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.

November was an exciting month! My line brother got married (now we're counting down who is next) and it was a beautiful quaint ceremony. And while we were in Gainesville, Florida (at my alma mater UF), our fraternity chapter welcomed four new members into the fold. Like welcoming a new member into the family, as Greeks, we take new membership seriously and one of the remarkable moments (amongst many, for me it is also graduation) regardless of how long you've been in an organization, is the probate show. When you see a potential come into their own and publicly declare their affiliation to a brotherhood/sisterhood you hold dear; it reminds you of your journey and an appreciation of how far you've come. In our case, in upholding Scholarship, Leadership, Citizenship, Brotherhood and Fidelity.

Of course my camera(s) came along. This time I was equipped with a D90 & a 1.4 50mm fixed lens I was excited about. One of my frat brothers who has recently picked up photography also came with a D90, but he'd left his mount-on flash at home. I had an idea, something my dad had spoken frequently of doing at a wedding! I swapped cameras with my friend and mounted a 17-50mm 3.5 on mine and set his (with the 1.4/50mm) set to gray-scale pictures only. All my shots would be in black & white!

Having Bassy (@SavvyShotsPhoto ) taking pictures with a mount-on flash gave me the flexibility to capture raw emotion (or as much as I could very quickly) without the distraction of color. More importantly, it let me shoot at low light setting without getting too many blurry images. At different times we swapped cameras and tips as we captured as much of the event as possible. We both ended up with about 1000 pictures from the event, let me know what you think @itakephotos1985:

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The Ladies of the Iota Lambda chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. marched and joyously sang through campus. They were amongst a sizable new class of Greek initiates to join the NPHC and MGC councils. Though quite a few people wondered why they only marched and sang, I was impressed because thier serenade was a refreshing difference from the usual 45 minute shows other organizations put on in order to introduce their members. Probate shows seemed to have become commercial, and people were lining up with quarters in anticipation of the next step and dance routine. The first picture, with the little girl and the 'future aka' shirt, made it in today's Alligator.

Over the weekend, quite a number of people joined Greek organizations. Attending the probate shows of friends and non-friends alike, I was reminded of my own show almost 3 years ago. I played around a bit with the colors for each picture....like an awakening moment for each show participant.