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BOWTIE JOINT: THE ABANDONED SERIES - ST. LOUIS

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BOWTIE JOINT:

 

THE ABANDONED SERIES - ST. LOUIS

 

 

 

“ONE OF MY FAVORITE SUBJECTS TO SHOOT IS A LONG FORGOTTEN STRUCTURE BEING SLOWLY TAKEN BACK BY NATURE. THESE BUILDINGS SPEAK OF DAYS GONE BY AND WHISPERED STORIES THAT HAVE LONG FADED FROM THE WALLS. PHOTOGRAPHING ABANDONED LOCATIONS IS NOT FOR THE TIMID PHOTOGRAPHER.  THERE IS STILL BEAUTY LEFT IN THESE OLD BUILDINGS; IT JUST REQUIRES A LITTLE WORK TO SHOW EVERYONE ELSE WHAT YOU SEE.”  SHEENA KOONTZ

 

ABANDONED BUILDINGS ARE INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS SITES.  PHOTOGRAPHING THEM IS NOT SOMETHING I TAKE LIGHTLY.  PLEASE DO MUCH RESEARCH ON A LOCATION, BEFORE SHOOTING THERE.  IT IS MY PRAYER THAT NO ONE (INCLUDING MYSELF) EVER BE IN HARM’S WAY, SHOOTING A LOCATION WITHIN THIS CATEGORY.  PLEASE BE SAFE.

 

THE ABANDONED BUILDING SERIES IS AN ONGOING PROJECT THAT COMBINES THESE AWESOME STRUCTURES/LOCATIONS WITH BOW TIE CIGARS AND FASHION.  THIS COMBINATION, FOR ME, IS THOROUGHLY AMAZING AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PART OF THE BOW TIE CIGAR ADVERTISING SCHEME.  AS WELL AS, MY ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO CIGAR CULTURE; A CULTURE I LOVE AND REPRESENT!

 

 

TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS THAT INSPIRE ME GREATLY, IN REGARDS TO THIS PROJECT, AND PHOTOGRAPHY IN GENERAL, ARE GORDON PARKS AND JASON LANIER.

 

SINCERELY,

 

BOWTIE

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MODEL:  BRO JAMAL M. BUTTS  

LOCATION:  ELIOT SCHOOL

 

 

BORN AND RAISED IN THE BOOGIE DOWN – BRONX, NY., THIS IS A DIVERSE PERSONALITY, TO SAY THE LEAST.  A POETRY WRITING CHEF; HE’S AN AVID GOLFER AND MOTORCYCLIST, THAT HAS SUNG AT NEW YORK CITY’S CARNEGIE HALL.

 

 

IN HIS OWN WORDS:

 

“I HAVE DABBLED IN 13 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, IN MY LIFETIME.  MY EVER-CHANGING INTEREST IN LANGUAGE WAS USUALLY DRIVEN BY MY CHANGING INTEREST IN A WOMAN.  THE ROMANTIC IN ME HAS LONG BEEN CONVINCED THAT THERE ARE FEW THINGS MORE ENDEARING TO A WOMAN THAN BEING WOOED IN HER NATIVE LANGUAGE.  AFTER ALL…WHAT WOMAN EVER RESISTED A MAN WITH A TALENTED TONGUE.

 

“FOR THE LOVE OF CARLOTTA…I LEARNED ITALIAN AND PERFECTED MY SPAGETTI RECIPE.

 

 FOR MARGOT, I LEARNED FRENCH…AND HOW TO MAKE QUICHE.

 

 I TOOK HER FATHER’S CLASS IN GOJU RYU, AS I LEARNED JAPANESE TO COURT AKIKO.

 

 INGRID HAD ME SPEAKING GERMAN, AND COOKING SAUERBRATEN.

 

 IT WAS RUSSIAN FOR ELENA…SPANISH FOR MARIA…ARABIC FOR NADINE.

 

BUT, IT WASN’T JUST DIALECTS FROM INTERNATIONAL CULTURES THAT SPARKED MY ROMANTIC SENSIBILITIES.

 

BEBE WAS FROM NEPTUNE, NEW JERSEY.  HER HIGH CLASS JERSEY TWANG AND MY BRONX VERNACULAR TOGETHER, SOUNDED LIKE AN EPISODE OF THE SOPRANOS.

 

I REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY ABOUT LAFONDIA AND HER COUNTRY GRAMMER MEETS EBONICS; OTHER THAN TO SAY IT MESMERIZED ME SO DEEPLY THAT IT TOOK ABOUT SEVEN YEARS TO BREAK THE SPELL SHE HAD ON ME AND RETURN ME TO MY NATIVE NEW YORK TONGUE.  BUT, IT WAS ALL FUN.  EDUCATIONAL…BUT ALL FUN!!!"

 

 

 

PHOTOGRAPHER:  BOWTIE