The MET Fashion Photo Show presents Joy Simmons

The MET Fashion Photo Show is proud to present Joy Simmons

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to the MET Fashion Photo Show blog. I am also looking forward to introducing you to some of New York's movers and shakers like yourselves. Today we have a very special guest who is very involved in the communities in which she lives and serves. She is the Chief of Staff for NYC Councilman Charles Barron. One minute she is working with several organizations to conduct a meeting to get things done in and around Brooklyn, the next minute she is publishing a neighborhood newspaper educating the citizens of Brooklyn about the things that are taking place in their community. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Ms. Joy Simmons.

ME: Good afternoon Joy and thank you for participating in today's edition of the MET Fashion Photo Show blog.You do a lot of work in the community. You work for a very prominent Councilman and his wife (NYC Councilman Charles Barron and his wife, NYS Assemblywoman Inez Barron) who is also very involved in politics as well. Would you consider yourself a “Community Activist?”
JOY: Absolutely!, and because I study Urban Planning, and do some international humanitarian work, I am also described as a Community Planner and Human Rights Activist, respectively. Within the trail blazed by my mentor Councilman Charles Barron, and serving as his Chief of Staff for the past seven years, I have been able to promote social consciousness, community healing and empowerment as both a personal calling as well as a direct professional vocation.

ME: Back in June you participated in an event called "The Juneteenth Celebration", please tell the audience about the Juneteenth Celebration and what it meant to you and the Barron’s to participate.
JOY: As you know, Juneteenth is an increasingly popular African-American holiday that marks our liberation from enslavement and provides a forum for us to celebrate the continued achievements and progress of our people. The Office of Councilman Charles Barron has traditionally sponsored an annual Juneteenth event. This year’s theme was “Recognizing our Outstanding Youth.” The highlight was a full production by the Oscar and Grammy nominated IMPACT Repertory Theater, directed by the legendary Jamal Joseph. This year we also joined forces with Athenia Rodney of Umoja Events, Demolition DJs and Just Us Fam Productions to expand the Celebration. We co-organized a day-long festival in Sonny Carson aka Gershwin/ Linden Park - an explosion of cultural arts and family fun including dance, singing, hip-hop, drama, fashion performances, vendors, food, workshops and more. I am so honored to have been part of bringing culture and pride to our neighborhood of East New York and to have worked with such talented people in the process.

ME: You have been working in the political arena for a while now. Do you have aspirations to one day seek political office yourself?
JOY: As the Chief of Staff for the Office of Councilman Charles Barron for the past 5 years and Legislative Director for the first two years, running for his seat when his is term is finished or sometime in the future, can be considered a natural progression, so it is a possibility. Actually, I recently ran for and won a Judicial Delegate seat and County Committee seat (local democratic party convention seats) in the last election. I would say seeds are definitely there.

ME: If people are interested in learning more about getting involved with community events and activities, how would they go about doing that?
JOY: That’s a great question because I have learned that there are many people who want to get more involved in the community for positive social change, but don’t know where to start or would like some direction. The key is to join or start a community based organization that deals with the issues a person is passionate about. The other part is to study and learn the interpersonal and leadership skills necessary to be able to work with other people and within a structure. I find this is harder than most people realize but only synergy affects change.

ME: You also write a community newsletter for the community in which you serve. Can you tell us more about the newsletter? The 24 page newspaper is called East Brooklyn On The Move (EBM). We are a small volunteer team and just printed our first issue. EBM seeks to serve as a partner in the education, enlightenment and upliftment of our neighborhood. Our goal is to not only cover news, but to make news—good news—through advocacy and activism. Further, our mission includes supporting the economic development of our community. We feature will continuously feature neighborhood businesses, with discounted advertising opportunities for those owned by local residents and who hire from within the community. I serve as the Publisher, Celeste Clarke is our Associate Editor, and Hadassa Simmons is our reporter. We also have some unique contributors.

ME: As you know this is a blog about real New Yorker’s wearing real New York fashions. I need you to describe the outfits that you recently wore for your photo shoot.
JOY: The gold sheath dress and belted jacket happens to be by Anne Klein. I’m not into name brands but I liked the professional yet feminine look of the outfit. I bought the blue multi-stone necklace at Target for a lot cheaper than it looks. The large stone ring is a genuine precious stone and sterling silver hand-made piece from a Rastafarian Street Vendor who was selling his jewelry in New Orleans street during the Essence Festival. The blue and yellow tye-dye dress is a piece I bought at the Dance Africa Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, this summer. The bright red earrings were from a vendor at the International African Arts Festival also in Brooklyn. Both the purple dress with bell sleeves and the yellow jacket with blue embroidery was made at an African Shop I often visit on 165th Street near Jamaica Ave in Queens. The exact name of the shop and the designer eludes me at the moment (I sure hope he doesn’t read this) but as soon as I remember I will update the blog.

ME: And where did you get your hair done?
JOY: I got my hair done by hair stylist Paulette at her hair salon and art gallery on New Lots Ave and Between New Jersey and Vermont in East New York Brooklyn.

ME: Can you please describe your fashion style for the audience?
JOY: Hmm…let’s see, that’s a tough one…Cultureclectic maybe? I love African Clothing and hope to build my wardrobe so that I can wear Afro-centric clothing every day.

ME: Please use three words that would best describe you and why?
JOY:
Curious – I like to study why things are the way they are and the art of mastery so that I can have more control over my life and outcomes.

Passionate – When on a mission, I can be very intense at times.

Fun-loving – The world can be viewed as a terrible place (especially after watching the evening news) but also can be viewed as a place of great beauty, wonder and experiences. I have made a pact with myself to explore and enjoy as much of the wonders of life and the world as possible.

ME: Thank you Joy, in your opinion, what are three must have items for this fall/winter season?
JOY:
Love
Peace
Joy
I really couldn’t think of anything else.

ME: Joy I want to thank you for taking the time to participate in today’s blog.
JOY: Thank you for hosting me and taking such awesome pictures. This has been lot of fun.


ME: Well ladies and gentlemen, I want to once again thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read this edition of the fashion photo show blog. Now some of you have expressed an interest in advertising your business, showing off your products, and/or simply wanting to participate as a subject of my blog. All you have to do is contact me at (646) 294-1936, or send me an email at Madisonspics@yahoo.com so that we can set up the interview and photo shoot session. It is that simple. You will also receive copies of the photographs taken at the photo shoot to help promote your business, products and/or services. With that being said, until next time, have a safe, and blessed day!

MET Fashion Photo Show Presents "Simone Buckley"

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to another edition of the MET Fashion Photo Show. The last few months have been crazy to say the very least. However, I am happy to report that the MET Fashion Photo Show will be teaming up with the newly created MET Photography Model Club and the MET Photography Model Club fan page on Facebook.

The MET Photography Model Club is a club open to people who like taking pictures. If you are an actor or actress, this club will also benefit you because you will now have the opportunity to take photos for your portfolio. If you own your own business, or you are constantly promoting new things and require, or would like a new look, then the Model Club is also for you. For more information about the MET Photography Model Club, please visit my website at madisonspics.com, scroll across to the heading entitled "Model Club".

The MET Photography Model Club fan page provides you the viewer with an opportunity to participate in contests, view model photos and interact with members of the club through "likes" and "comments" via Facebook. For more information about the MET Photography Model Club fan page, log onto your Facebook profile and search for the page.

Today I am proud to introduce you to the winner of the MET Photography Model Club's first "Likes" contest, Simone Buckley. Participants in the contest were model club members who were required to submit five photographs that I personally took of them that they liked the most. Viewers to the MET Photography Model Club fan page had the opportunity to vote for the pictures that they liked the most. The club member receiving the most votes was declared the winner. Simone won a free, two hour portfolio photo shoot with the opportunity to select up to ten photos of her choice for prints from the photo shoot for her personal portfolio. She will also receive the disc with the original images, and a file with the reduced images that she can share on Facebook, Twitter and other social media and email.

Well, without further delay, let me introduce you to Simone Buckley, winner of the MET Photography Model Club's first "Likes" contest.

ME: "Good afternoon"
SIMONE: "Good afternoon"

ME: "First of all, congratulations on winning the contest. You juggle work and school and manage both very well. If that isn’t enough, you were blessed with two girls. What’s that like?"
SIMONE: "Thank you. School and work are a task but my girls motivate me. Everything that I do is for them."

ME: "How old are your children?"
SIMONE: “My children are 2 years old (Jahdae) and 3 years old (Jahliah).”

ME: "As a mother, what is the hardest part of your day?"
SIMONE: "Getting my girls up in the mornings and having them ready for school and daycare are the hardest parts of my day."

ME: "You are also a student, what is your major and what do you want to do professionally?"
SIMONE: "My major is legal studies. I want to become a paralegal and one day an exceptional attorney."

ME: "You recently participated in the MET Photography Model Club’s first contest and won, what was the experience like?"
SIMONE: "I actually enjoyed this first contest. I always work for what I want. Promotion was all it took to win the contest and that's what I did."


ME: "How do you juggle work, school and a family while maintaining your shape? Do you work out regularly?"
SIMONE: "While working, going to school and taking care of my family I don't do nothing to maintain my shape. I don't work out on a regular basis."

ME: "Are you also looking to add modeling to your long list of responsibilities?"
SIMONE: "Yes, I'm looking to add modeling to my long list of responsibilities."



ME: "As you know, this is a blog about real New Yorker’s wearing real New York fashions. Please tell the audience about your fashion style."
SIMONE: "I love to wear skirts. I like natural colors, not too much of a bright color though. I always pick my own clothing when doing a photo shoot. I always like wearing unusual shoes."

ME: "Right now we are using some of the pictures from the contest. Can you tell the audience what you are wearing and where did you purchase it from?"

SIMONE:
a) The white dress with the blue shoes are from Pretty Girl and Dr. J's
b) The green skirt with the black top are from Brooklyn USA and Dr. J's
c) The multi-colored skirt with the black top are from Lady Dr. J's
d) The red and black skirt with the black leather jacket and black boots are from Brooklyn USA
e) The black corset and pink skirt with blue shoes are from Charlotte Rouse and Lady Dr. J's
f) The black dress is from Espirt

ME: "Where do you get your hair done and who is your stylist?"
SIMONE: "I'm also a hair stylist, so most of the times I do my own hair. Sometimes I go to the salon to get my hair done.."

ME: "What are three must have items for the winter?"
SIMONE:
a) Warm boots
b) Gloves
c) A hat

ME: "How would you describe yourself as an overall person?"
SIMONE: "Most people say I'm very down to earth. I'm very loving and caring."

ME: "What are three words that you would use to describe yourself and why?"
SIMONE:
a) Loving
b) Caring
c) Compassionate

"I'm always looking out for others and making sure that they are ok. I'm always offering a helping hand."

ME: "Well that concludes today's edition of the MET Fashion Photo Show. Simone I want to once again thank you for taking the time out to participate in my blog."
SIMONE: "Your welcome"

MET Fashion Photo Show Presents Olatunde "Ola" Roberts

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome back to another edition of the MET Fashion Photo Show blog. In the last edition of the blog I focused on a wonderful young lady by the name of Tatiana Walker. Since my last blog Tatiana has graduated from her undergraduate college program and is now getting ready for the fall semester where she will begin her Graduate studies. Tatiana was recently accepted into New York University and will continue her career in helping others. We wish Tatiana continued success.



Today I would like to introduce you to a wonderful, high spirited, high energy person whose hobbies include helping others, taking photos and enjoying life to the fullest. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Olatunde “Ola” Roberts.


ME: Thank you for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to participate in this edition of the Fashion Photo Show Blog, can you please tell the audience about yourself?
OLA: Thank you for having me. Well, I work as a monogrammer and of course I model part time. I also love to take photographs, watch movies and listen to music.  




ME: Besides working in fashion what else do you like to do in your spare time?
OLA: In my spare time I enjoy being with my family and friends. When the weather is nice I like to read and work on my photography.






ME: You love taking pictures and you have become very good at it, what types of photographs do you like taking the most?
OLA: I love them all but the photos that are done on location are the best. This way you can play with your surroundings.



 
ME: You are an active participant in the MET Photography Model Club, Swimm City and now Wall Models, what has participating in each of these projects done for you and how have they changed your life?
OLA: Wow, well first off it helped boost my self-confidence; I see myself as a different person now. Each picture turns me into art.




ME: You live in the Bronx and over the last few years the Bronx has really undergone some extensive development projects. Given the opportunity, is there any place in particular where you would you like to do a photo shoot?
OLA: Definitely the Botanical Garden, The Hall of Fame for Great Americans and the Gould memorial library which is located at Bronx Community College. You have to see it, its breathtaking!









ME: You are very busy, but you continue to participate in several photo shoots. You have now several hundred photographs, what are some of your plans in the future in regards to your modeling hobby/career?
OLA: I'm looking into doing more modeling and maybe even looking into acting.






ME: Ola, this is a blog focusing on real New Yorkers wearing real new York fashion. You recently did a fashion shoot in Central Park for Swimm City, what were you wearing in this photo shoot?
OLA: Julion St. Croix Couture






OLA: The great Sharon Black of Destination Style in the Bronx. She is the absolute best; not everyone can do natural hair.





ME: When you are not wearing swimsuits what type of clothing do you like to wear?
OLA: Aaaahhhhhh!!!! I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl. I love to be cute but comfortable.




ME: After your Swimm City photo shoot in Central Park, you drove uptown to 125th Street where you performed a second photo shoot for the model club. Can you describe for the audience what you were wearing and what it was like to perform “Superman”?
OLA: I was wearing a Polo custom blazer and a pair of stretch pants by RLX.






ME: What other accessories would you like to add, or have added to this outfit?
OLA Probably a pair of heels. I can’t imagine jumping off the bench with heels. But, I do love my flats.







ME: How would you describe your fashion style?
OLA: I don’t have a specific style. Everyday it’s something different depending on my mood or event.









ME: What are three must have items for the summer season?
OLA: A tote bag, flip flops and a hat.






ME: Thanks for your insight today. If the readers want to know a little bit more about “Ola” the model and what it's like to be a model, what are three words that you would use to describe this experience?
OLA: Just 3? Ok, fun, exciting and fulfilling.





ME: On a final note, what would you like to say to the audience?
OLA: Keep watching, this won't be the last you hear of me.





ME: Ola, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your time and to wish you well in your future endeavors.
OLA: Thank you again for having me. This was a lot of fun.