I doubt that I’ve ever written with as much confidence and excitement as what I feel this morning, especially with being the new kid on the block here in Charlotte, NC.

I’ve just completed my second move within a 12 month period, although this time, I’m trusting God for this to be my final move. Whilst the move itself was hectic, painful in some instances, there was the excitement about being able to do photography on a higher level. I’ve been believing God for a new beginning, new opportunities, new challenges that would allow me to push myself to a whole new level. I believe that opportunity was handed to me when I accepted to move to Charlotte.

I’m thrilled about being able to work with the brides and their families here in Charlotte. I’m excited about being able to share my faith through my work. This is one area of my life that has suffered a lot in the past 6 years…I know that I gradually placed a wall between my work and my faith, and as such, there was very little or no identity to what I did as an artist. This is not to say that I did not give my ALL to what I did; on the contrary, I hungered for a higher level of creativity but I lost track of WHO gave the creative juice. My spiritually went out the window both in my personal life and on my customer-facing sites. When I started shooting some 12 years ago, it was not unusual to read about my faith on my websites. I even had a prayer that I recited before shooting every wedding on my site. As I got better as a photographer, I also gradually moved away from publicly acknowledging him. It was a conscious effort to remove God from my websites because I didn’t want to lose some clients because of my faith and because my life did not examplify HIM at all times; as I’m finding out now, you can’t straddle the fence and please HIM.

With the distance came some of my darkest moments - periods of wants and needs, when all I could do on my own were no longer sufficient to sustain me and my family. It was soon obvious that I was nothing on my own and that I was no good on my own. And here comes the public declaration, that whilst I WILL falter and MAY fall, because I’ve seen HIM bring me back up from the pit of hell, from the depth of despair, from ruins that words can’t explain, to Him and only Him do I attribute all that is good in me. To Him do I attribute the ability to see what others don’t see! To HIM only do I attribute the desire and pant to want to see so differently like never before!

So, as I start here in Charlotte, I’m relying on my God who is the giver of all that is beautiful to give me the humility, wisdom and understanding to build a business that is built on integrity, honesty, and love. I’ve heard some of my peers in the past question why I always talk about my faith within my business. Well, the answer is very simple, I have no one else to thank for the GOOD that is in me and the happiness and joy that I have within my heart. I have no one else to thank for the good that I feel on the inside for the opportunities given me to do something that I tremendously enjoy. No one else was around when I crawled on my hands and kneels in search of help. So, even if I don’t shoot another wedding again in my life, or another portrait session, I will forever be grateful because the pangs of want and need has been totally removed.

So, here I come Charlotte! I’m so pregnant with so many ideas, and I’m so looking forward to being the yardstick for Wedding Photography in this market - praying and hoping that the Lord will use me in a way like I’ve never been used before and that the city, my new clients and their families would be blessed as a result HIS work through me!

AMEN!

Tonight, I was able to witness history being made - Barack Obama was elected as the 44th president of this great country of ours!

An African American was elected into the #1 office of our great country. A capable U.S. citizen was given an opportunity to serve his country!

The choice made tonight, the decisions made tonight only goes to confirm what I’ve lived through and confirmed over the course of my 17 years of sojourn in this great country. What I’ve lived through are situations where the great people of this country regardless of race have embraced me and given me opportunities to make a living despite my skin color.

When I started working as a photographer in Kansas City, there were only about 9 reputable wedding photographers in the market that offered similar services as I had planned to offer. A young black photographer working out of a one bedroom apartment with desires to create an upscale photography business, all I had was the hope and aspirations that people would overlook my skin color and select me based on my work. 10 years later and with more than 427 weddings under my belt, I can truly say that the hope that appears resurrected tonight had been fully alive all along!

Yes, it was not always like this BUT we’ve come a very long way as a people and we are learning to put our differences behind and work towards the common good.

When my children wake up tomorrow, it would be a new day in their lives and I would be able to tell them that they can be anything they want to be if they put God first and work hard with an unshaken hope and determination!

My friend Kendall Ivan Mathews went to be with the Lord on May 11th, 2008. As I change my blog layout, I thought I would pay tribute to my friend, confidant and brother!

Kendall and I became friends about 10 years ago. From the very first minute to his passing, I cannot recall a friend that was as devoted, loyal and caring as my friend Kendall. He was content, never angry, always with a smile and hardworking. Kendall never forgets any special events in my life, from the text messages on Father’s Day to the surprise birthday parties; he was always thoughtful always giving of himself even if it meant the shirt off his back!

Like his usual self, he sent my wife a text message at about 3 PM on May 11th to wish her a happy Mother’s Day and not knowing it would be the last time we hear from my friend, by 10:45 PM he had gone to be with the Lord.

I miss you my friend! It’s been very rough coping wth your departure but I believe that I will see you again. I pray that I can be a better person because of all that I learned from you. I pray that I can give more of myself like you did. I pray that I can touch and impact lives in a positive way like you did. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to know you and to be a part of your life for the amazing 10 years we spent together as friends and brothers!

I will never forget you!