NYC Pride March & Queer Liberation March 2022 close out Pride Month With A Bang!
This year marks the 52nd year since the first Pride March commemorating the Historic Stonewall Riots. This is my second consecutive year documenting Pride Weekend, and it’s definitely an event that I look forward to covering. Here is my NYC Pride 2022 photoset. I covered 3 different events which included the NYC Pride March, Queer Liberation March, and the Washington Square “After Party”.
This year marks the 52nd year since the first Pride March commemorating the Historic Stonewall Riots. This is my second consecutive year documenting Pride Weekend. This weekend also marked my return to journalism, with NYC Pride being my first serious coverage of an event since the George Floyd protest.
I started out my day heading to the NYC Pride March, which starts at 5th Ave & 25th street. Unfortunately it took me about 15 minutes to find and entrance on to the roadway. (during large parades NYPD usually barricades the street corners) But once I found a crosswalk for the parade I was able to flash my Press Passes and ready to get to work.
I didn't stay at the NYC Pride March very long though, the feel of the event just didn't fee l”authentic”. If you know the history behind Pride and the Stonewall Riots, you understand NYC is just the corporate commercialization of a radical movement. So after about an hour I headed down to Foley Square where the Queer Liberation March was being held.
Rode Wireless Go II, Real World Live Test...
So i decided to bring my new Rode Wireless Go II to a live performance by the extremely talented Nyla Sostre, here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There is no better way for me to see if the equipment is worth it than putting it up to the task in a real-world situation where I have little control over the environment.
So i decided to bring my new Rode Wireless Go II to a live performance by the extremely talented Nyla Sostre, here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There is no better way for me to see if the equipment is worth it than putting it up to the task in a real-world situation where I have little control over the environment. This was an open mic so small production and very unpredictable. lol. For the test, I mic'd up Nyla with one of the Transceivers (I purchased the 2 Transceiver setup) and I kept the other transceiver on myself. The goal was to of course catch Nyla's vocals but also get ambient noise from the audience where I was standing. I am definitely a newbie to audio,( if you don't count the Rode Podcaster Pro I've been using for my Twitter Spaces...) so I definitely will continue to post more content as I get more comfortable with the mic setup. Tell me in the comment section below if you have any tips or tricks for me.
Canon's RF 85mm F/2 Macro IS STM , Yes this is a Gear Review… smh
After picking up my Canon RF 85mm f/2 MACRO IS STM, I was eager to get a subject in front of my camera so I hit a friend who lives a few blocks away and is always down to shoot, my good friend Sasa Juste. I have to admit I was shocked at the quality of the video when matched up with the EOS R. Coming from the Canon 7D MKII the quality is significant and with the image stabilization of the RF 85MM, it makes handheld shoot unreal. Imagine if I upgrade to the R5 or R6!
Now if you followed me long enough you are aware I’m the last person to talk about camera gear. Definitely off-brand but to be honest iam stuck with how to start bringing traffic to my website so here we are. A f*cking gear review, yes i know, I’m down bad. After picking up my Canon RF 85mm f/2 MACRO IS STM, I was eager to get a subject in front of my camera so I hit a friend who lives a few blocks away and is always down to shoot, my good friend Sasa Juste. I have to admit I was shocked at the quality of the video when matched up with the EOS R. Coming from the Canon 7D MKII the quality is significant and with the image stabilization of the RF 85MM, it makes handheld shoot unreal. Imagine if I upgrade to the R5 or R6! 🥷🏾
Sasa Juste is a Recording Artist born in Brooklyn, New York of Haitian heritage. In addition to musical talent, Sasa is also very skilled with her hands crafting jewelry, natural hair styling. Heavy influenced and connected with her Haitian background, she often displays Haitian pride in her artistry.
The Edit button is cool, but Super Follows, could change the way we (Content Creators) use Twitter forever!
I know everyone is clamping around Elon Musks’ joining the Twitter board and the potential of a edit button being rolled out after year's of begging…However a few weeks ago I was gifted another one of Twitter’s latest features. I present to you Super Follows the latest in monetization tools for creators on the microblogging platform. Super Follows allow for Creators to put content behind a paywall, and grant exclusive access to subscribers, similar to a patreon or onlyfans. I am definitely excited to get my hands on the feature and figure out how to integrate it into my workflow.
Now back during my early Twitter Spaces Beta testing days, one of the first suggestions I made was that if Twitter truly wanted to bring more creators to the platform they need to monetize. Many creators who have become accustomed to generating income from their content can't see themselves giving away the greatest assets with out some sort of monetary gain. The first tool implemented by Twitter was the tipping feature, which simply provides a links to 3rd party apps, which is no different then putting your cash app tag into your bio. But adding this paywall definitely changes the game and how we look at Twitter as a platform for creators forever.
New York Fashion Week 2022, Street Style and Beauty
NYFW is back in New York City. 2022 marks my third consecutive year covering shooting Street style and I honestly say though I’m not big on fashion, I do love the energy around New York Fashion Week. What started out as a way for me to practice my portraiture has now become a catalyst for peers respecting my eye and companies looking to pay me to shoot their events and artist wanting to jump in front of my lens.
NYFW is back in New York City. 2022 marks my third consecutive year covering shooting Street style and I honestly say though I’m not big on fashion, I do love the energy around New York Fashion Week. What started out as a way for me to practice my portraiture has now become a catalyst for peers respecting my eye and companies looking to pay me to shoot their events and artist wanting to jump in front of my lens.
I Reached 10,000 Followers on Twitter!
So I’ve made it to 10,000 followers on Twitter, so I’m going to keep my word. I will be giving away $100 dollars in Bitcoin this Sunday! Those following my Twitter account have seen it grow incredibly fast having a little over 2,500 followers this time last year. Thanks to Twitter Spaces and an entire year of conversations I’ve reached the 10K followers mark and want to start a tradition of giving back to those who support me. The 10K milestone also qualifies my account for the Super Follers feature, which provides an exclusive account to subscribers to a Twitter account. Upon approval, I will begin creating exclusive content to Twitter subscribers as well as early access to content like my Youtube Channel and maybe even subscriber-only Twitter Space conversations. So below just follow the instructions and you’ll be able to enter the competition and have a chance at the $100 in bitcoin! Good luck to all that enter!
So I’ve made it to 10,000 followers on Twitter, so I’m going to keep my word. I will be giving away $100 dollars in Bitcoin this Sunday! Those following my Twitter account have seen it grow incredibly fast having a little over 2,500 followers this time last year. Thanks to Twitter Spaces and an entire year of conversations I’ve reached the 10K followers mark and want to start a tradition of giving back to those who support me. The 10K milestone also qualifies my account for the Super Follers feature, which provides an exclusive account to subscribers to a Twitter account. Upon approval, I will begin creating exclusive content to Twitter subscribers as well as early access to content like my Youtube Channel and maybe even subscriber-only Twitter Space conversations. So below just follow the instructions and you’ll be able to enter the competition and have a chance at the $100 in bitcoin! Good luck to all that enter!
NYFW IS Back (Summer 21)
I can confidently say NYFW is back!
I can confidently say NYFW is back! The Covid 19 pandemic made
My First time attending Pride NYC Weekend 2021
I attended my first Pride this year in New York City. I didn’t get the full experience being the official Pride march was a “virtual” event, however, i did get to cover several events over the weekend. Protests and gatherings in the city that i feel very much the true spirit of Pride as the community still fights for rights and respect throughout the world.
I attended my first Pride this year in New York City. I didn’t get the full experience being the official Pride march was a “virtual” event, however, i did get to cover several events over the weekend. Protests and gatherings in the city that collectively feel like they carried the spirit of what Pride weekend is meant to be.
Portrait of “Rollerena Fairy Godmother”
Rollerena Fairy Godmother came into being on the evening of Saturday, September 16, 1972 by a young man from Kentucky who put on a gown, a 1950s hat, and a straw basket and skated up and down Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. Over time, Rollerena added to her outfit: rhinestone glasses, costume jewelry, a small horn, and a magic wand to bless mortals became regular accessories to her character. She skated in gay neighborhoods, the Easter Parade, Gay Pride marches and in popular discos. The creator of Rollerena did not consider himself a drag queen; instead she became the character of a Fairy Godmother.
(Source: https://gaycenter.org/archive_item/rollerena-fairy-godmother-collection/ )
One of the first events I was able to capture was the end of the 29th annual Dyke March. The March I believe started at Times Square and made its way all the way down to Washington Square Park, which is where most of the cities recent demonstration often close out. It also a great location. Because of the WSP fountain which people tend to jump into to cool off so the Dyke March demonstrators where no different jumping in and finding refuge from the 90° heat we had during Pride Weekend.
After covering the Dyke March I wanted to make sure I was able to properly cover a Pride demonstration from the start so I had some contacts send me info on the Queer Liberation March. I was to follow the demo all the way to Stonewall another important landmark and very much part of the story of the communities fight for respect of their rights, just look up the stonewall riots to gain understanding on the important of Stonewall. When we arrived the Queer liberation demo was crossing paths with the Stonewall demonstration so I followed that demo on their March which brought me a few blocks From Astor place. After a quick rest I made my way back to WSP where most of the Pride goers had started to gather to continue the festivities and where I was able to capture the bulk of my fountain photographs the pictures explain it all. Lol
I will definitely be back next year to photograph the event. I likely add some video blogging to my coverage, as I make a transition to incorporating more high quality video into my workflow and coverage. I hope all enjoyed the weekend and would love to hear about some of the annual events I should hit to get a full Pride experience. Shoot me a tweet if you the plug.
I feel the struggle of the LGBTQIA+ community as they still fight for rights and respect throughout the world, keep fighting.
End Of the Weak 2x World Champion, Osyris Antham continues to be mentioned in the same realm as Hip-hop's legends by Lupe Fiasco.
For those of you who have followed me and my journey in the NYC art scene, you know I always credit Nasiyr, better known as Osyris Antham, for me even becoming a member of Legendary Cyphers and becoming acquainted with most of the artist that I know today. From the first time I heard him rap at Nicholas Brooklyn, a small A variety shop, I immediately recognised his talent. I bring this up because recently well respected Emcee and Grammy-nominated lyricist has championed Osyris as one of the best Emcee in the world.
For those of you who have followed me and my journey in the NYC art scene, you know I always credit Nasiyr, better known as Osyris Antham, for me even becoming a member of Legendary Cyphers and becoming acquainted with most of the artist that I know today. From the first time I heard him rap at Nicholas Brooklyn, a small African-centered variety shop, I immediately recognized his talent. I bring this up because recently well-respected Emcee and Grammy-nominated lyricist has championed Osyris as one of the best Emcees in the world. Even putting his well-respected opinion on the line against veteran Emcee and Detroit native Royce Da 5’9”. So I thought it would be only right to bring back this moment I happened to be present and personally documenting for the culture. Below you can see the rounds for Osyris’ third U.S. title defense where he destroyed his competition in front of no other than Lupe Fiasco himself.
OSYRIS ANTHAM ROUNDS • End of the Weak 2019 US Emcee Challenge
Do you think we will get an Osyris Antham vs Royce Da 5’9” battle? Check out Mickey Factz IG Live to see how this all came about. The underground hip-hop scene hasn't seen this kind of buzz since another heralded emcee by the name of Joe Budden decided to challenge a top battle rapper.
If you want to check out the full performance for the EODubb (End of the Weak) MC 2019 U.S. Challenge just check out the link below. You can see performance from Mickey Factz, the whole End of the Weak family, the complete U.S. MC Challenge as well as a rare freestyle from Lupe Fiasco himself.
(Sidenote: I recorded this entire event by myself standing in one spot for almost 5 hours including waiting for the event to begin and guarding the best angle for the stream. lol, never again I should have charged them 5x for that. I was exhausted)
Over the last 20 years the MC Challenge has been held in over 25 countries across 5 continents. Over a dozen countries are active each year, with entrants competing in regional competitions and the winner advancing to the National Finals. Every year, each nation sends one champion to represent their country in the annual World Finals, where one MC is crowned the new World Champion.
Learn More About the World Finals
The first-ever MC Challenge was held during August, 2000 in the back of a restaurant in NYC’s Lower East Side and featured Immortal Technique and WebbaFied. Other Challengers and Champions include: Hasan Salaam, Jin, Iron Solomon, Immortal Technique, Pack FM, Pumpkinhead, Reef Da Lost Cause, Breez Evahflowin, C-Rayz Walz, Poison Pen and many more.
The MC Challenge was invented as the evolution of the MC Battle. We envisioned a unique competition that tests the most talented MCs on a wide set of skills. In the MC Challenge, contestants compete in five rounds: Beat Juggling, Written’s, A Capella’s, Cypha’s, and the crowd favorite: Freestyle Grab Bag.
During the event a panel of judges awards points for lyrics, creativity, stage presence, delivery and crowd reaction. We pride ourselves on the love of competition, the mutual respect and the talent level of the MCs who compete.
I sold my first large format print!
I finally feel like I can call myself an artist. I've hit the milestone of selling a large scale 30 by 45 inch print. I don't think I've been prouder of a piece of art that I've created. It's already on someone's wall, which is still something hard for me to grasp. I don't think I'll ever get over the idea of people wanting to own a copy of my work. The other hard part is properly promoting my work cause I have such a disdain for social media so this is me sharing my work and promoting my art in the best way I know how to... In a rant full of raw emotion and unrefined thoughts thrown into a caption. Lol
I want to also thank my muse @reignglobal been shooting with her for a little while now and it's been a pleasure to have some one be so patient as I took one a new genre of photography.
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For anyone who does want to own a print of this, it available on my site (large scale prints only) make sure you have the wall space. There is some customization as far as metal mounts, wooden frames, etc... So if you're curious go check it out, just hit the link to my site, and in the site menu bar hit “Shop” and then “Prints & Canvas”.
Also as I dive deeper into my creative bag I am open to doing some creative shoots within the realm of boudoir, street portraiture, and fine art as I study the medium more. This means I'm open to new subjects to be my muse but please don't get offended if I decline an idea. My time is extremely limited due to work and my part-time journalism yes I still run the front lines of the movement.
With all that said shoot me an email (it's in my bio) and shout out to all the creatives out there keep doing what you do best!
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The piece temporarily being called “Liberte”
5.24.21
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https://www.issakhari.photography
#issakhari #digitalpainting #art
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#budoir #nude #freethenipple #woman #artist #visualart #emotion #blackwomen #melanin #reignapiim
I had the pleasure of shooting these beautiful Black Women for the Black-owned business Goddess Body. Nestreya, Jasmine Nichole, and Reign APIIM. I've known Jasmine Nichole for years and was my first time formally meeting Nestreya. Of course, those who follow my Instagram account, know I've been working with Reign for the last few months… she is literally my neighbor.