Lately, I’ve been reading about a few films in the festival and there have been a few films that have caught my eye. Below is the list of films you should see ASAP!

Even though the festival is just about over this is the first year the festival is viewable online. Check it out here.

1. The Motivation

In the tradition of great competition films like Pumping Iron and Spellbound, The Motivation tracks the preparations of eight world-class skateboarders as they prepare for the annual street league competition held in New York. Produced by Rob Dyrdek of the MTV series Rob And Big, the film also dives into the true popularity and influence of the sport.

2. Alias Ruby Blade: A Story of Love and Revolution

What would you do for love? It’s safe to say that most of us would not try to liberate a small country for it. But documentarian-turned-activist Kirsty Sword Gusmão did just that. In this powerful documentary we follow Kristy and revolutionary leader Xanana as their struggle for TImor-Leste fosters an epic love story.

3.  Powerless

Like a local Robin Hood in India’s Kanpur province, Loha Singh risks his life regularly to splic power lines, providing electrical access to families ignored by the massive power companies. But with each line that is cut, the total power for the community is slowly draining. Powerless places it’s hero in the middle of this vicious cycle and appeals for awareness and change.

4. Flex is King

Reem is the savvy promoter, Flizzo the undefeated local legend, Jay Donn the innovator with the talent to carry him far away from home, if he can learn to work with the outsiders who want to take him there. What unites them: a competitive dance form of dramatic contortions, simulated violence, seamlessly flowing footsteps and the occasional humorous touch. Welcome to the world of Flex.

5. Lil Bub and Friends

Called “the most famous cat on the Internet,” the wide-eyed perma-kitten Lil Bub is the adorable embodiment of the web’s fascination with all things cats. Born with a rare congenital condition that leaves her features perpetually kitten-like, Bub has won over millions of online fans through her YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram sites, which her owner Mike Bridavsky faithfully maintains. Eager to meet the rest of the web’s famous cats, Mike and Bub hit the road on a wild cross-country romp to get to know all of the Internet’s biggest cat-lebrities: Nyan Cat, Grumpy Cat, the late Keyboard Cat and a few aspiring new cat starlets. They even cross paths with Ben Lashes, the world’s first meme manager, and make an appearance at the inaugural Cat Video Film Festival.

-info came from this site

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to capture the Immigration Reform Rally in DC. Thousands of people from all over the US showed up to support the rally. The purpose of the event was to push Congress to approve immigration measures that would grant 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally, a path toward citizenship. Individuals who participated in the rally included union leaders, laborers and domestic workers just to name a few.

Lately, I’ve been pretty busy so I haven’t been able to take many photos but  this was the perfect opportunity to capture a piece of history. Unfortunately, during the shoot my battery died and the back up battery was at home. The good thing is I didn’t have to go too far to get another one. After I picked my battery up, I came back to the Capitol and picked up where I left off.

Enjoy the photos below!

It looks like Canon added another camera to the market. The T5i is the newest camera from the Canon Rebel Series.

There are a few differences between the T5i and T4i.  The new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lesns is an improvement from the last because it’s designed to focus quickly and silently for both stills and videos. In addition to the upgraded lens, the T5i comes with a few creative filters that allow the user to view in real time. The filters include Toy Camera, Water Painting, ArtBold and Grainy Black and White  just to name a few.

The camera starts at $750 for the body or $900 for the bundle which includes the new kit lens. You can purchase it here from Best Buy.

From glasses, android phones and laptops, Google has continued to produced great products. Recently, google has released one of their newest products, the Chromebook Pixel. The 3.3 pound, 12.85″  touchscreen laptop with a 2,560 x 1,700-pixel display is priced close to the MacBook pro.

Pricing for the basic Pixel which is Wi-Fi only, starts at $1,300 but the Verizon LTE version is $1,450. Some services are only available in the United States and United Kingdom. The Pixel is  currently available at Best Buy.

Take a look at some of the photos below.

Google recently gave the world an update regarding their new product, Google Glass. The company annoucned that they are taking the product from “project” phase to an intensive testing phase.

For those that don’t understand Glass, it allows users to take “pictures or record video without using their hands, send the images to friends or post them online, see walking directions, search the Web by voice command and view language translations,” according to the New York Times.

Google is currently looking for people to test this product. For $1,500 plus tax you can be the next person to have a pair.  The first question on the application is, “What would you do if you had Glass?” You can click here to view the application and website.

Below are a few videos from people testing Glass.

For the first time in my life I experienced the Chinese New Year celebration in DC. Growing up I always saw the celebration on tv but this was my first time being apart of  the festivities. Although it was cold and windy I had a great time.

The celebration started off with a parade that circled Chinatown and ended in the center of Chinatown. As people followed the parade the congestion became worse but it was great to see so many people participating in the new year. Not only were natives apart of the parade but local companies decided to march to promote their business.

After the parade ended other events followed. Representatives spoke about the current state of China, the meaning of the New Year and other performers conducted additional performances to wrap up the ceremony.

Although the weather was extremely cold I had and great time celebrating the new year with the rest of DC.

Enjoy the pictures below! 

Street Etiquette has curated Nike‘s celebration of Black History Month (#BHM) with a new campaign, called “Be Bold. Be True.” Not unlike other Nike campaigns, the short narrative strikes a core within the viewer, and of course this isn’t the first time The Swoosh has endorsed a quad-syllabic, ethnically-drivencampaign. The difference with “Be Bold. Be True.” is that Street Etiquette and its contemporaries stand at the height of true cultural direction right now; the excellence they stand for is never implied, but rather demonstrated. As such, they lead a league of multicultural followers by example. With the help of Madbury Club, Joekenneth Museau, Kevin Durant, and the lovely Kilo Kish, this new campaign does well to inspire–across the board. Enjoy.

-Hypebeast – Josh Davis 

Check out the video below

-video shot by We Are Not Pilgrams

Last week, I had my first lifestyle photo shoot in D.C.  Although this was my first time doing a lifestyle shoot, I had a great time shooting, learning and capturing the moment. My purpose for the shoot was to capture the energy and life of normal activities in a few spots around D.C.

A few days before the shoot I went around the city and took pictures of  locations that would enhance the photos.

My primary locations were Chinatown and the U Street Corridor which were not too far from each other.

After location scouting I made sure everything else on my list was in line. I made sure I packed my 50mm 1.8 lens to capture a few energetic profile shots of the subject and I brought my 18-55mm lens to capture the atmosphere and scenery of D.C. To be honest, I really enjoyed using the 50mm because it’s a faster and quality lens.

Although the shoot took a few hours to complete I had a great time capturing priceless moments. Take a look at the photos below and enjoy!

(Thanks to my friend Lexie for modeling)

nice guy who wanted a photo

Arriving in Baltimore was like a breath of fresh air. As soon as I got to the to train station I couldn’t stop snapping pictures of the steel architecture that’s located directly outside of the station. Personally, I enjoyed observing the layout, texture and the mechanics of the train station because it gave me a first impression of city.

8 hours in another city made a huge impact on me. The trip was great because it allowed me to come back to DC reenergized and full of new ideas. Since my time in Baltimore was so amazing, I want to explore additional cities by train. Philadelphia might be the next stop on my list.

Take a look at the pictures below and enjoy:

November 26th, I had an extremely great time at my art exhibit, Passport Destination: Berlin and I would like to thank everyone for attending to show their support! The event was far better than what I expected. I’m glad I was able to successfully take people to a few of my favorite spots in Berlin, Germany without leaving DC. In addition to taking people to my favorite spots, I was also able to give people a history lesson about Berlin and teach people how to say a few German terms.

This event was very special to me because it was my first exhibit and it took so much work to accomplish.  It’s so amazing how the idea grew and morphed into a greater product than it eventually became a tangible exhibit where individuals could come and experience Berlin. During my plane trip back to DC from Germany I found out that I had more than 1,000 photos on my hardrive but what’s the purpose of having 1,000 photos if I’m the only person that can see them. I didn’t want to keep the photos to myself but I wanted to share them with the world. I’m so glad that I was able to share my experience with individuals in DC and I hope my exhibit inspired someone in the audience to travel.

A special thanks goes to all of those who supported the event especially my friends, family, companies and MADE. Made contributed books and clothes for the event. Take a look at some of the photos below and enjoy!