Jamaica Carnival 2017 - Xodus

This year I was a bit skeptical about carnival in Jamaica with four different bands.  I really didn't think it was such a good idea.  One thing I loved about Jamaica carnival was the fact that I could see all my friends in one area.  All I had to do was walk up and down the trucks and I would basically see everyone.  Now it's four bands and four different routes. I spent the day with Xodus since that's where all my friends were.  Overall I had a great time and was very surprised with Xodus.  Xodus band looked like last year carnival to me in terms of the crowd.  This shows that carnival in Jamaica is growing and maybe it wasn't a bad idea to have more bands. After all competition is good.  Xodus costumes were on point. The music was awesome. The vibes was just right.  My only concern was the chaos around lunch time getting your food and the very short time for lunch. After finally getting and eating lunch, before I could even fart it was time to hit the road again.  This is the only area I think Xodus can improve in and thats a very easy fix.  Can't wait for Jamaica 2018 carnival. Stay tuned for my vlog about my carnival weekend.

 

Miami Carnival 2016

Thanks to Revel Nation for taking care of me on the road again this year.  I had a blast and looking forward to next year already.

 

Jamaica Carnival 2014

Jamaica Carnival 2014 is in the books.

Miami Carnival 2013

Miami Carnival 2013 is now a thing of the past. The carnival was held at Sun Life Stadium and I'm definitely not a fan of this location for carnival. However the company I was with made me over look the venue and enjoyed what the carnival had to offer. Most of my pictures are from the band Generation X - that's the band most of my friends were in. Hope you enjoy the pics.

Miami Carnival 2012

Out of all my years attending Miami Carnival, this year was the worst. I thought the Carnival was very disorganized and I'm not a fan of the carnival being held at Sun Life Stadium. Thanks to good friends I made the best of my time there. Here are a few pics; enjoy.

It's Carnival Time Again

Miami Carnival 2012 is only a couple days away where you will experience the sounds of soca/calypso thumping, the sight women gyrating their bodies in carnival costumes, the touch of feathers, and the taste of jerk/curry. Come enjoy over three (3) miles (5 kilometers) of color and pageantry as 10,000+ Carnival revelers take to the streets in Miami celebrating 25 years of Miami Carnival on 10-7-2012. The image below is a continued series of mine featuring women in carnival costumes. Thanks to Jeane & my seven eleven friend for allowing me to take this pic.

Trinidad's Carnival 2012

Trinidad's Carnival 2012 it did live up to the hype. I had the opportunity to play Mas with Island People who featured Dj Bambino as one of their Dj's who shell down the place. One thing that's certain is the lack of sleep you will receive due to all the partying. At one point I forgot the days of the week. Needless to say I will be back for another one.

Carnival Queen Arrested

The caribbean community is South FLorida has one thing on their minds for this weekend and that is Carnival. Carnival as it is celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago is also celebrated in cities worldwide. As with other Carnivals, many participants wear elaborate costumes, often decorated with feathers and sequins. Carnival bands are organized groups made up of participants who pay for costumes fashioned by a designer and assembled by teams of volunteers. The costumed participants dance through the streets to the sounds of a steel band, a soca band or a d.j. - this is called "playing mas'". The image below was inspired by carnival but with my twist to it. The image was captured in Kingston Jamaica at Coronation Market. I have to say that this was one of my craziest shoots to date. I will be revealing a few more pics so stay tuned.

If you're playing Mas in Miami carnival and would like to participate in my on going carnival costume shoot please try and save your costume with head piece and send me an email letting me know you would like to be apart of the project. Unfortunately I will not be in town for Miami Carnival on Sunday so I will miss my ritual of photographing the event.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpkeFKKXuBM]

Jamaica Carnival 2011

It's been well over ten years that I last experience Jamaica's carnival so I was well overdue. Around 10am I met up with my favorite Jamaican photographer Dwayne Watkins and his assistant Steven. From there we were off to a very adventurous day. We started out with the intention of only marching halfway but the carnival vibe hit us early and we couldn't seem to break away. I was warned that it normally rains every year for Jamaica's carnival and yes this year was no exception. Luckily my camera bag has a rain coat; however, the down pour was so hard we had to seek shelter. Eventually the rain passed and it was back on the road again. Continuing on the journey I met up with Dj Bambino & Dj Walshy Fire and this is where the fun began. Deciding that we needed a bit more vibes Dj Bambino took over a truck and tore the place down playing all the soca favorites. I must add that I'm very impressed with this year's soca and next year God willing I will try for Trinidad's carnival.