Vision Beyond The Lens by -J.J. McQueen-

Not long ago Sean "P. Diddy" Combs played the leading role in the television movie, " A Raisin in the Sun".  I posted a blog on my myspace page in response to his characters', character.  I talked about his drive and determination to succeed.  It was amazing to watch the movie in 2008 after having read the original screenplay from the 50's.   I'm often asked what is it that motivates me to do what I do besides money.  If you look below at the photos the story tells itself.  Trinity, NC is where I lived until I was about 9 0r 10 years old. Most of the homes there are still like the ones in the photos below.   I took these stills about 5 years ago, I'm glad I did. They are a constant reminder of how important it is to stay humble.  They remind of the importance of a sound education.  They remind me to always respect hard work. They remind me of what strong families can do with little to no resources.  These photos are my moti...

My first season in the Arena football league I wore the number one.  I never understood why people made such a big deal about it until now.  The number one has a million significant meanings.  The most obvious being the beginning, the best and or the start.  Being young and passionate I had no idea of the significance of what my jersey truly meant. Fortunately, I grew up and now that I'm a dad it the number one means more than I could have ever imagined. Most importantly, first birthdays .  Which Brings me to Little Zoe . Seeing Zoe's face light up on her first birthday with her family and friends was a sight to see. Although she doesn't understand that her first number one is the first of many first.  There will come a day when she'll put things in reverse and wish she could have her first first all over again.   As for today, we'll celebrate the biggest first of them all.   Happy Birthday Little Zoe ! 

Recently, I had the opportunity of capturing a day of Joppatowne high school football practice.   Prior to shooting the stills I spoke with the head coach and the conversation was like that of every head coach, very modest.  I can respect that but fortunately I'm not bound to modesty.  I believe they are the best kept secret in Harford County, Maryland. People that know high school football would probably think I'm crazy but it's simple.   In the photos below there are two players that standout. The player that stayed home and played XBOX all summer and the other that worked his butt off to stay in shape. I'm sure the average viewer would say that the photos look blurry.  Well, they are.  I shot them so you could see what the out of shape kid felt like as the other young man pushed him to finish.  Sometimes that's what it feels like when you get to the end of something that you're not prepared for. Your vision gets cloudy, your body hurts and you just want to fa...