When I left my research methods class yesterday, I noticed students with 'undocumented?' posted on their shirts. To someone else that may have easily been lost in translation. But to any immigrant or student with family members who don't have American citizenship, one would feel almost compelled to stop and find what the placards and protests are about. Maria & Marcos are members of CHISPAS at UF and the were creating awareness for the Dream Act; to allow undocumented high school graduates temporary residency to study in college or join the military. To the many amongst us, including myself, who came to the United States as children and have the potential to thrive given the opportunity to attend college, the Dream Act seems like a basic human right. I only hope the country's leaders and Congress sees so too.

Bob Marley & the Wailers are iconic and so were Al and Junior Marvin, I prayed my pictures would do them justice. This is my first reggae concert without my dad and I hope these pictures express my ten thousand words.

My homeboy Neil, prez of Caribsa, invited me to a concert his organization and SGP hosted at the Phillips Center on Friday night. I could not pass on the opportunity to photograph two former members of Bob Marley's band, Al Anderson and Junior Marvin. They are talented and the event was packed. I just had a nagging feeling that the music was good, but could have been better. Maybe it was because something was missing--perhaps, the rest of the group. (more pictures to come)

So every photojournalism student's goal is to get published, if not to get clips for future internships then to gain Prof. Freeman's coveted extra credit points for his class ( 5 each!). This is my first published photo in the Alligator and the link to the online paper is here. As a Poli Sci major I felt a little vindicated seeing my credits in a published paper and made a note to save a few copies to share with loved ones. Ya!

My first sports assignment ever and I am reminded of what I already know...photojournalism is an expensive investment in equipment...I need a telephoto lens, a very good one. Rugby is an awesome sport and UF sophomore Noah Walker gains possession during the line-out in the Gators 40-6 victory over the Georgia Sooners. Go Gators!

The last picture set from St. Augustine...it was definitely a beautiful day and the possibilities with the D80 seemed endless. I'm relieved I didn't get salt water or sand too close to the camera!

I did mention more pictures from the beach didn't I? I was inspired by Prof. Freeman's in-class presentation of Annie Leibovitz's work. And my model was incredible...if I say so myself.

The highlight of my spring break was a trip to St. Augustine beach. It was one of my many firsts in the US. I'll have a few more pictures from the beach but this here is special, maybe cos it seems like this couple is saying the same thing Siren and I tell each other pretty often....

When I turned on the TV today I couldn't help but laugh at one of the catchiest songs going around this month..."The Stanky Leg". Like most dance songs these days its pointless but fun to watch. I admit I can not do 'the stanky leg' but I couldn't pass the opportunity to post a picture of a Gainesville High School student doing the dance. He is part of the Iota Youth Alliance program my chapter is involved with and moments like these help me realize life's to short to take yourself too seriously... I'm now searching for the youtube tutorial so I can also do 'the stanky leg'!

My frat brothers came to Gainesville for Greekfest, an outdoor picnic-esque event, on the day of the biggest step show at UF, two weeks ago. This was the first time I was an observer in an event I am usually actively participating in, and it was fun to capture really cool fraternity and sorority moments. Chris Tait is a few inches taller than me, I dare say 6feet 5inches and definitely made for an easy target.

My first time ever at anything like the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire, and I was snapping away uncontrollably with the D80. I felt like there was so much to capture that I almost forgot to actively enjoy the experience. Not that you can blame this skinny African kid too much, there aren't any medieval fairs in Ghana. It took quite a bit of nudging from my girlfriend to remind me to put down my camera even for a little bit. I couldn't help but wonder if this crystal ball held the secrets to the future though...

I had the opportunity to take pictures at Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.'s Miss Black & Gold Pageant. I'm still working on getting them off my hard drive and on to facebook or something for public consumption. But I realized after this photo shoot at the Reitz Grand ballroom that I need to purchase a wide-angle lens and a tripod asap. Only if my budget had the same sense urgency, sigh. More pictures from the pageant here.

Shayla Ellis, a student at UF, caught my eye at the Comedy Show during Black History Month Celebrations at UF. It was a sincere smile and even though she couldn't see it, I smiled back at her behind the lens. This is also one of the first pictures I edited using picnik.com a photo editing site that is a god-send, it allowed me to truly focus in on her smile. I have more pictures of this event as well here.
Yes I was a busy bee during the month of February!

This is another picture opportunity I stumbled upon at the North Lawn by the Reitz Union for a class assignment. It was funny because another student, apparently not in the same class, was also taking pictures that very same day at the very same time, go figure. The rim light on both girls caught my attention and I 'shuttered' away.

This was my the first quality of light assignment I successfully completed in Prof. Freeman's photojournalism class. I was ecstatic by the pictures I took that day and humbled by the fact that candid photography is knowing what you want and a tad bit of luck in getting an exceptionally good picture.