PHOTO OF THE YEAR AWARD!

I did this!
I have never wanted an image to go more viral than this one!
I am so proud of this image.
No filter. No fancy editing. Just a clean shot waiting on the right moment!

A Journey to Paris

Tomorrow I journey to Paris...

I've been in France for 3 weeks. 3 busy, spectacular, emotional, and engaging 3 weeks.
All my senses have been awakened and introduced or re-introduced to something new.
It's exciting.

This blogging of mine is getting tough because I have to keep up a separate blog for a grade in my travel class. I don't want to just copy and paste the same ole stuff cause the blog for class has a different agenda.

This one is far more personal, insightful, and spiritually driven.

For those who are interested I am on Tumblr for my class blog which is full of photo assignments and local French sitings.

stephaniebphotos-international.tumblr.com


So tomorrow I go to PARIS!
My two classes have an agenda of museums to visit.
My personal agenda has me dipping into the Parisian nightlife, poetry community, and thrift shopping realms.
The Moulin Rogue being my most sought after destination.
I want to see the Eiffel Tower at all hours of the day. I want to lay before it and let it tower over me. I want the Arc de Triumphe to belittle my American spirit then boost me up and broaden my eyes when I get on the top to take a panoramic of the city.

My outfits are thought out! And I will be sharing them each and everyday. Showcasing my Afrocentric vibes some days and embracing my athletic foot are the next.
Black is beautiful and I look beautiful in black!
I can't wait to walk the streets of Paris standing tall!

I have made a point to photograph anyone who looks to be black. They are rare in the small villages but more prominent in the bigger town. I've seen the most in Avignon and in Arles. But most importantly I've witness a lot of interracial couples that make my heart sing. I feel like it's more common in Europe and something to embrace. But I'll save that rant for the next post...

Nap time is upon me and has me reflecting.
Once upon a time I said I'd love to go to Paris.
And finally the moment has soon arrived.
Paris is more real than ever
Night will fall
I'll close my eyes
And On the train I'll be journeying to Paris at last.

Once Upon A Time we were ALL BLACK!

The highlight of my day was in class! Travel Photography Class

We had time to research the town we are traveling to this weekend.

As everyone researched monuments and things to see I had a different agenda. 

With my passion about photography, culture, natural hair, and Not for profit orgs I think I have a focus for these editorials. Ever since traveling was becoming a reality to my dreams and goals I knew that no matter where I went I wanted to  find communities of black people.

Not to anyone’s fault, there are ignorant individuals who think black people only reside in America and Africa and the UK. 

What a lot of people don’t want to believe or understand is that we ALL ARE BLACK! Black doesn’t crack literally.

The melanin in our skin is rich. It does not only protect us from the sun but gives us that rich shade of brown. The first civilizations were in the fertile crescent. Trust me… with that blazing sun no one was ghostly white. As time went on and people migrated, landscapes changed, and shifting of the tectonic plates our bodies adapted to new climates. Black people, our people, are amazing creatures (we really are one). Climates got colder and skintones got lighter, less sun means your body doesn’t need as much melanin. Eyes got narrower in some regions. Nostrils got smaller in other regions. And so on and SO ON!

In America black history begins with them depicted as slaves on a boat. 

You have to graduate from high school and take a college course on African History or Art to EVER learn that our history precedes slavery. That blacks were royalty. That blacks were samurais and other leaders. 

I think that information is understood and appreciated in other parts of the world like Europe and Asia. 

Why is it that in the modeling industry black models are adored in Europe, yet they just fill the “quota” in the US?

Why is it that black models are more successful in international ads then the American country they were born in?

Just questions I wonder about… but I DIGRESS!

In all my editorials I hope to discover people of color! Working, living, happy, sad, strong, weak, no matter. I want to know where they live, how they live, where are they from, what do they do! I’m also curious about their values, philosophies, children, family, careers, professions.

Unfortunately I have very little luck finding this type of info online. All I have learned so far is that Afro-French people make up about 2-3.5 million of the French population. I’m excited to learn more about these people and uplift them in my art (not exploit them). 

I believe we are beautiful and I want to share that beauty and intelligence to enlighten others.

#squashtheignorance