As a photographer, I attempt at every cost to take the best picture; whether it be poses, to scenery and even events. I honestly believe that every photographer, even if its only just a hobby, should practice to get better. To me it’s similar to being a singer. You must work at it to get better at it. Really, at anything you do, the desire to enhance yourself should be prevalent. My goal on this partially rainy Saturday afternoon was to get better at shooting bright colors. What better place to do that at than at Pride? I currently shoot with a Sony A6000 and a Nikon D60. Most of the pictures I’ve taken for this blog was taken with the Nikon D60.
Previously tossed around the idea of shooting at Pride a few weeks ago when my wife scheduled her trip out of town (Shout out to the Chub Scouts Group). I had never been and had honestly been scared to go because of my own insecurities. All of what I now feel to be misconceptions, the “rumors”, if you will, kept me from going. This weekend, I decided to go. I have always had the philosophy of, “ You don’t know if you don’t experience things for yourself,” but I was always concerned about people thinking I was gay because I choose to love people (I’ve always wanted to go just out of curiosity). Choosing to live by this philosophy now means that I’m going to live my best life regardless of the stigmas associated with the things that I do. I simply don’t care what people think, say or feel about my choices. Also being an entertainer, getting out and meeting people and experiencing new things keep my brain stimulated for songwriting and building my fan base (obviously that's a benefit solely for the purpose of networking and building my brands).
I have always had the innate ability to see the beauty in all things. I feel like that’s the way that God made me and how we all should strive to be; that no matter how difficult or strange a situation may be, there is something beautiful coming from it, or the possibility of something beautiful coming from it. While some of you may call this the “Rose-colored glasses,” it is embedded in my DNA. I don’t know how else to be.
I went to Pride to take photos, but I gained much more. When I got to Pride, I linked up with my family, T and J (to preserve their privacy) and we walked around visiting vendors and checking out the sights. All the while, I’ve got my Nikon D60 in hand, snapping away. I learned about the different types of flags and what the different stripes meant and even saw one of my former employers represented there, with a few people I used to work with. There was representation from all walks of life there, even other straight people. There were parents, aunts and uncles there supporting their loved ones, offering “Free **insert blank** hugs.” While there were tons of drag queens and wildly dressed people there, those people stood out the most to me; because I identify. I have several people close to me that are apart of this movement, and I greet them with love every time I see them. In fact, one of my band brothers was there with his partner and initially greeted him with a handshake (it turned into a hug). Unbeknownst to me, we were both in line getting drinks and the lady was checking my ID and I hear this voice say, “Oh, he’s just a baby” and I look over and it was my brother from the band. I then asked where his partner was and when he came over, I gave him a hug too. I tell of this interaction to say this. It’s all about love. In fact, the entire experience is this; regardless of your orientation, age, race, religious preference, whether you agree with it or not, LOVE THEM ANYWAY!!!!
What I experienced was love, intentional. People choosing to love intentionally. People need love intentionally. They need love, just as we need love. They need Jesus, just as much as we do. They only difference between gay and straight (IMO) is the partner preference (orientation). Other than that, they are just like us. They are suuuuuper dope people. Their personality match their flamboyance (as it should).
With all that being said, I pray that I have captured my experience there adequately. I will be returning next year with a T-shirt that says “Free straight black guy hugs.” Hopefully my wife will go with me. Every straight person should experience Pride once. Even if it’s not your thing, it’s definitely worth it.
#LoveOverEverything #CincinnatiPride019