I’ve enjoyed this play every time I’ve had the chance to view it. There is a mix of comedy & drama coupled with a Jesus Christ centered message. Treat yourself to a night out on the town and include this play in your plans.
Character Photography provided by Ivan Watkins
Graphic Design provided by : Maybin Media
Writer/Producer/Spritual Guide: Rev. Shirrell McNeill
Director:Â Melissa Wade
This past Monday, April 5th, 2010 , I was invited by Rev. Rodney Green to capture the “2010 Changing A Generation Ministries Annual Easter Community Cookout”.  This is an event where various ministries give back to the community. The event started off with two sermons so that those that don’t know Jesus Christ as their Savior may get the opportunity to accept Him into their hearts and lives. It was important to start the cookout correctly by sharing how Jesus Christ died for our sins and then was resurrected with all power in His hands.  Following the sermons there were a few announcements by Rev. Green, an Easter egg hunt, free hair cuts and food for everyone.
In the image below we see Rev. Rodney Green taking the time to speak to one of the many people that were present.
One of the main attractions for the children were two inflated castles in which they could bounce around. After taking several moments to decide whether or not I’d risk my camera I decided to get inside so that I could capture some of the action from a close up point of view.  Of course I announced to the children that they needed to pay attention and not land on my camera. Not a single child bumped into me but they did get more crazy once they knew they were being photographed. Below are a few moments of fun than were captured.
While the children were enjoying themselves another community effort was taking place. Anyone that needed a haircut was able to get one for free.
Do you remember what it was like to be a child? The anticipation of hunting for Easter eggs was visible by this little girl that held onto the fence as she waited for the gate to be opened.
With some careful maneuvering I was able to get past the children and into position to capture this picture of Rev. Green. He was looking for the signal from his helpers to know when it was time to open the gates. You can see the children looking through the chain link fence trying to figure out where the eggs were hidden.
The pictures below show you what happened when the gate was opened. The children literally stampeded to search for their treasure.
As I followed the hunters I saw a situation taking place very quickly. There was a little girl that ran so hard that she literally ran out of her shoes.  She reached down to try and get them back on but at that same moment she spotted more eggs. She completely gave up on trying to get her shoes on and made a mad dash for the egg that she had in her sights.
Once the children had located all the eggs everyone headed back to grab a bite to eat. Below you will see a picture of Rev. Green and his faithful cooks that worked hard and steady to feed the masses of hungry people.
I absolutely love having the opportunity to capture the moments that go unseen by many people. There were many more images captured and you can view them by clicking the link below.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ENTIRE STILL GALLERY
Seeing the joy on the faces of the children was worth being out in the hot sun looking for that special shot.
This past Friday I had the “rare” privilege and hired PERMISSION to photograph the Kwanza celebration in downtown Durham. WOW is all that I can say because there were many colors, faces and movements to try and capture. The number of people that attended was impressive and the crowd really enjoyed the dancers, spoken word artists and other aspects of the event. Not everyone wants their picture to be shown therefore only a few are shown below.  If you’re in the Durham area next year then be sure to come out and help support the many vendors and the promoters of this historic African American Cultural Celebration.
Last weekend I was hired to photograph the Christmas party for Studio Plus Hair Salon in Durham, NC. The event was held at the Marriott Convention Center in Downtown Durham.  There were a few presentations that took place followed by entertainment and dancing.   We saw people imitating Ike and Tina Turner, Pattie Labelle and others. The show was simply hilarious…  Below are some memorable moments from the party. I thought I would die laughing when these two came out acting like Ike and Tina Turner. They did everything from dance & sing to just cut up. Of course in true Ike Turner style he forced her to eat cake at the end of their performance.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE STILL PHOTO GALLERY
The owner below had a lot of guests that were decked out in their “night on the town” attire.
I encourage you to view the slide show to see the entire night
On Tuesday, August 18, 2009 I was hired by Bon Appetit Management Company at Duke University to cover their annual cookout for their 1st year freshmen. This was an event that welcomed around 4000 people onto their grounds to take part in live music, socializing and good food. To really experience this event you truly need to view the slideshow. I will share a few of the pictures below as well.
This past Saturday I had the chance to capture the Fashion Show called “A Fashion Affair”. This show was put on by Lynn from Studio Plus Discount hair Salon. This was a challenge from a technical standpoint but at the same time it was a fun event to capture. i learned a lot and have ideas of how I’d shoot it different if I ever did another show. If you want to see all of the pictures then check out the slideshow below.
Pictures from before the fashion show started are below.
The participants were very easy to work with when I asked them to stagger themselves so that all could be seen.
A saw funky socks walking around the room and this shot jumped into my head. Once I rounded them up they were eager to sit down and stick their feet out (as asked) and held the pose until we got it just right.
The Cat Walk
VIEW THE SLIDE SHOW
On May 16th I had the opportunity to capture the school dance for YTCA Christian Academy. All I can say is that these children had a lot of clean fun.  By the end of the night this old man was tired!Â
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In this shot I just asked the children to stand around me in an oval. I had the blue strobe kicking in the background to add some accent lighting. After this setup one of the children told me that he thought that something had happened to me. He was coming over to help me get up off the floor.
I took my son BJ along with me to help haul/setup/test the gear and lighting…Â He’s a great kid and a really great helper and he’s starting to instinctively know what I need next.
When I said these kids had fun.. I mean it.. check out the “in the air” dance move below.
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This past Monday I captured that Annual Easter Cookout which is hosted by Changing A Generation Ministries. Many people from the local community came out and there was literally a sea of faces and many small children everyone enjoying the food, activities and music. Â
This year the cookout had the following sponsors
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Duke University Chapel Ministries
Northeast Baptist Church
Greater Joy Baptist Church
Durham Congregations in Action (DCIA)
First Calvary Baptist Church
Durham parks & Recreation
Durham Divas Cheerleaders
Pagers Plus
Studio Plus (Hair Salon)
J.C. Express Car Care
R&B Enterprise
Tasty Haven Restaurant
Slice Restaurant
CAARE, Inc
Below are a few pictures from the cookout.
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Disclaimer: Not all of the sponsors endorse Easter Egg hunts but they support spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helping people in need.
On December 12th I had the priviledge of capturing the Christmas party of Val. This was a very relaxed gathring that had an atmosphere filled with joy and holiday cheer. One feature of this party was food fit for a king. You could tell that a lot of planning as well as culinary design went into the creation of some of these treats.   This was one gathering that I’ll never forget.
During the weekend of November 21st, 2008 I had the honor of attending and capturing “Claudine’s Story” ( A.K.A. Butterfly Wings “The Play”).
This brilliant production is the brain child of Rev. Shirrell McNeill who was given the inspiration by God to bring a Christian message to live theater. Her theatrical direction was refined and perfected under the guidance of the director James A. House from H.O.U.S.E Arts group out of Cary, NC and Atlanta, GA and Melissa Wade from 103.9 FM The Light Radio Station.
If you didn’t have the chance to see this play then you really missed out on a real treat. Once you view all the images then you will only start to see a glimpse of what it was like to experience the play live.
Note: Below you will be able to view all the images by playing the slideshow for the Friday Night performance as well as the Saturday Luncheon.
(View Full Gallery Of Pictures From Friday Night’s Performance In The Slide Show Below)
One of the hidden hero’s that worked behind the scenes is “Event Coordinator” Mrs. Cynthia Farmer. She and her daughter Chelsey worked during the rehearsals and live performances to make sure that all the cast members were well nourished. Be sure to give her a call for your event planning needs.
(View Full Gallery Of Images From The Saturday Luncheon In Slide Show Below)