BirthmarkMedia: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

FINAL DAYS

(BirthmarkMedia) — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:17:37 GMT

]]>My father passed unexpectedly on February 4, 2005. Because I wanted to hold on to my father; because I wanted to remember everything that happened—what I saw, what I felt; because I am a photographer, I took hundreds of photographs during those FINAL DAYS of six public and private ceremonies as well as the five additional ceremonies for my mother when she passed away nine years later. Because I know that other people want to remember the final days of their loved ones, I take hundreds of photographs for them too.

FINAL DAYS creates a private healing space and a public tribute to the legacies of not only my parents, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, but also of other family members, friends, and loved ones such as Dr. Beny Primm, Donald Miller, Max Roach, and Sidney Poitier. FINAL DAYS shares some of the personal, ceremonial, and farewell rituals that they wanted for themselves and that we wanted for them.

YPL-FD

(BirthmarkMedia) — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:17:30 GMT

]]>

Woodie

(BirthmarkMedia) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 01:22:23 GMT

]]>

Mama Jean

(BirthmarkMedia) — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 01:56:06 GMT

]]>

Blog Photos

(BirthmarkMedia) — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 01:30:19 GMT

]]>

Donna

(BirthmarkMedia) — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 23:37:10 GMT

INC

(BirthmarkMedia) — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 15:51:09 GMT

]]>

Tommy 2

(BirthmarkMedia) — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 20:18:59 GMT

]]>

Breathe In the Sky - Poems

(BirthmarkMedia) — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 13:58:05 GMT

]]>

Breathe In the Sky: Poems Prayers & Photographs

(BirthmarkMedia) — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 13:57:01 GMT

]]>Hasna Muhammad claims her voice as an artist with Breathe In the Sky: Poems Prayers & Photographs. The poetry delves into family, social justice, and the human condition. The prayers echo a spiritual journey toward self-fullness. The images portray the patience of nature, a slice of the street, and the love of family. Breathe In the Sky is a declaration that it is never too late to transform doubts and vulnerabilities into bravery and confidence.

“Breathe In the Sky is me spreading my extremities into the high blue infinite space of the universe to breathe-in the sky. To be in the sky—lingering in that split second when both feet are off the ground in order to take the next step forward or climb a mountain or even fly.” —HM

ME, MYSELF, AND EYE

(BirthmarkMedia) — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 02:06:04 GMT

]]>

Portraits of Instruments

(BirthmarkMedia) — Thu, 25 May 2023 13:28:26 GMT

]]>

PORTRAITS OF INSTRUMENTS

(BirthmarkMedia) — Thu, 25 May 2023 13:26:42 GMT

]]>A part of MY LIFE WITH GUITARS is living with the guitars themselves. By the musician, the guitars are played, attended to, cleaned, touched, squeezed, and sometimes hated or loved because they are hard to play or easy on the fingers as they convey the emotional release of hand clapping, toe thumping, head nodding music to mere listeners like me. By me, a photographer, the pieces of wood, metal, nylon, plastic, and circuitry are elegant instruments that displace the light in ways that catch my eye and cause me to raise my camera. And I not only see that light dancing with guitars, I also see it flowing in and out of in saxophones, rubbing on drums, and falling over other instruments.

BEFORE-AFTER-BACKSTAGE

(BirthmarkMedia) — Thu, 25 May 2023 13:22:04 GMT

]]>ArtsWestchester
White Plains, NY

Daryl's House Club
Pawling, NY

Feinstein's 54 Below
New York, NY

Jazz at Lincoln Center
New York, NY

Lincoln Center Outdoors
New York, NY

Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

Melia Cohiba Hotel
Havana, Cuba

Melia Theatre
Havana, Cuba

TD Garden
Boston, MA

The Beanrunner
Peekskill, NY

The Bluenote
New York, NY

The Falcon
Marlboro, NY

The Metropolitan Room
New York, NY

Toads
New Haven, CT

Jazz at Lincoln Center

(BirthmarkMedia) — Thu, 25 May 2023 13:22:04 GMT

]]>I go to Jazz at Lincoln Center every chance I get. In 2010, I had the opportunity to travel to Cuba with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as the guest of Frank Stewart, a Senior Staff photographer for Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is prolific master photographer who was my first photography teacher and remains my mentor. Every encounter with Frank is a well. Some of his words of wisdom: Always carry your camera. Always take photographs. Do things on purpose. www.frankstewartphoto.com

CONCERTS AND SHOWS

(BirthmarkMedia) — Thu, 25 May 2023 13:22:04 GMT

]]>MY LIFE WITH GUITARS takes me into the music scene where I’m always taking pictures. Since I was a teenager making my way to the front of the stage to photograph the Isley Brothers or Sly and the Family Stone, I've taken photographs back stage, on stage, from my seat, and from as many places as I can get to.

I sneaked my camera into a Prince concert where we weren't allowed to take photographs. Really???? I'm so glad I broke the rules.
At a Hall and Oates concert, I was told that if I used my "professional" camera, I would be asked to leave. Really????

Sometimes I just take the shot. I may get the evil eye, but I may also get the photo.

There are also times when I lower my camera and experience the music and participate in the experience. I listen intently, shout hallelujah, or dance in the aisles as the music seeps in and rocks my soul. That's worth 1,001 words.

Beyonce
Guy Davis
Arlo Guthrie
Hall and Oates
Jay-Z
Alecia Keys
Earl Klugh
Maceo
Prince
Pete Seegar
Toshi and Bernice Reagan
Tears for Fears
Peter Yarrow

A-Zenfolio Home

(BirthmarkMedia) — Wed, 24 May 2023 12:48:35 GMT

]]>

WALI ALI

(BirthmarkMedia) — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:14:34 GMT

]]>MY LIFE WITH GUITARS began with the sounds of my brother’s guitar wafting up from the basement and reverberating throughout the house. My sister played the guitar for a little while, and the music of Richie Havens and Jose Feliciano strummed through her bedroom door a lot.

I dutifully took piano lessons for 7 years as a child, and my father thought for sure that I was going to be a concert pianist. While I love to hear the sound of the piano, I grew to also love the sound of the guitar. I love even more the people who play them, especially my brother who became Guy Davis the blues and folk man, and Wali Ali, the jazz guitarist I married.

Breathe In the Sky: Poems Prayers & Photographs

(BirthmarkMedia) — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 22:40:03 GMT

]]>Hasna Muhammad claims her voice as an artist with Breathe In the Sky: Poems Prayers & Photographs. The poetry delves into family, social justice, and the human condition. The prayers echo a spiritual journey toward self-fullness. The images portray the patience of nature, a slice of the street, and the love of family. Hasna pushes herself through self-inflicted barriers and finds herself whole and fulfilled on the other side. Breathe In the Sky is a declaration that it is never too late to transform doubts and vulnerabilities into bravery and confidence.

“Breathe In the Sky is me spreading my extremities into the high blue infinite space of the universe to breathe-in the sky. To be in the sky—lingering in that split second when both feet are off the ground in order to take the next step forward or climb a mountain or even fly.” —HM

Harlem Before My Eyes

(BirthmarkMedia) — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 23:52:28 GMT

]]>Harlem Before My Eyes is a body of work that includes black and white images of streetscapes and portraits taken during the two-year celebration of the Harlem Renaissance centennial (2018-2020). The work adds to the visual record of Harlem—its collective memory, its significance, and most importantly to the people who love it as home. I have never lived in Harlem, and many of the places that were familiar to me are now gone. But Harlem is my home. My childhood is there. The history of my people is there. My legacy is there. This is Harlem before my eyes.

Breathe In the Sky - Promo

(BirthmarkMedia) — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 23:16:22 GMT

]]>

THE EARTH AND MY LEFT TOE

(BirthmarkMedia) — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 23:04:40 GMT

]]>

Portraits

(BirthmarkMedia) — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:02:44 GMT

]]>

PORTRAITS

(BirthmarkMedia) — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 22:14:30 GMT

]]>

Julia 100

(BirthmarkMedia) — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:00:28 GMT

]]>

VIDEO SHORT SHORTS

(BirthmarkMedia) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 23:11:47 GMT

]]>THE KILLING OF KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN (A Work in Progress ‘Cause it Ain’t Over Till It’s Over)
The killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. took place just 9 miles from where I grew up. I didn’t have to leave Westchester County to know homeland terrorism or to hear the cries for justice.

LINES IN THE SAND
Sara was a structural integrationist, a Rolfer, and I was her client. Then I became her friend. When Sara was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), everything changed. Her world became smaller, her body became weaker, and she became a fierce public advocate for death with dignity.

GOING IN DEEP
Wali Ali has been a professional guitarist since he was 19 years old and for all the years that I’ve lived with him. With few exceptions, I have heard Wali practice and play his guitar for hours every day of each of those years. In 2019, Wali became too ill to play his guitar, and for the first time in both of our lives, his guitar was not the first thing he touched in the morning or the object of his attention throughout the day. He had to gradually regain his health in order to hold a guitar in his arms, practice, and subsequently perform again.

STORIES

(BirthmarkMedia) — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 14:45:19 GMT

]]>

Sara

(BirthmarkMedia) — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 14:15:49 GMT

]]>

Garage Cut

(BirthmarkMedia) — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 14:00:28 GMT

]]>

INDESTREET

(BirthmarkMedia) — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 17:21:52 GMT

]]>Street photography is like hunting. I set out with my camera loaded and turned on. My exposure is set to the light of the day, and my focal length is set to infinity, and I go anywhere from the end of my driveway to an alley in a country thousands of miles away to take a shot. Most times I am alone. Sometimes with a kindred photographer. I shoot from my hip or as I move; or after standing still and waiting for something to pass my lens.

Street photography integrates all of my skills –personal, interpersonal, technical- and intersects all categories of photography (as if there is more than one).

In the beginning, most of my street photography was of signs and windows. And windows were invariably attached to doors and structures. I didn’t choose to photograph people who I deemed strangers whose pictures I would never put on my wall.

One October morning in 2010, Ayano Hisa and I walked the streets of Havana to take photographs. We engaged with people and took their pictures -sometimes posed; sometimes stolen- as we crossed streets, traversed neighborhoods, and went inside one woman’s home.

I had been to Cuba before. I had walked the streets in many countries to take photographs before, but for various reasons, the environment in which I found myself this time; the people with whom I interacted in this city; the energy that I felt around me this trip unleashed a convergence of realizations that compelled me to change. My new perspective broadened my viewfinder, and three things happened. I began taking photographs from the middle of the street where I am a literal street photographer. A bullfighter. I never dodge traffic, but I do dare it from time to time. I began taking photographs from the car while driving (I do not recommend this). And I began taking more photographs of people indestreet. Some of whom are on my walls.

PS:
I travelled to Cuba in 2010 with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as the guest of Frank Stewart, a Senior Staff photographer for Jazz at Lincoln Center. He is prolific master photographer who was my first photography teacher and remains my mentor. Every encounter with Frank is a well. Some of his words of wisdom: Always carry your camera. Always take photographs. Do things on purpose. www.frankstewartphoto.com
Ayano Hisa has an incredible eye. www.ayanohisaphoto.com