ModestGeniusXL

Top Captures of 2013 - Intense

Did I really just have two captures in a row where they were given actual names instead of generically named after saying the creative juices weren't flowing enough?  Well I guess they were.  Or I guess I may have cheated just a little bit.  I posted this in one of my photo groups on The Book and someone left a comment with just that one word.  Don't know why it never dawned on me, but it fit the photo perfectly.  So this one ended up getting a legitimate name too.

In the past years (all two of them) that I have done the countdown, I made it a point to try to avoid more than one photo of the same type.  For instance, if I had a few different baby shots that I liked, I would have to narrow it down to one and that one baby shot would be the representative for all the rest of them that I also liked.  I didn't have that same luxury this year.  Didn't have as many shooting opportunities.  And also not as diverse as in past years.  So there were no restrictions as to how many of what type of shot could get it in.  Which is why you are seeing two couples captures back to back.  Spoiler alert...this won't be the last one you'll see.

A while back I did a series of photos that I called The Edge.  That's because I was stepping outside the box from the conservative looks that I had been doing up to that point.   These particular captures even went further then the boudoir photos I had previously done.  They were models doing implied looks with mood lighting.  Very racy.  Thus...I was pushing it to The Edge.  One concept I always wanted to incorporate with that was shooting a couple in much the same manner.  I could just never find a couple willing to do it.

Then I remembered Kasi and Isaac.

Those of you that have been with me since the beginning may remember a shoot I did with Kasi a while back.  And I mean a WHILE back.  It was one of my first dozen or so shoots.  She did such a great job that I had always been meaning to work with her again.  I had no idea it would be almost two years later before it would actually happen.  Isaac would be a star with XL-Images in his own right when he did an impromptu shot in one of my tees at my going away party last year.  I was diggin' it so much that it became the centerpiece of a composite pic I did of a plethora of XL-Images t-shirt captures.  Which reminds me...it's about time to do an updated one of all the XL-Images t-shirt captures that have taken place since then.

Collectively they were the perfect couple for what I wanted to do.  The only problem was getting our schedules to mesh so it could come to fruition.  It had to be during at time that I was in town visiting and both of them were available.  Not an easy task to do since they had a newborn.  The only time that worked was when they didn't have a sitter.  So little man was there at the shoot with us.  Keeping him occupied in his car seat off to the side while we worked was no easy feat.  That was probably the quickest I've ever worked in a shoot.  But sometimes you do what you gotta do to get the shot(s).

Thanks to the two of them being naturals in front of the camera, this particular session actually produced quite a few winners.  One of them good enough to be on my Top After Dark Captures (oh yes...it's real).  It was no easy task determining which one would make this list.  This capture won out because everything in the photo just came together perfectly.  The expression on the faces, the twinkle in Kasi's eye that can be seen even in black and white, the wind catching her hair perfectly so the eyes aren't completely covered.  The whole thing was just so.....intense...

Top Captures of 2013 - Desire

For some reason, that U2 joint runs through my head whenever I see this picture.  It's rather random because it's not like that song was playing at all during this shoot. In fact, now I think about it, I don't even have that song on any of my shoot playlists.  I need to change that right away.  But given the mood that this particular photo conveys, it just seemed most appropriate.

I had done a good number of boudoir shoots up to this point.  Some of which don't get posted on regular Facebook because they are a bit too risque.  Some of which only gets posted late at night in certain closed groups where I know photogs and models alike can appreciate it as art.  However, I had wanted to do a session with a couple for a while.  It didn't matter if they were an actual couple (as in dating, engaged, married, etc.) but they at least had to play the role well.  These two were the perfect fit for what I was looking for.

There were a few things that set this particular photo apart enough to make the countdown.  First being I purposely made it a bit of an abstract concept.  I intentionally shot it and subsequently edited it so that you can't see either of their faces.  Sure, you can clearly make out dude's tat so anyone that knows him knows who that is.  The tat gives that away.  And you can see his mouth too.  But the mouth was all that I wanted from the face.  Just enough so you could see that little subtle emotion that his lips are conveying. 

Then there was the way I purposely edited this one.  Before I even shot it, I knew I needed to have it in black and white.  It doesn't take a photography genius to figure out that black and white instantly gives your capture a much more dramatic effect.  That's why I made sure to adjust the lighting just right before shooting.  I had to be certain the shadows would fall in just the right places. In addition, I was looking for a grittier look than I had used in the past.  To make the capture look like a combination between an actual photo and a graphite drawing.  That took a little time and patience to properly achieve that effect, but I personally think it paid off.

Lastly, you will note that the framing on this one is different than others you have seen on the countdown.  Particularly with the alternate logo which includes my full name.  That's because it's part of what I call my XL-Images Signature Series.  It's something that I started a while ago that some of my early supporters may remember.  There are certain black and white photos that grab me enough that I place them in the Signature Series.  These are the ones that I personally feel are some of my most artistic renderings to date.  The minute I finished the post-work on this one I knew it was destined to be the next candidate for that Signature Series.

I'm always leery about posting my pieces in this particular genre.  I don't want to scare off the potential conservative clients.  Not everyone can appreciate captures as the art that I intend them to be.  Some folks just don't have a palate that sophisticated yet.  That's why whenever I do post the racier stuff, I try to do it later at night.  Yes...I know it makes little sense because that picture is still out there come morning.  It's all good though.  It at least gives me a little more piece of mind knowing that it wasn't posted until after dark.  Yes..sometimes it's just the little things that put my mind at ease.

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Billi Joooooooo

I think the reason for the long "o" at the end of her name should be obvious when you see the picture.  I was just going to call this one "The Williams" but then I remembered that I still have another Williams photo coming up later (spoiler alert) so I had to differentiate them somehow.  The best way I could think to do it was by using Billi's first name.  The entire first name that I have always known her as even though I'm now told nobody really calls her that anymore.  It's supposed to be just Billi.

Let me backtrack just a little bit...remember how I told you how it's always good to get support from my frat brothers whenever I return to Des Moines?  Well lately I have been fortunate enough to get support from folks that have connections with me dating back to my high school days.  I am always talking about how much I loved my time at Norwalk High School.  I know some folks like to forget their high school days, but I have nothing but fond memories about my time there.  Mainly because there were so many great friendships made while I was there.  Then later reconnecting with some of those folks in later years thanks to the magic of The Book.

Billi is another one of those amazing NHS alumni.  She a little bit younger than me though.  Her sister Phyllis was actually one of my classmates.  Our class was small enough (134 in the class of 1988) that I pretty much remember everyone by first and last name.  Even if we didn't talk on a daily basis.  So even years later and even with my bad memory, I still recall that Billi was younger.  But if I didn't know any better, I would have thought the sisters were twins.  They still favor one another to this day.

I had put out one of my feelers on The Book announcing an upcoming Des Moines trip which is what enabled me to book this shot with Billi and her family.  I couldn't remember at the time she booked if she told me how big her family was.  Therefore, I din't know what to expect when she showed up.  I also didn't  have time to think about some good poses since I didn't know the amount of people I would be dealing with.  Ironically, that tends to work in my favor.  I'm not overthinking things and the looks come more natural as I'm interacting with the family.

There's an old trick that any photographer can use when working with children.  You want to get on their good side as soon as possible.  Get them to trust you and get somewhat of an immediate connection.  The way I do that is have ask one of the kids to help me out with testing the lights.  All they have to do is stand in front of the strobes with holding the light meter while I get a shot.  Not a big deal at all, but it gets the kid vested which makes the shoot go much smoother.  It worked like a charm with Gentry.

It didn't take Gentry long at all to get warmed up to the camera.  She was pretty much a natural.  Sometimes when I'm working with adults, I will have to give some direction after each click.  As in help them along to a new pose.  Not with Gentry.  Soon as the strobes flashed she was hitting another pose.  And they were good ones too.  But the best thing about that is that it had a domino effect with her parents.  The more animated she got, the more it got them producing natural smiles as they enjoyed their daughter's participation.

As for the look on Gentry's face?  I have no idea what caused it.  It certainly wasn't anything on my part.  I never said "Make an 'O' face".  She just did it.  She was just being the amusing character she is and it came out.  I'm so glad it did though.  It was a departure from the traditional look of everyone smiling.  What was even better was it her being herself and letting her personality shine through.  Sometimes it really pays off to let a kid be a kid.

Top Captures of 2013 - Angie

I sometimes find photo subjects in the most unlikely places.  I may be on a friend's Facebook page and see one of their friends when a photo idea comes to mind for that individual.  Then I have to go through the process of adding an unknown contact in addition to reaching out to them to see if they would be interested.  It doesn't always work, but when it does, it often produces amazing results.  Sometimes even better than what I expected.

One of my FB contacts happened to post pics on their page from their recent birthday celebration.  That's when I saw Angie in a few of them.  I had to do a double take at what I was seeing.  She was wearing a skirt with a predominant prosthetic leg.  A skirt.  Which means she was making no effort at all to cover it up with slacks and/or making any effort to conceal it.  She was proudly taking pictures like that.  To say I was impressed was an understatement.  I knew then that she would be ideal for a shoot.  Definitely something different from outside of the norm of anything I had previously done.

I had to first make sure that Angie was cool with the whole photo shoot idea.  Which first meant she was cool with even adding me as a FB contact so we could discuss it.  I got lucky in that regard and she was.  It also helped that she was so down to earth to make that possible.  You may notice a recurring theme in my photos.  I tend to shoot a lot of folks that are "down to earth".  Well it does help to make for some great captures.

Angie was totally on board with the idea.  I made sure to point out to her that I really liked the fact that she had no problems displaying her prosthetic leg and that I wanted it prominently featured in our photos as well.  She was even better with that idea.  Although she informed me she would be getting in a new one soon.  One that looked more realistic.  She wanted to know if I wanted to wait until then to do the shoot.  There were two problems with that. The first being that I was already in town that weekend doing shoots so couldn't wait for the new leg to arrive.  But the more pressing issue being that I actually liked the bigger contrast of the less unrealistic looking leg.  That just had a more effective dramatic effect which I was really feeling.  And again, she was fine with that as well.

Angie made a unique request for doing this shoot.  She wanted to know if her friend could be present and record it for a documentary she was working on featuring Angie.  Of course I had no problem with that.  Even though I normally don't translate very well to video.  I was just going to make sure the video footage didn't get a lot of me in it.  I'm still waiting to see the final product of that documentary though.  Hopefully, she managed to catch my best side.

When it came to editing, I wanted to to something special to convey what I was thinking with the very concept of the shoot.  That's how I came up with this framing and the blatantly obvious quote.  If you only knew how many times I hear someone tell me that.  It's something I never understood.  Especially when I see those same folks plastering photos of themselves all over Facebook.  So you're okay with the candid photos but when you get the opportunity to shoot with a professional who knows how to get you in flattering light and angles, you want to pass that up?  Yep...makes perfect sense to me.

Angie is living proof that we should be proud of who we are and what we have.  Don't be ashamed of the body that God gave you.  Embrace it.  Besides, it's only your exterior anyway.  It's your inner personality that really shapes what you are.  How you carry yourself is what people will remember most about you.  Everything else will always be secondary.  Some of the most outwardly beautiful people instantly make themselves ugly by the way they carry themselves (perfect example:  flipping off the camera and thinking it's cute).  So the next time you want to use the excuse that you don't like the way your body looks...just don't.

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Just Blaze

The one thing I definitely miss doing since I came down here to Texas was sports photography.  It's not like I wanted to do a lot of it, but at least some.  Enough to have more diversity in my portfolio.  That's why I made it a point to get to a handful of sporting events when I was in Iowa.  Being a basketball and football fanatic, I had to have some of those type of captures.  Sure, it was just a few games that I went to, but it was enough to get good captures.  That's not the case here.

One of the problems is that that particular type of photography is VERY competitive here.  You can't just step up to the field and/or court with a couple of years of photography under your  belt and think they're going to let you get prime access for the great shots.  That's reserved for the photogs that have been doing it a while.  Or the ones that have connections.  My only other option was to get a high-powered lens and shoot from great seats.  Hard to do that when you're ballin' on a budget.

While I was in Des Moines, I did get in good with some players on the local semi-pro team the Des Moines Blaze as well as their head coach, Tyrone.  That networking allowed me to get some great game shots that remain some of my favorite captures to this day.  I wasn't aiming so much for getting professional individual player shots a la Joel Grimes style (although that would have been cool), but I figured one of them would eventually be looking for other photography needs.  It turns out the coach himself did.

Tyrone initially was looking to have some professional pics done for himself so he could get a change of pace from the whole selfie look.  I can definitely appreciate that.  I always like to say that one of my goals when I started doing this was to eliminate the restroom selfie fascination one photo shoot at a time.  Have I gotten there?  Heck no.  That will probably never happen.  But the more people I work with, the more folks try to get away from that restroom pic to have photos done the right way.  And that's what's up.

Tyrone came up with the concept of doing a shoot that would showcase the hardware he's accumulated while coaching the Des Moines Blaze.  Tyrone has been the coach for the Blaze for the past three years.  The Blaze have threepeated in that time period making them the Midwest Football Semi Pro BCS National Champions from 2011 - 2013.  I too would be looking to get some pics done to proudly display those accomplishments myself if it were me.  So it was an privilege and an honor to do the shoot. 

Historically, working with guys is a more challenging task than it is when working with women.  I don't know too many of us guys that work on our poses with a plethora of selfies.  And even those that do aren't as good at it as the ladies are.  Therefore, I have to find the right poses that will work for the guy as well as the overall composition of the picture.  This particular one did that as we are able to see not only the trophies but also the rings.  More importantly, Coach Tyler is in a confident yet non-arrogant stance.  All of it capped off by his game face.

I needed to add a bit more oomph to the photos so I came up with the idea of making it a composite in the format of an older style football card.  The type of football card they had WAY back in the day before they got all fancy with 3-D graphics and the such.  The phrase I used stemmed from the fact that after winning three years in a row, naturally the Blaze have other teams hating on their success.  But instead of getting big-headed about it, the fellas want to keep focused and just be themselves.  Also to let folks know that the team welcomes their support as opposed to their scorn.  Thus...Don't Hate...Just Blaze.

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Baby Lillard

If there is one thing I love it's repeat clients.  Especially in terms of families.  Especially when I get chance to see them grow as a family and the evolution is present in my photos.  Such is the case with Theotto and Rikkia. 

The two of them were among the very first to support me when XL-Images was in its infancy.  I would do test shots with them individually to get my portfolio started.  It helped tremendously that they photographed so well.  Both individually and as a couple.  I even had one of their photos featured on some of my early business cards.  I didn't get a chance to capture the engagement or wedding; however, I did get the maternity photos.  Then eventually the session with their new baby, Tayler.

I know some photographers that will shy away from baby photos.  They either don't have the patience to deal with children or just figure it's not worth all the effort it takes.  That's definitely not me.  Doing a session with a child is the one chance you get to see someone being their genuine self.  Especially when they are at that toddler stage.  They haven't had a chance yet to learn how to put on a facade like they learn from us adults.  So the captures are about as authentic as you can possibly get.

It needs to be pointed out that Theotto and Rikkia are two of the most sarcastic people I have ever met.  I mean that in the best possible way.  Just the kind of people I like to be around since that's how I am too.  But when the two of them do it, it results in neverending hilarity.    I swear they need to have their own reality show.  Trust me, it would be three times as good as some of this mess they are calling "reality shows" these days. So with the two of them being like that, there was no question that it was bound to carry over into their child's genes.

Although Tayler couldn't talk, you could see in her face that she had already inherited a combination of her folks' personality. There were a good number of pics with her where it looked like she was telling me "Dude...if you don't hurry up and take this photo...".  She was just cracking me up with her expressions.  The one thing you do get with toddlers at Tayler's age in these pics (I want to say 1-year-old?  I'm sure Theotto and/or Rikkia will correct me if I'm wrong) is that they have clearly developed their personality at that point.  Or at the very least, how to display it.  That was the case with Tayler.  She could not have been more like both of her parents. 

All in all, Tayler was extremely photogenic.  This session yielded so many great looks that I had a difficult time to trying to select my personal favorite.  I ultimately went with the one where I was able to get the natural light to work with me for a change.  Lately, whenever I have used that particular studio, it has been so gloomy out that I could never get the proper shadows from the sunlight coming through the windows.  That wasn't the case on this day.  Add to that the fact that Tayler was extremely cooperative the entire time and everything had conspired together to produce a great shoot.

 

 

Top Captures of 2013 - I Got a Fast Car

Maybe it's not such an appropriate title for a picture given the recent passing of Paul Walker, huh?  Jigga please.  Trust me, I definitely feel that it sucks that we lost an actor like Walker in what was essentially his prime; however, that's not going to change the fact that there are still and will always be fast cars out there.  It's just that not everyone will drive them so recklessly.  Okay...let me cool off that rant before I get even more sidetracked.  Especially given the fact that I just did a post about Walker not that long ago so no need to rehash.

Actually, I got the title from a popular song from the 80s.  All my fellow 80s teens (and maybe babies) probably remember.  The one hit wonder Tracy Chapman.  Whenever I see images from this shoot, that song immediately comes to mind.  I also thought I would switch up the photo naming just briefly from something as simple as the person's name to something a little more clever.  Yeah...this one isn' really that clever but it was an effort.

This was one of those last minute shoots that pretty much just fell in my lap.  I had announced that I was would be returning to Des Moines (big surprise) and soliciting business for shoots while I was there.  I had put the word out there for the standard ones that I normally do:  families, couples, individual/modeling, children, etc.  It never dawned one me to ask about someone wanting to do a shoot with their vehicle.  But when James asked me if I could do such a shoot, I certainly wasn't going to turn it down.

I immediately being thinking of the perfect location for the shoot.  I didn't want to have it in some open parking lot with no background.  A vehicle of that nature deserved better than that.  Given the type of ride that it is, I thought about perhaps an industrial setting.  I just couldn't think of area that would be a good fit.  As well as I know the different areas of Des Moines, I wasn't that schooled on the industrial aspects.  However, I did know the perfect brick wall/alley sitting that would complement it perfectly.  Ironically, it wasn't that far from the area I used to shoot James' brother on his bike just a year previous.

Now even though I had never shot a vehicle before, I still knew the right angles that I wanted to see in the image.  We've all seen enough car ads to know that.  You want to avoid shooting the vehicle straight on so that you the photo has more character to it.  At least that's the way I see it. Unless you want your focus to be just a certain part of the vhicle like it's grill or something.  Not in this instance where James wanted to showcase the whip.

Initially, the shots were just going to be different poses of James with the car.  I had him get it in position and started working with different looks.  Meanwhile, his girl was sitting behind me while we worked.  It was a no-brainer to have her get in some of the shots with him.   Especially with the outfit she was wearing.  It was a perfect fit for the scenery as well as matching up well with James' gear. 

It wasn't as easy as I thought to get Maria in the shoot though.  She was very coy about the whole thing.  Pointing out that she wasn't dressed and/or prepared to be in any pictures.  It took a little coaxing on my part.  Then when I found out that she actually did a little modeling before, it was made a little easier.  Plus, I have a funny feeling that she anticipated it was going to happen based on how she was looking.  I mean it's not like she was there in some sweatpants and hair all pinned up.  She came prepared.  Coordinating oufit and everything.  I couldn't have planned a better scene if I tried.

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Claudia

There are more than a few elements that conspired together to get this capture on the list.  Of course, that is the case with all the photos that make the list so that pretty much goes without saying.  At any rate, I just felt the need to point out the obvious.  Just so that you know that there's more thought that goes into these selections than just looking at it and going "Yep..I like this picture".

First of all, this is the first one on the list that was taken here in the DFW area.  That's rather significant given the fact that I've been down here for a little over a year now.  I would have thought that it wouldn't have taken this long to make connections here.  Especially given my body of work that I meticulously accumulated up to this point.  I failed to take into consideration the large area that I'm dealing with.  It's much harder to network given that everything is so spread out.  Where I live in McKinney is technically considered the DFW area; however, that area encompasses SEVERAL cities that compose the surrounding areas of Dallas and Fort Worth.  So getting to different places throughout those cities and/or the metroplex could take anywhere from 30 minutes to up to an hour.

That being said, I relied on The Book to help further get my name out there.  I found a few photographer and model forums in the North Texas area and quickly joined them.  I posted some of my favorite captures to help get my name out there.  I would get a few nibbles here and there, but it wasn't until I posted a picture from one of my 2012 Top Captures that I got an overwhelming response.  It helped m get a local studio connection (and when I say "local" I mean about 40 minutes from me).  That was key so that I was able to book appointments with professional lighting in lieu of an outdoor location.  Because since I still don't know the area this well even after being here a year (did I mention the whole spread out factor?), I still don't know too many great outdoor locations that would make good backdrops.

As for the model, I met Claudia in one of those Facebook photographer/model groups.  She had posted some of her work just as I had done mine.  You can imagine that there are TONS of models here with there being so many people.  She stood out as one who was head and shoulders above the average ones.  She looked like she had been doing it for years.  Like she was well on her way to making it big time before too long.  So I figured I better reach out to her before it was too late.  Before she would eventually blow up and wouldn't want to mess around with a small fish like myself.  Fortunately, I was able to make the connection to get our shoot.  Turns out it was just in time too.  She just scored a recurring role on the upcoming tv series "From Dusk til Dawn".  It's only a matter of time before she gets more recognition and shooting with the likes of me will be an afterthought.

Claudia has one of my favorite components I look for in a model:  a down to earth personality that's easy to work with.  Once she was in front of the camera, she could hit a pose with little to no direction.  She would always have the perfect expression without my having to say anything.  But more importantly, she knew how to keep that expression and that pose when she hit just the right one that I wanted to focus more on.  Like the one you see here.

I had the chair as a prop just to see what different things she could do with it.  I purposely chose that chair for her because I knew it would be a good match for her long legs.  She first tried sitting in the chair.  They were good looks too because her expression was on point as usual.  But I wasn't get the entire aesthetic that I wanted.  Then she went to change position and this happened.  I think I may have inadvertently shouted "DON'T MOVE!" to make sure she didn't move any further.  Anyone that has shot with me knows that I actually inadvertently shout that a lot.  I can't help it.  When I see something that works for me I don't want to lose it.  They don't call it a 'capture' for nothing.

The shot came out just the way I envisioned.  Probably even better that I imagined.  I couldn't wait to share it in the different photographer/model forums to see what type of response I would get.  Folks were really diggin' it. I mean REALLY diggin' it.  I even got a favorable response from a few photogs that I highly respect.  Ones who are not easily impressed.  That was further affirmation for me that I had done something special. 

So basically....Yep..I like this picture.

Top Captures of 2013 - The Smiths

There was one thing that I could always count on when it comes to getting shoots booked.  So far, everytime I've went back for a visit to Des Moines, one of my frat brothers would book a session.  I always felt more pressure whenever that was the case.  Because I wanted to make sure that I not only represented for my business, but also so that the word of mouth (and evidence of the final product) would spread among the brotherhood.  Thus, encouraging more bros of the grad chapter to book with me.

Originally, this shoot with the Smith family was supposed to be at their residence.  I was rather looking forward to that.  Especially since Rob was telling me how the front had six large pillars outside.  That would have made for an amazing backdrop.  Leave it to Iowa weather to throw a wrench in the plans.  The forecast went form gloomy to rainy.  I had to relocate just minutes before the shoot.  Fortunately, the Ikonix down location was available on short notice.  It meant the family would have to be even more emoteful (yes...just made up that word) to make up for the lack of scenery.  Something that comes natural to models (the good ones), but a little harder for your average joe.

Unless it's the Smiths.

I've known Rob and his wife Nicki for years.  Nicki for even longer dating back to our childhood.  I've always known the two of them to be entertaining in their own right.  But it never dawned on me until the session that I had never met any of their three boys.  I'm sure I may have in passing at some previous event.  Maybe I just didn't recall because the encounter was so brief.  I hadn't spent any great amount of time with them until the session.  So it was then that I found out what characters they all are.  It made for quite an enjoyable photo shoot.

This particular capture came about when I started doing the family breakdown.  See, when you do a family session with me, I make sure to do every combination possible.  The whole family, the parents, the siblings, individuals, mom with the siblings and of course, dad with the siblings.  That's what you see here.  By the time we had gotten to this particular segment, the boys had gotten warmed up and were very comfortable.  And trust me, it didn't take long for them to get to that mode.

Now I have to be honest and admit that I don't recall if I caught Rob with his eyes shut because he had them like that on purpose or if I just caught him blinking.   However, soon as I saw the image, I knew I had a winner because of what it conveyed.  He has the blissful look on his face of a father enjoying the company of his young boys while at the same time thinking "Lord...give me strength".  Then add to that the look of genuine joy on Spencer's face as he leans on dad's shoulder knowing full well he's pushing the right buttons.  I'm sure this probably wasn't the Smiths favorite shot from the session (folks tend to frown on the whole getting caught with the eyes closed thing), but it cracks me up everytime I see it.

His Head Was Bloodied But Unbowed

Well I thought I was going to get on here tonite and post about another 2013 Top Capture entry.  This news immediately took precedent over there.  You want to talk about death hoaxes?  They tried to kill this brotha off a couple of months ago when he was hospitalized in ICU.  He wasn't having that.  Being true to the warrior that he is, he went out on his own terms.  And now we have lost one of the most courageous and genuinely honorable human beings that the world has ever known.

Revered South African statesmen Nelson Mandela has passed away early this morning.  He was 95-years-old.

Unfortunately, I didn't grow up knowing an awful lot about Nelson Mandela and the greatness he did for his country prior to his being unjustly incarcerated.  That was one of the drawbacks to going to school at Norwalk pre-Afrocentric movement that took place in the late 80s and the early 90s.  It's not like we were getting a lot of Black history.  And you know if we weren't getting the U.S. Black history, we certainly weren't getting the international Black history either.  Such is life before the internet.

So yeah...I didn't know at the time that The African National Congress heeded calls for stronger action against the apartheid regime and it was Mandela who helped launch an armed wing to attack government symbols, including post offices and offices.  Of course I knew about apartheid and what it was since I kept up with current events; just didn't know how much of a central figure he was in opposition to it.

I didn't know that he secretly received military training in Morocco and Ethiopia in 1962 then was arrested and charged with illegal exit of the country and incitement to strike when he returned a year later.  Something that would eventually lead a trial where he would represent himself leading to the lifelong sentence for sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government.

It was interesting that once the afrocentric era did come about, Mandela's name and actions became even more prevalent.  The "Free Mandela" movement could be seen everywhere.  It was almost as if he vicariously added fuel to a fire that was LONG overdue to be ignited.  But at the same time, it helped get him more known in the States as well as we felt a kindred connection with his struggle.

I have two fond memories of him (I say as if I met him personally.  I wish):  one was the scene of him finally being released from that South African prison.  Seeing him walking through the streets triumphantly knowing that his faith had not been broken.  I will always remember that timeframe because 1990 was the same year I would cross the burning sands not long after that.

Now you would probably think that the other memory was of him becoming the first Black President of South Africa, right?  Oddly enough, it wasn't.  Probably because I saw that being a foregone conclusion.  It was obvious with the overwhelming majority in his favor upon his release that his election to that position was going to happen much sooner rather than later.  No, my other memory is his significant cameo in Spike Lee's "Malcolm X".  Never saw that coming.  However, his role in it made perfect sense.  He was essentially the South African equivalent of one of my favorite historical figures of all time.  I could see in him where El Hajj Malik El Shabazz would have evolved had he lived out his days.  And I knew...I am Nelson Mandela.

Rest in peace, Mr. Mandela.