 2 more Marleys and more Marleys are on the stage. The colors changed, the vibe grew 1000 fold…

 …….. LIFE IS here. Life is echoing throughout MIAMI, life is being savored, life here is……. respected.

Special thanks to:

http://www.rockersmovement.com

http://masonjarmedia.com

https://www.facebook.com/icypublicrelations

https://www.facebook.com/culturaprofetica http://www.culturaprofetica.com

https://www.facebook.com/bachacomusic/info

http://www.bachacomusic.comhttp://www.gondwana.cl/ https://www.facebook.com/GondwanaChile http://www.stephenmarleymusic.com/ http://tikenjahfakoly.artiste.universalmusic.fr/ http://alexandrecarlo.com

https://www.facebook.com/alexandrecarlo?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/pages/Midniteband-Midnite-StCroix-Roots/108380163219

****www.facebook.com/steady70

The writing on the walls"" Let's live today in case it is all lost... Tomorrow!

I found myself starring at The Wynwood Walls: Miami Graffiti A Collaboration Between Deitch Projects and Goldman Properties The Artists:

Aiko / Jim Drain/ Ara Pererson / Shepard Fairey/ Stelios Faitkas/ Futura/ Barry Mc Gee / Nunca/ OS Gemeos / Nina/ Finok/ Clare Rojas/ Kenny Scharf / Swoon / David Ellis / Ben Wolf.



After being blown away by the details of The Walls I found just a few blocks away another mural with only words, which took time for it to sink in and stand out. Let's live today in case it is all lost... Tomorrow!



Like anywhere else I have ever been I meet people and see odd things that change how I feel. Today in Miami was one of those days. I was scouting locations and at sunrise the streets are empty I am on Brickell, I am in Overtown, up to Hialeah and I cross up to the design district: I am nowhere - I am everywhere!

Brown Jordan International~~~The Old: the New: the Past the Future

The Old: the New: the Past the Future…

Digging through the many thousands of the images that I have captured and that I have used to fill up so many externals hard drives it is impossible to for me not to be blown away by the feeling of being satisfied of being able to see all the bridges that I have crossed…

In this case I had the pleasure of work working with one of the largest manufactures of furniture; I was assigned to photograph Mr. Gene Moriarty President and CEO of Brown Jordan International.

I was told do a simple portrait of Mr. Moriarty I was requested to shoot him in his office and in front the building but for me a simple shoot is not so simple. I took it upon myself to provide my client with options… Since the corporate office is located in the same building of the manufacturing plant I had an idea… Now I had to sell it to the CEO.. The assemble line or work stations were situated along or by a conveyor belt that covered over 100,000 sq ft. At each of stations workers were responsible for painting, sanding, gluing and finalizing each piece. They test each piece prior to it being wrapped boxed and then sent to the showrooms or a clients home.

Now the CEO, Gene Moriarty was thinking this is going to be a quick shoot at his desk and then a quick shot of him in front of the building …. 20 minutes tops…

Well lets say that both shot are a good idea and the industry standard but I wanted something that would separate this shoot for all others.

So a few jokes later we were all in the warehouse workers were diligently working as I ask Mr. Moriarty to step up and onto the line… the Line is moving, chairs, tables, umbrellas were being moved around the warehouse to each of the stations.. I asked to have the belt stopped so Mr. Moriarty could saddle himself on one of his newly finished chairs. The 100 plus team of employees that are responsible for all of the product were shocked to witnessing there CEO climbing on the belt… (BTW He had never been in the plant, He had never met any of the employees and now here he is going around and around on the conveyor belt)



After the shoot! I got the call.. My clients loved the idea they loved the images to this day it is still one of my favorites assignments------------------------ I am sure that this story was told and then re-told by over a 100 times by him, by his employees…

Cheers to Gene Moriarty for allowing me to be creative, for him allowing me to me.

Since 1945, Brown Jordan has designed luxury leisure furnishings and accessories that transcend time and liberate the senses. Established by Robert Brown and Hubert Jordan in Pasadena, California, Brown Jordan was the first company to create furniture for full-time outdoor use. The first of these innovative designs, constructed of tubular aluminum and vinyl lace, was fittingly called “Leisure” and marked the birthplace of outdoor furniture.