Saturday, October 08, 2005

My First Muse!





The photography really took hold with when a friend, Rashien asked me to take his pictures. The year was 1988 and it was an interesting time for me on a number of levels. I met Rachien through an old boyfriend and was immediately taken by him on a number of levels. I was just then starting to go to the clubs and Rashien had taken me under his wing when it came to hit the black clubs. Bookies, Shoppers, the Continental and Zippers to name just a few. Not only did he take me out, he made me feel at home and being one of the more popular guys, he introduced me to many of the friends I have to this day.

As popular as he was he tended to be a bit of a rolling stone and may not have had the best reputation on the street, of course drama in the life is part of the everyday. I knew about this yet never had any experience with it, he was my friend and always treated me with a kind of respect, like a big brother. He introduced me to the life and I filled in as a big brother/mentor.

Rashien was considered a hot item in the club, being in his crew it moved me quickly into a large social circle. He loved his pictures and showed them to many of his friends, who asked for photos of their own. To say I have been taking pics ever since is an understatement as I have never advertised for a model or really walked up to someone and offered to take their picture. I feel quite blessed to have worked through nearly 20 years of “word of mouth” photography. It was 1996 the last time I saw him. He had moved to Columbia S.C. and his vist back to Detroit had been for a funeral. He made a special effort to see me as we had gotten quite close. There was a sadness when we parted that day. We had spent so much time together and it seemed I would never see him again. I still hold hope that I will again someday!

I will be writing future installments about key individuals who clearly moved me forward in my photography.
To see more you can find my photographs at: http://www.fotoflix.com/users/epiphany/

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