Danielle Scruggs | Photography: Journal

I'm in love with James Brandon King's photos. His website is full of the light-drenched warehouses of DUMBO; the dreamy, subdued colors of the tenements and brownstones in his Bed-Stuy/Clinton Hill neighborhood; and the loose, easy gestures of his friends and family. The genuine warmth and tenderness in King's photos makes them so compelling. I see a million different narratives within them and I want to know where they all lead.

It's fairly easy to learn how to shoot a technically proficient image. What's much more difficult to do and what most photographers strive for (I hope anyway), is to use your camera to give shape and substance to the swirl of emotions, thoughts and impulses in your mind and heart; all the things that make you who and what you are. King does a fine job at both. He's a great technician and an emotional, intuitive shooter. I'm glad I found his site, which happened quite by accident.

Of Interest: (Spread-love-it's-the-Brooklyn-way edition)

Brooklyn Go Hard: Jay-Z+ Santogold+ Kanye West. This one grew on me;
it took me a while to get past Jay's Jafakin' patois.


Brooklyn Go Hard: Mos Def (Live)
Mos Def is coming out with a new album, The Ecstatic, this summer and not a moment too soon. Can't believe it's been 10 years since Black on Both Sides came out; that makes
me feel old.

Brooklyn's New Culinary Movement via the NY Times. Great article, I just wish they
had featured some people of color. They couldn't find any involved in a burgeoning culinary arts scene in Brooklyn?

Me, Myself, An Eye: Hilarious, thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining musings of a Brooklynite by way of D.C. by way of Chicago.

I'm really drawn to Tania Leshkina's work even though (or perhaps because?) there's something slightly unsettling about the two series up on her site right now, Balance and Voidentity (which the above image is taken from). Check out her work here.

Of interest: (no-particular-theme edition)
+ The Electronic Mayhem of Jack Davey (blog of Jack Davey, frontwoman for one of my favorite bands, J*DaVeY)

+I Thought I Was Alone (photography collective)

+Club Mumble (evolving website about art, photography, street culture and skateboarders)

+Listopad (DC-based fashion + style blog. Lots of fun.)

Pardon the shameless plug but I was interviewed for Dodge & Burn, as a part of photographer and blogger Qiana Mestrich's ongoing series of interviews with photographers of color. I'm pretty excited that I was asked to be a part of it. Check it out if you like.

Just a reminder to myself that I need to have my camera with me all the time. On Thursday night, I checked out Marti Jones Dixon's art opening at Jackie's a restaurant/gallery in downtown Silver Spring. Marti is a singer/songwriter as well as an accomplished painter from Canton, Ohio. She even whipped out her guitar and sang whenever she sold a painting. (She performed a suite of three songs.) I had a blast, even though I didn't know anyone. I met a lot of interesting folks, most of whom drove from Canton to be at the show. I even got a chance to talk to the artist herself, who was very warm and humble.

Her paintings, consisting of portraits of her friends and volunteers reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Peyton, in that the forms and figures are more implied than photorealistic. I also loved the way she used color, mostly cool blues and warm reds and oranges. My favorite was a portrait of her daughter, floating in a pool, looking almost otherworldly. I'm glad I went against my instincts to stay in and ended up at a wonderful little gallery. But I want to stop forgetting my camera so much.