I am an award winning freelance photojournalist from Chicago’s South Side, who specializes in editorial, special event/promotional, wedding and public relations photography. I’ve served as photo editor and principal photographer at Cachet Magazine and I have also provided photography for the Chicago Defender, N’DIGO Magapaper, Ebony/Jet, The Chicago Reporter, Proud Magazine, Journey Magazine and Eastman Kodak’s online publication.
My promotional and public relations experience includes providing photography for several advertising firms, corporations and non-profit organizations.
Those include: Flowers Communications, Burrell Advertising, R.J. Dale Advertising, E. Morris Communications, Lawry’s Foods, Dominick’s Foods, Jewel/Osco, Citicorp, Illinois Lottery, Miller Brewing, Art Institute of Chicago, McDonald’s/BMOA (Black McDonald’s Operator’s Association), American Bar Association, Cook County Bar Association, Inner City Games Foundation, March of Dimes Foundation, Juwan Howard Foundation, WMAQ-TV, WFLD-TV, WVON-AM, WGCI-FM/WGRB-AM and WPWX-FM (Power 92).
My interest in photography was sparked by the fascinating photo essays I saw in Time, Life and National Geographic and Ebony magazines as a high school freshman and developed a passion for “telling the story with pictures.” I counted among my early photographic heroes Life magazine’s Gordon Parks, Sr. and Ebony’s Moneeta Sleet, Jr.
That passion extended into radio and television journalism for a short time. However, one event sparked a renewed interest and commitment to still photography – attending the Million Man March in Washington D.C. and seeing the media distortion that took place after wards.
I have received numerous awards for my work including an award from the Chicago Association of Black Journalists (CABJ) for excellence in photography /multiple images; 1st place winner in the Chicago Alliance of African American Photographers (CAAAP) Photo Shoot Out Competition for 2001 and 2nd place winner for Photographer of the Year; and had my work on display as part of the Black Creativity juried art exhibit held at the Museum of Science and Industry.
I was also one of 50 black photographers that participated in a historic photographic project entitled “The Journey: The Next 100 Years” that documented life in Chicago’s African American community at the turn of the century. That exhibit debuted at the Museum of Contemporary Art and the historic South Side Community Arts Center in February 2001 and has since toured the Chicago area.