So I’ve been hoping for a shoot at the drive-in for about 4 years now… tonight we were able to make that happen. The Majestics organized an evening of fun and family at the Ford-Wyoming drive in movie theater. It was a beautiful evening with lots of rides and families. Thanks to everyone that came out and to Impala Tony for organizing the event. Can’t wait to cruise up there again sometime.
While riding between the mechanic’s garage and my house I was able to snap some pictures along Michigan Avenue.
The time off of work has given me the LONG overdue opportunity to explore my community by foot (and pedal). Inspired by an article written in ModelD (http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/motorlesscity15708.aspx) about a guy who ditched his car for one month in Detroit to use public transportation, I decided to try my luck getting between communities by bike and bus. And of course I had to take a camera with me.
The public transportation here in Detroit has a sub-standard reputation at best. Part of the ploy to keep everyone in Detroit on their own wheels and contributing to the local economy (cars) I’m sure. But the article said that while it IS quirky, with some know-how (and some luck) its doable. My experience was about a 7 out of 10 as I had to ride for 4 miles to a stop that was going where I needed to be. But it was on time. I will definitely do it again. Here’s some pictures from my adventure.
Today DJ Clay and other members from his label got together at their studio in Southwest Detroit for a little recording and some photographs.
Two hours and many poses later we were able to get a package together for press release for EXO, a local band in the Detroit area, just in time for their first radio plays. Good luck guys.
Check out this month’s Lowrider Magazine… Vernor Hwy in southwest Detroit heats the On The Scene section with coverage of our Cinco de Mayo parade! Unfortunately we didn’t write Expressions into the article with the hope that the couple pics of the youth and rides would make the layout but they didn’t… so under the article is a few behind the scenes pics from the parade from the angle we usually ride the parade from! Enjoy…
Detroit Cinco de Mayo Parade…Southwest Detroit community celebrates Hispanic holiday with lowriders, music, and unity.
Photos by Erik Howard
Text by Jillian Howard
As May 5th approaches, you can feel the excitement sizzle in the neighborhoods of southwest Detroit while the community prepares for its annual Cinco de Mayo parade. This year, the sizzle led to a boiling point as the number of spectators and participants grew considerably since the previous event, lining Vernor Hwy in anticipation.
In addition to various car clubs and solo riders in and around Detroit—Majestics, Uce, Por Vida, Switch, Dreams II Reality, and GoodTimes—Ohio’s chapter of Stylistics also joined the festivities to impress the crowd with their clean rides and three wheel action making this year’s parade a success and the lowriders a crowd pleaser from beginning to end. The parade was also helped along by numerous community organizations and businesses, as well as local schools, bands, and DJ’s.
This event was attended by a diverse crowd as young and old, urban and suburban, black, white, brown, and everything in between enjoyed the sights and the sun from the sidelines. The parade culminated in a car show and picnic put together by GoodTimes car club at Clark Park. This picnic provided an opportunity for spectators to get a closer look at the lowriders featured in the parade as well as a number of other cars who came to park, enjoy the atmosphere, and share their rides. A great time was had by all and the bar has been raised for next year’s event!
The last year has been packed tight with opportunities and responsibilities. Some of these have kept as many pics as normal from getting into blogs and posted online. A year of traveling, cruising, shooting, meeting new people, building and maintaining new relationships, documenting, and politicking–a great year. A tiring year. A year of progress. The results include some wonderful moments. Some of those captured on film have made the pages of Lowrider Magazine’s recently released Reader’s Rides special edition. More »
Recently I’ve had the opportunity to spend extended amounts of time with friends that are exceptionally talented but usually, of course, VERY busy. Even amidst their busy schedules they find time to share. They own shops/stores, customize rides, paint murals, do tattoos, run businesses and families, take pictures, spend time with friends and, in each case have special ways of building people by sharing who/what they are with those around them–they encourage, they care, they INSPIRE.
These are some pics from a couple of these interactions–in this case they are at Alex’s auto customization shop Untouchables. Thank you to Alex for the time and energy shared for the purpose of sharing knowledge and creating friendships and fond memories!
Well, as most of you know this has been one BUSY summer! From lowriding to leadership development, EXP activities/meetings, traveling, photography, finding new opportunities, securing/maintaining older opportunities, and on and on and on. So this brings us to fall. The plan is to take everything in from the summer and process: take into account where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. I LOVE fall!! Part of this processing, among other things, is going to involve the photography. For EXP this includes reviewing our bodies of work and preparing them for the November exhibit at Casa de Unidad that we’ve been invited to (when we have exact dates you’ll all be invited to the opening reception, of course!
For my photography work in general this is going to involve getting the pics from the summer out there and, for the first time, actually INTO the hands of the people who enjoy them–this has been happening a little toward the end of summer through the sale of packages from shows/individual rides and some magazine coverage (some that has not yet been printed) including the Real Detroit article, a weekly section in the Real Detroit Weekly, and Traditional Lowriding Magazine. We will continue to look for places to print/publish the work of Expressions Design creating opportunities for both the youth and adults for travel, development, equipment upgrades for the adults/youth, publishing, gallerys, and additional funding to support our talents/interests and contribute to further development of EXP.
So here are some samples of some of the pics that haven’t been posted. Others (for example, Lexington, Saginaw, etc.) will be online soon and will get their own blogs. So enjoy the pics and ANY feedback is welcomed! Thanks to EVERYONE for all the continuous support.
Midwest Showdown, Milan, MI: August 2006
Show N Go/Majestics Labor Day Picnic, Roostertail Detroit: August 2006
Uce Regional Picnic, Lexington, KY: September 2006
Low4Life CC Annual Car Show, Saginaw, MI: September 2006
As things are moving forward its in the back of my mind that I’m going to have to be learning and trying some new things. Recently I got a few assignments from Lowrider Magazine and am excited about the opportunities. But I’m not exactly a fan of the model in lowrider photography. However I have looked forward to the challenge of shooting more classy vs. object and more creatively vs. exploitive.
So, recently Vanessa–a young woman also from southwest Detroit who is in modeling– and I were talking and she assured me that the kind of work I’d like to produce isn’t a far cry and that I just need to be comfortable behind the camera shooting that style and that she’d be willing to help by doing some shoots and showing me the ropes of shooting models.
The other day Vanessa, Henry, Juan, and I went out to shoot… we had SUCH a great time!!! It was fun, fast-paced, creative, and educational. Thanks to the three of you for contributing to such a memorable day! Here’s some of the pics:
