Saturday, December 29, 2012

Pele pele pe! Christmas Cheer


As  I kid had a fear-love relationship with folk in masquerade costumes. They would come by mom's house in Awodome - my grandfather, Mr Sawyer, always supported the end of year celebrations in Winneba so they made it a point to come by for donations - and I was really intimidated by them as a toddler. As I grew older, I began to love & appreciate their colorful costumes and elaborate masks as part of their jovial nature. It was amazing to watch the young lady go through my childhood experiences with masquerade costumes in 15 minutes. One of my all time favorite memories as I walked out of my house at Airport West in Accra Ghana. This is why itake photos.


Maybe we should train young sprinters by employing coaches in masquerade?

Azonto is a Ghanaian dance craze that's taken the continent by storm.
When curiosity trumps fear...

They even did the Azonto upside down.

Blowing this up as one of my fav pix from my lens in 2012

All's well that ends well.

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Monday, December 24, 2012

First TV Presenting Gig #GHone

On my bucket list presenting a show on tv is way up there and I had a chance to do so last Saturday Dec 21st at MTN's 9 lessons and Carols night concert at the Accra Conference Center in the country's capital.

Suited up. I think blue was the technical color of the day....see mic.


I had the chance to ask Samini, Kwaw Kese, DSP Sarpong, Ohemaa Mercy, Stella Dougan, Sammy Forson among others, what the highlight for 2012 was and their predictions for 2013.

Praye explaining their fashion sense "color blocking"

Stella Dougan on originality and presenting oneself in a positive light in 2013

So I would be lying if I didn't share the equally frustrating, annoying side of the evening prior to interviewing the celebrities for December 31st special on GHone.

I was told to show up at the National Theater at 6pm for "prep" before the show. Being punctual, I arrived at 5:30pm and at 6:30pm, called my project manager as he'd still not showed up with my press pass. He informed me that he was on his way. At 7:15pm I called buddy, and he informed me that he was on his way. At 8pm, idio...buddy called to tell me that he'd made a mistake.  The show we were filming at was at the Accra Conference Center and not at the National Theater *le sigh* Tampering my frustration at the lack of professionalism, utter disregard for my time I went to the the conference center to wait for the camera crew. The best part, they didn't get there until 8:45pm, at which point I felt like I'd been hazed (in a shirt and tie for two hours circa Presec prefectoral vetting days) just to present for this show.

The producer of the show did call to vehemently apologize and inform me that there was a mishap at the office and people getting locked at some point, but it definitely discouraged me from being punctual. Being early here seemed like an utter waste of time, but on principle I'd rather adhere to my habits of being professional done succumb to GMT...Ghana Man (delayed) Time. Wish me well, to maintain this habit, I'd need all the prayers and well-wishes I can get.


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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A Ghanaian Election: Reactions to the Final result of 2012 Elections

The culmination of the December elections has left supporters of the NPP disgruntled and crying voter fraud while the ruling party, and declared winner of the 2012 election, were in a celebratory mood throughout Sunday night.

Exclusive video footage at the New Patriotic Party national headquarters as well as the National Democratic Congress national headquarters in Accra hours before and during the Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Afari-Gyan's announcement as to the winner of the presidential elections. I was a member of the Ghana Decides team. Videography by Emmanuel A. Gamor


NDC supporter marching on Oxford Street, Osu, Accra.




Emmanuel A. Gamor for Ghana Decides

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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Following an Election: Voting an MP-Elect, Ayawaso West Wougon Constituency

So I'm exhausted, not just emotionally like most Ghanaians about the ongoing contemptuous rhetoric in the political sphere, but physically from being harassed, praised and challenged to report on the ongoing election story in Ghana.

I am also excited and have been challenged as a journalist, in the past week I've gotten amazing videography footage that sheds light on what the past week has been like in Ghana. From Friday morning the early morning voters at Dzorwulu polling station for the West Ayawaso Wougon constituency, through the following day (Saturday Dec 8th) to the Christian Center polling station for the same constituency and finally interviewing the member of parliament elect. It is amazing to watch the democratic process in action from the perspective of a first time voter, to hearing the sentiments of the person who is elected by the people to serve the constituency.

Ballot officer at Christian Centre, East Legon counting votes.

Getting better at this.

The next update will be the reactions from supporters of both NDC & NPP after the EC commissioner, Afari-Gyan's declaration. Stay tuned.


Emmanuel A. Gamor for Ghana Decides








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Friday, December 7, 2012

Early Morning Voting at Ayawaso West Wougon constituency, Dzorwulu Open Space

Early Morning Voting at Ayawaso West Wougon constituency, Dzorwulu Open Space

At 8:15am the Dzorwulu Open Space voting station, number 138, had about 75 people in line voters waiting even as voters  casting their ballot moved at a decent clip. After media press accreditation were checked a polling agent at the station, Derrick Asiedu, reported that 91 voters with 24 female voters had successful exercised their franchise. Ayakparo Selassie Famous, a first time voter from the Volta region who currently resides at Ayawaso West Wougon constituency was excited to vote. Selassie Famous mentioned education as one of the main reason why he is excited to vote and had minimal complaints about his experience at this voting station.




Nassah Inussa a third time voter who had been in line since 4:00am, arrived to vote a few hours before the polling agents showed up to start the process. He wanted to make sure that he could get a chance to vote early and besides the wait, he did not have any major complaints at the polling station. In his opinion, today's election was as peaceful as previous ones and the though he expressed skepticism in the "US sent biometric equipment", he shared that he was fine with the verification process as long as it assured all voters that the elections were free and fair.

Voting at Polling Station #138 Ayawaso West Wougon Constituency


Peter Danu, a polling agent for New Patriotic Party (NPP)  reported that the elections at Ayawasu West Wougon constituency had been going smoothly thus far. Peter hopes the patience and comportment voters in line had exercised all morning will continue into the hot afternoon and evening. There were two security agents, as well as a representative for the National Democracy Congress (NDC) were present and on active duty.

Emmanuel A. Gamor for Ghana Decides

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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Eve of Elections-Our Vote, Our Voice (East Legon)

After all the festivities during the national rallies, hosted by the National Democratic Congress & New Patriotic Party yesterday, today seemingly started with much less fanfare on the streets of Accra. Shortly after mid-day the pouring rain, as if in attempt to wash away the posters and banners, left-over vuvuzela's and print-outs in town, cleansed the capital of all political campaigning paraphenelia on the final day before elections.



Sentiments about the elections have been heated, debates and national officials of either party are both guilty of raising the rhetoric to alarming levels of accusations and counter-accusations.
 "We are the peaceful party, watch out, the others are the more violent."
"We do not control the military or the police force, they do, but like the youth in Tunisia, we have the mandate of the people and the mandate of the people is the mandate of God."

If you spent time in either party's camp, ambushed by red blue and white (NPP), loud vuvuzela buzzes you would come out reciting the free high school education platform and accolades of Nana Akufo Addo; if you were overwhelmed by the white and green, mouth contorting slogan of "edey be kɛkɛ" you would be an advocate for the "better Ghana" incumbent initiative. Amidst the rhetoric what was more impressive was symbol of unity friends of both parties showed when as they walked side by side, hand in hand late night after the political rallies. Taxi drivers were cautious to share their political inclinations, most from either party hinted that the race may be too close to declare early victory for either party and progressive, foreign educated Ghanaian's lamented about the absence of a strong political campaign machine to support other choices besides John Mahama's NDC and Nana Addo's NPP; the likes PPPs Nduom and CPP's Sakara.

Napthaline Djokoto at East Legon, Accra photo credit: emmanuel a. gamor

The "Our Vote, Our Voice" campaign by Ghana Decides seeks to engage young people in the electoral process, by providing pledge cards and an online link to vote, the Ghana Decides team seeks to remind young voters the importance of their contribution during the 2012 elections. Most young people were registered to vote, when pressed on whether they would vote on Friday, however, some gave excuses that where they were registered was inconveniently far from where they currently work or reside in Accra and weren't as pressed to show up at the polling station come December 7th.






A good section of the people also expressed a sense of being fed-up with the political rhetoric the incessant name-calling, the intimidation of potential violence due to the accusations of the dominant parties of what the other might do. Yes the democratic process is important to most people, and you can engage in a lively debate by mentioning colors, slogans, political parties names or prominent politicians. You will very likely find an ardent fan or vocal opposition almost anywhere on the streets of Accra.
More importantly though, Ghanaians enjoy good music, we enjoy concerts both religious and non-religous and more importantly, Ghanaians have embraced peace.

May the best man win.

Emmanuel A. Gamor for Ghana Decides

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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Pre-election Sentiments at the Accra Mall

Three days to election day and everyone is gearing up for one of the most hotly contested elections in Ghana's history. Since 1992, there has perhaps not been as much media fervor and anticipation for a presidential election as this. The reported 32 radio stations based in Accra alone, and dozens of television station allow more avenues for discourse for everyone to be engaged in the political debate. The nationally televised and online broadcast presidential and vice-presidential debates notwithstanding, there are still a number of  young people I met at the Accra mall who were not intending to vote come Friday, December 7th 2012.

video:


Some of the young people I spoke with were skeptical about voting. A gentleman who is an employee at one of the businesses at the mall, and wants to remain anonymous, lamented that he could not return to his place of registration in the Volta region and come back in time for work. I pressed him further and asked if his employees gave the impression that his job would be threatened because of his absence and he admitted to the contrary, he did not think it was worth the hassle and would consider voting if it was more convenient for him to do so.


photo credit: emmanuel a. gamor


Jeffrey Tetteh Obese, the Operations Manager at Barcelos fast food eatery at the mall, was pleased to pledge to vote. He shared that the management at the mall sent letters to all shop renters and employers that the mall will not be opened before noon on Friday to allow employees and workers to exercise their right to vote. Whether the notice about the mall's late opening was trickled down to all employees is another matter.





Jeffery Tetteh Obese at the Accra Mall photo credit: emmanuel a. gamor


A young lady with whom I spoke with at the MTN service center, hinted that though she lives in Accra and her registration/voting station is at Legon, she was not sure she would vote on Friday. She admitted she was a bit intimidated by the rhetoric between the NDC & NPP with a seemingly close election race may lead to violence. When pressed on what would make her more politically engaged and vote on Friday, she joked that a private chauffeur to the voting station without the wait in line would be best.




photo credit: emmanuel a. gamor
photo credit: emmanuel a. gamor



After the Arab Spring uprisings we are yet to see if the large demographic of young people in sub-Saharan Africa will affect or influence the presidential elections. The two dominant political parties have made a showing of employing young people amongst their ranks, and the NPP's main campaign promise revolves around serving young people with free Senior Secondary School education. Ghana Decides' Our Vote Our Voice campaign seeks to engage all young people, regardless of their political affiliations to go out and vote. Voting is a democratic right that should not be taken lightly as the opportunity usually comes once every four years with considerable implications to our collective well-being in the very near future.

Emmanuel A. Gamor for Ghana Decides

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Umbrella, the Elephant and the Rest

Driving through the streets of Accra, it is obvious the election fervor is at its peak. With less than two weeks to go, the two dominant political party, NDC & NPP, are pulling all the stops to win on December 7th. The radio in the car is tuned to 103.5 FM Agoo FM….a station that primarily features political talk shows and Rush Limbaugh comes to mind. Without being as abrasive or polarizing Agoo FM, does give you a heavy dose of opinionated politics. Hours after listening to the station, if you aren't an ardent fan of Mahama or Akuffo Addo (depending on which party's segment) you'll, at the bare minimum, find yourself reciting their credentials from hearing it on repeat. Like that nursery rhyme you're surprised to find you know the words to from hearing your niece or nephew recite over and again…NPP: "Free Senior High School (SHS)", NDC: "Working for You", "Free SHS", "Working for You", "Free SHS", "Working for You"…as if, like the political campaign suggests, the two should be mutually exclusive.

The billboards, posters and grass roots political movements are perhaps the more interesting indicators who the fore-runners in the elections are. The oft used phrase: to get to the bottom of something, follow the money, can be applied in this situation as well.

Accra Tema Motorway photo credit: emmanuel gamor


 Which party has the financial capacity to actually garner enough votes for the presidential elections? And which party is shrewdly financing their respective campaigns to translate to wins? These are questions I will be seeking answers to this week. From a layman's perspective, the battle is between the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party.

Vuvuzelas have been employed by the NPP. photo credit: emmanuel gamor

 The allegiances are most pronounced in locales with strong allegiances to either party but across the streets of Accra there is a 5 minute reminder, car poster, radio advert, painted face in party colors, to vote for Nana Akuffo Addo's "Free SHS" or John Mahama's "Working For You" mantras. Regardless of what the nationally televised and online streaming presidential debates would have you believe, it is truly a competition between two dominant political parties.

Allegiance to political parties are not just ethnic, in college I explored the correlation to ethnic parties during the 2004 elections(exclusive Ewe support for the NDC & unwavering Ashanti support for the NPP) as a research project, though these allegiances loosely hold true there is so much that more that determines political affiliation in 2012 Ghana. Businessmen and women, especially businesswomen who have expert proficiency in navigating the informal Ghanaian economy (the kiosks in front of registered retail stores, the hand off and exchange of currency that is not formally as part of the country's GDP) are the ones who make politics in Ghana interesting. Depending on their past business experience during a particular party's tenure their support is amplified by their business forecasts for future success. Voting thus becomes one of the most important business investment for the next four years. The more conniving investors find ways to benefit regardless of who is in power and show blatant support for one party and encourage a close family member/business partner to showcase blatant support for the other. Flip-flopping between political party isn't tolerated however, and you would rather lose during a 4/8 year cycle and benefit when your party comes to power than to be perceived as an obvious opportunist. As if most Ghanaians aren't that: polite opportunists with broad welcoming smiles.

2012 Presidential Candidates photo credit: Electoral Commission Ghana


 My family is strategically well placed. On my Ewe father's side, the family ties to the NDC government have been beneficial as aunts and cousins have moving anecdotes of how they have personally benefited from the government "working for you". One being married to a past minister of agriculture makes the case pretty obvious. On my Fanti mother's side, the allegiance has always been to the NPP government with my first voting experience during the 1998 elections giving "the elephant" my approval. I was secretly snuck into the voting booth and told my mom to pick the elephant "Kukurudu, Eshi! Rado Rado!" It also helped that my uncle received a diplomatic appointment as an ambassador when NPP was in power. And where does that leave me? As a Political Scientist turned Journalist I'm a moderate, voting on issues rather than having a blanket support for either party. I enjoyed vetting Obama's Democrats and Romney's Republicans and exploring the issues to push each side to better serve me/us/the world. In Accra it isn't just about the colors, chants, ethnic affiliations, or whom either one of my parents support, but who best serves my interests this election cycle. After all I'm Ghanaian, an opportunist with a broad welcome smile.

 Mosquito Claps: As a kid I used to try to kill mosquitoes by capturing them between my palms with a loud clap. This practice is not uncommon in tropical regions and especially in Ghana. The hashtag #mosquitoclaps however indicates a new post about my thoughts, experiences and observations in Accra on this blog.

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Three Generations of Gamor

I started this blog to showcase my growth & development as a photographer, then to showcase my work as a multimedia journalist. Despite my initial inclination to remain very private about all other issues, 2012 taught me one important lesson: that I am the testimony and it is in sharing the challenges, immense struggles, interspersed with the triumphs & "pretty" stories that I will be able to truly share how good God's been to me. By doing so, I hope inspire someone else in turn. It isn't easy every day; I don't always make it out smiling everyday; I won't get to post on here every day, but when I do, it will always be worth your while, promise.

 Right from the airport, my father's significant other let me know that we were going to drop off my stuff at the house and quickly rush to Korle-Bu Hospital. My father had been sent there this morning for dialysis treatment and needed to be picked up shortly after. Mentally I had tried preparing myself, but nothing really prepares you to see a loved one who's been in and out of a coma, with failed kidneys, diabetes, asthma and now, the inability to take care of themselves independently. I'd imagined it, I had thought of it, but to me, my father was still the same sprightly person I saw almost a decade ago. I'm a workaholic with nocturnal tendencies, I multitask, a lot. All these traits, I get from my dad. To think that my father couldn't be his usual self baffled me.

I was grateful that as I walked into the hospital ward, an overwhelming peace washed over me; I couldn't help but smile the entire time. Internally though, I was shocked when I saw my dad's shriveled frame. I'm a decent 170 pounds, 6 foot 2 inches. My father is over 6ft tall and now, weighs 50-60 pounds less than I do…. It felt like I was having an out-of-body experience, I asked a friend to record the first encounter on video so that in private I could allow myself to breakdown and cry. A part of me initially wanted to, but an overwhelming strength and sense of comfort enveloped me. All I could do was to offer smiles and reassurances for my father whose sunken cheeks, enlarged left arm and frail frame still hinted at the swag I once knew him for: the confident gait, the infectious smile, the roaring voice, the genuine sense of concern for others. Now he needed that from me. I didn't, couldn't disappoint.
His reactions were first of disbelief, then recognition, he was overwhelmed and began to cry. I hate to admit it, but he also felt embarrassed. While I had grown almost 2 feet taller and stronger since we last met, he'd shrunk significantly. Knowing him, I fully understood. I empathized as I wouldn't want to reunite with my last child (yes I have two older siblings, out there…somewhere), to be this way. But I was overflowing with joy and love for this man. I caught myself lifting up my chin, consciously conferring dignity to be in his presence, transferring my energy to him and reassuring him that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to be embarrassed about. By God's grace he'd cheated death: stuck in an ambulance in a coma en route from 37 military hospital to Korle-Bu for 11 hours... oh Ghana. He was my hero, he still is. And I am proud of him.

I was taught the procedure of carrying him out of his bed and into his wheel chair, learned that his vast vocabulary (my father is multilingual and spoke: French, German, English, Haussa, Ga, Akan, Ewe with relative ease) had now been reduced to one word "No" for when he was in pain. All this left me in disbelief. At home, 5 hours later, I was humbled and walked into his master bedroom at his house - now my bedroom - as he'd been relocated to the guest room on the ground floor, in tears. To all  who contributed to my IndieGoGo campaign,  and in turn my trip back to Accra, and gave me enormous emotional and prayer support: I will be sending the private video recording of us reuniting. The gratitude in father's eyes expresses how thankful we both are, more than any of my words ever could.
 -- 
As I rolled my suitcases into the master bedroom, I noticed a new picture I had never seen before. A picture of my grandfather, my father's father (of whom my father had never spoken of) in a suit and bow-tie, very dapper. On another side of the wall was a painting of my father, in a suit and tie, in his prime (a painting by Sami Adohudep circa 1996). Swiping the tears from my eyes to smile at our collective resemblance and yet distinctive smiles, I felt compelled to make a collage and include myself as a third generation Gamor:
I stand, on the shoulder of giants.
  
 Mosquito Claps: As a kid I used to try to kill mosquitoes by capturing them between my palms with a loud clap. This practice is not uncommon in tropical regions and especially in Ghana. The hashtag #mosquitoclaps however indicates a new post about my thoughts, experiences and observations in Accra on this blog.

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Friday, November 23, 2012

What I do - An Info Graphic

Emmanuel A. Gamor Resume (Visual) I'm back in my neck of my woods, at my father's house in one of the neighborhoods I grew up in (Airport residential area Accra, Ghana). I'm excited about all the opportunities my native country has to offer. Alternating between website construction and updates for [rgp] (presidential elections are about 2 weeks away...) I created this visual version of my professional resume. Always wanted an out-of-the-box way to turn creative info graphics concept to showcase some of my strengths!

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

See ya Later's & [rgp]

Friends and well-wishers at my last 2012 DC shindig, my next project & a new chapter in my life www.ReportingGhanaPresidency.com There will be photo, audio, video updates on here soon. This blog will see a revamp as itp85 shares share the love with [rgp] & TNG. Photography courtesy of Maxine Naawu.

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Testing 1, 2.

Over the past couple of weeks I hosted an IndieGoGo campaign for a multi-media newsite I am incredibly excited about www.ReportingGhanaPresidency.com. Besides the Ghanaian presidential elections in December, the newsite will discuss leadership and civic issues through a social justice lens. It will be the culmination of what I've learned in school, practiced in the field and look to explore multi-media journalism in Ghana & sub-saharan Africa.
Thanks to the campaign I was able to upgrade my DSLR camera from the d80 & d90...to a nikon d7000. Here's a test shot of candid moments in Chinatown, Washington DC. To capturing details and memorable moments in motion. #itp85 #rgp

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

At 50, Azonto moves & festivities!

50th Birthday Party & Graduation Celebration from itake photos est. 1985 on Vimeo.

Emma Adjetey - Doku celebrates her 50th Birthday and graduation party with family and friends in Woodbridge Virginia. Saturday September 15th, 2012. Photography by Emmanuel A. Gamor

The people who knew you when you were young, probably know you best. Covering this event for Aunty Emma Adjetey-Doku was doubly exciting because I was reminded that you could party with a lady in the prime of her life and with old friends from ICCM (my first church in VA) too. Azonto moves apparently have no age limit! Congrats to Aunty Emma on the milestone (the big 50!) and congrats on being a recent graduate as well! More vim!

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Monday, August 6, 2012

High School Love

Cris and Curtis have been dating since high school. I attended West Potomac High with Cristina and met Curtis at senior prom. Years, almost a decade later, I was excited to asked to be the photographer at their quaint union in Arlington, Virginia.

Davis Wedding from itake photos est. 1985 on Vimeo.

High school friend, Cristina, has been dating Curtis.... well since high school. Union of Cris and Curtis Davis, Friday July 6th, 2012 Arlington Virginia.

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Move!

Move! I love to stroll. My chapter brothers during a probate show in Gainesville, Florida last year. This picture was taken before I was assigned as the fraternity's nat photog. I miss those care-free, no responsibilities-laden(not much anyway) days. Definitely kept a brother in shape!
Strolling(verb): The traditional dance or “party walk” performed by culturally-based fraternities and/or sororities.

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Saturday, July 14, 2012

New Beginnings | Changing the world, one bite at a time

One of my favorite quotes by former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan: "The world is at a critical juncture, and so are you....go ahead and make your plans...and don't stop learning. But be open to the detours that lead to new discoveries."
My friend, Ayah leaves the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, DC to enroll in a culinary school in Berkeley, California with a pit stop at The Mtogolo Community Based Organization (a project advocates a holistic approach to combating HIV/AIDS) in Malawi. To detours, in life, that lead to new discoveries....


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Thursday, July 5, 2012

Partnerships | Collabos | Church Website

Nowadays, I find myself involved in more collaborations and partnerships with others. It's always an awesome experience to pool our talents to accomplish a task. When Church of the Resurrection (Rez), DC was revamping their website, Kaitlynn and I (with others) came together to lend our skills to creating an awesome, online identity for Rez. Kaitlynn recently put up an online portfolio (as a local liaison) to feature our partnership and, excited to support however I can, I promised to share her skills on my blog as well.

My photography contribution to the Rez website


Kaitlynn's online portfolio


I'll do well to post a lot more in the month of July. Look forward to my escapades and collabos!

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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Graduation: A Milestone to be Celebrated

When I came to the United States I was taken back two class grades in High School. I watched as my peers, the class of 2007, graduate from college as I waded through my last two years of undergrad with a mission: to proudly walk down the stage in the presence of my family and peers during commencement.

Photo credit: Edson Andre
Graduation for me was an incredibly emotional experience. My mother and I cried together as we were reminded of the trials and tribulations that got me, the first boy among 3 girls, through college. My journey from Ghana, West Africa, through Alexandria, Virginia and finally on the University of Florida stage as a Gator graduate was tumultuous. I literally felt a huge weight of responsibility being lifted off my shoulders as I strolled past Bernie Machen as my name was called at the O'dome.

What I remember from commencement 2009 is that regardless of the challenges behind me, I believed I could strive and succeed with the help of God and my family. And regardless of the challenges ahead, be it a challenging economy, I took that same resilience to propel me forward through my endeavors over the past 3 years. To the class of 2012, don't shy away from the challenge. The world is ever-evolving and the lessons from undergrad should come in handy. Stay the course, pursue your dreams and passions with hard work and consistency. Congrats to the class of 2012. To many more successes in every one of your endeavors.
- itp85.

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Monday, April 16, 2012

St. Jude Children's Hospital, fraternity and new obligations




I recently took on the role as the national photographer for my fraternity, Iota Phi Theta, and one of my first assignments touched me deeply. The executive grand council visited the St. Jude's Children's hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Our Grand Polaris (president) is a cancer survivor and as we toured the facility through out the day it was incredible apparent how need the fraternity's call to fight against cancer and find cures to diseases that particularly affect African Americans is, and we all renewed our commitment to impacting other's lives.

Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. Executive Grand Council visit to St. Jude's Children Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee. Friday March 30th, 2012.
More details on the blog: emmauelgamor.blogspot.com follow on twitter @itakephotos1985 visit the website itakephotos1985

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Friday, March 2, 2012

Next Top Model On Valentine's Day



How did you spend your February 14th?

With co-photographers Hunter & Tony, I had the most fun working with Bridget's (a friend) after school class at Lauren Hill. The young ladies were awarded photo sessions for their Next Top Model project and they enlisted the young gentlemen to be their male models.

When Bridget told me there were two aspiring photographers in the class I quickly enlisted them on my photo team and as the girls picked their poses Hunter, Tony (aka Tony Tone) & I took pictures of the fun session.

I truly enjoyed the photo session and having awesome talented co-photographers was icing on the cake. We hope you enjoy our collective work.

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The power of collaborating (Exec Make-over Shoot).


January is our family's annual month of prayer and today when I woke up with this quote on my mind and its been stuck all day:

"The magical equation about giving is that the more you give, the more you actually get."

I'm always grateful for the fact that my step-dad and I both share a love for photography. In the midst of all the projects I work on (TNG newspaper, the [y] network, First Choice) Our informal conversations and desire to exceed expectations always push us to collaborate and find resources to better our craft. We created a joint email account and subscribed to a pro Animoto account. For a referral link click here. And look forward to many, and I do mean many, more professional slideshows. Thanks pops!

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