It’s the Little Things

Life is ROUGH right now, you guys. I don’t know if it’s COVID-19, working/not working during a pandemic, having another quarter-life crisis, being away from my family during said pandemic… but, I’m floating in space.

To be fair, we’re all floating in space. Pictured below are the things that have grounded me, the things that keep me sane in 2020. I am thankful for them every single day.

ART: I put down my camera during quarantine and heavily considered never picking it up again (!). I have gotten used to basing my happiness off of the success of my photography business, but when the going got tough, I resolved to let it all go. And I did…

I can’t hide from the arts, though–I started drawing, and I’m looking into digital painting. Not very good (yet), but the meticulousness of it all gives me solace. I even started taking self-portraits for fun again. Never say never, I guess 🤷🏾‍♀️.

RILEY: My darling niece Riley is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day! She has restored my faith humanity, because Donald Trump’s America has me tired. Cheers to her and her eternal positivity, 🖤✨.

 

I have no idea what COVID-19 means for my business/creative life moving forward. For the first time since I started doing art-for-hire, I’m okay with not being hired. Let the chips fall where they may… Period.

What You Won’t See

Sunday, May 31st, 2020: I’m here to show you a protest through my eyes… I’m here to show you what you won’t see on television. Enjoy.

What you won’t see: People cleaning up the city. It was the first thing I encountered upon leaving my car.

What you won’t see: People hopping out of their cars/Ubers to join the protest. Iconic.

What you won’t see: The pure anguish and despair on every Black man’s face because they are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

What you won’t see: Creatives weaving through the crowd to accurately document the moment. And people handing out free Blow Pops!

What you won’t see: People watching. Listening.

What you won’t see: The culture. (I haven’t seen a Bathing Ape since high school!)

What you won’t see: A young man who came dressed in a suit. He has a son on the way, and gets paid to perform MLK speeches. He said he had to be here.

What you won’t see: Protesters handing out provisions to everybody in need, no questions asked.

What you won’t see: Black soldiers doing their best to stifle emotion because the chant “YOU’RE ON THE WRONG SIDE” strikes a chord.

What you won’t see: Spiritual cleansing! (I, too, was smudged on the street.)

What you won’t see: Parents protesting with their kids.

What you won’t see: People really proud of their signs. (The guy on the left made sure we got a picture of the other side, too!)

And last, but certainly not least,

What you won’t see: White people demanding that their race do better.

I encourage you to see what it’s like out there. You might be pleasantly surprised. Be safe, lovelies ✊🏼✊🏾✊🏿.

Sequestered.

melancholyWhat a year, right? So many things have changed drastically in the last 3+ months, I literally can’t even…

COVID-19 and its subsequent quarantine has so many thoughts running through my head each and every day (it’s exhausting, honestly)… One thought, however, remains abundantly clear: I will not live like this anymore! 

“I’ve been down so long it look like up to me!” — Fake Love, Drake.

It took a social-distancing mandate for me to come to a complete stop and access my situation. The situation is alarming: I’m burned out. I’ve crashed so many times that I’ve convinced myself it’s normal. I think the last time I’ve truly enjoyed myself was in early 2018…

The jig is up. I don’t know exactly what that means yet, but I don’t want to do “this” anymore. It’s time to restructure, and I’m using this quarantine to do so.

brb, planning my best life, 💋.

The Glow Up

I really need to be better at posting here—especially now that I have pictures other than my own face.

2020 Update: I’m a newfound product photographer now?! When I looked at the final images in Photoshop as a series, my jaw dropped. This is the most cohesive I’ve been in terms of styling/color-grading/story. I think I may have found my niche 🙃.

(Shari Alisha x jD Bath Co.)

EXIF: Nikon D850 | Nikkor 85mm 1.8 | f/8.0 | 1/200

Alien Bees B800, camera left (7” reflector); white card, camera right.

10 Things in the 2010s

Happy New Year, heathens! I present you, Apotheshari (follow me on IG)! This is a wellness journey curated by yours truly. I’m just trying to consistent with my self care, y’all.

Introductions are always weird for me, until I had the best idea: Why don’t I just count down to the next decade by revealing my favorite life lessons? Bingo. Below is the finished series (read the captions on IG!), but I think I’m going to make this a coffee table book… 

It was very catharitic to put this on paper—I even got to thumb through a decade of photography, which was cool. I guess I’ve accomplished a lot during my first decade as an adult… Enjoy 🙃.



Pool Party

Naomi Turns 3

Bloop-di-doop

Hiiiiii, I started producing makeup tutorials on YouTube again. Have 24 short minutes? GRWM 😁!

IMPORTANT: Apotheshari has officially affiliated/aligned herself with jD Bath Co. (#apotheshariapproved)! Jazmine Duke, the HBIC, has also elected me to be her Director of Photography!! There is so much goodness on the horizon; buckle your seatbelts, heathens 😊✨!

Arielle & Co.

Ugh, Arielle and her adorable little family make me sick. I’ve never met someone with such well-mannered kids–even the newborn, who was 3-weeks-old, didn’t really act up. How?

Look at those bright little eyes, 😩.

OMG, she waved at me!

Her brother saw her crying and was convinced that a high five would make her feel better. I can jive with that logic…

Turns out baby girl was hungry, but now she’s good.

#milkdrunk

Arielle, you and your family are officially my muses! Yayyyyy! ‘Til next time, heathens. We in here!

The Headshot Collective

Headshots are a monster, and for the longest time, they have completely evaded me. For almost 10 years I’ve been struggling to keep my work consistent, and have failed miserably. Trust me–I’ve burned many a bridge as I’ve tried to figure this thing out.

And then, it dawned on me: Headshots are a production. Productions have throes of people focused on different tasks to ensure that the show is executed correctly. Therefore, I, too, need a team of individuals to conquer this feat.

Introducing The Headshot Collective! We are a team of actors in the Atlanta industry that have come together to give you a specialized headshot experience.

  • First up, Me, The Photog/Artistic Director.

I’m still behind the camera, in charge of art direction, post-production, lighting equipment, etc.

As mentioned above, she is also an actor in ATL, and in charge of making sure you look like the best version of you as we shoot. That means you no longer need to stress about camera prep, we have someone for that! (Fun Fact: We went to college together, Go Gators!)

  • Last, but certainly not least, Amanda Young, The Talent Director (@theyoungamanda).

This position is essential. While it is possible for me to do this as I shoot, it just isn’t as effective as having a second pair of eyes. She is the official liaison between the lens and the talent, catching things before I do in post-process. (Fun Fact: She directed me in my first stage play!)

Together we are invincible. I will be updating the headshot portion of my Services page to reflect these changes. We look forward to shooting with you in the near future!

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