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bradley soileau -
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Bradley Soileau @ RED NYC
Styled by Lizz Jardim
Special thanks to Chloe Rice and Jackson for being such lovely assistants!
The universe has a funny way of making things work. A few months ago, I had a dream that me and my friend Lizz were taking photos in one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen. We were covered in henna and wearing jewelery she designed. When I woke up I immediately called her and told her about the dream – insisting that we make it a reality together. She was so excited, and her excitement excited me further!
I started searching online for henna artists in the area, only to be disappointed by what I was finding online. None of the styles matched what I had dreamt about and I started to grow frustrated. After about an hour of searching, I finally stumbled upon
Kenzi’s website. She had worked with Erykah Badu for
Love of my Life and her henna was incredible. I was nervous that she’d be unavailable to work with us but I gave her a call anyway and told her about my idea. To my surprise, she was thrilled with the idea and instantly jumped on board. My excitement was growing wild, and Lizz had already begun working on our jewels.
We needed to find the location. I was chatting with my friend Kira about the dream that had inspired me and she hinted of a secret desert nearby that she worked on for a movie meant to be set in Afghanistan. She knew it would be perfect for what I was looking for. I asked her part of the team in making my dream a reality, and Kenzi worked her magic on the three of us. We were mesmerized by the impermanent art growing on our bodies, she blew us away! We had a wonderful day of good conversation, henna tattoos and delicious food. It was time for Kira and Kenzi to send Lizz and on our way.
We arrived the next day only to realize that it was a private location. We knew we had to sneak in. Carrying our clothes, jewels and camera equipment, we made our way through. Nothing could stop us at that point. We climbed up sand dunes and got attacked by foreign sand insects until finally, we stopped. We had made it. Completely paralyzed by the unexpected beauty surrounding we just stood in amazement, speechless. It was like a mirage. Where were we? How was this anywhere near New York City?! We took our clothes off and started prancing around completely consumed with laughter and joy. Everything worked out perfectly and we were in heaven!
And now you see…We created magic. Just like my dream.
THEY’RE HERE! THEY’RE HERE! THEY’RE FINALLY READY FOR YOU!
For the next week only, I’ll be selling select prints of my work. Click on the above image to enter the store! When I’m back from my travels in August, I’ll be selling more prints with a larger selection and even taking personal requests for your favorite photographs!
These won’t be around for long, so get ‘em while they’re hot..
Lizz and I ventured out to a secret desert location yesterday (thank you Kira) and had the most incredible time shooting. I love collaborating with this beautiful and talented girl, the results are always phenomenal. Here’s a GIF preview of what’s to come…
I finally got around to getting underwater housing for my point+shoot camera! It’s perfect for summer time. Just some random shots from testing it out the beach this past week (there’s a few more on my Flickr). Really excited to start shooting more with my new toy!
And with that, I’ll leave you this month’s mix!
Enjoy!
Sigh. Reading news on what is happening in Yemen (and practically every where else in the world) really breaks my heart. Yemen is my home, my family, my inspiration. I cannot come to grips with the damage the country has been through and what it continues to endure. The video above is just a quick stroll through the streets of Sana’a, Yemen’s capital. Most of my family has since fled from Sana’a due to the riots and the escalating danger to civilians. It’s just all really mind blowing to think that the city I visited only a year ago has changed so much since. You can see the prevalence of poverty and old civilization in these shots, and still America somehow thrives with corporations such as KFC, as in any third-world country in the twentieth century.
I figure most people who read the news every day have no idea what a day in the life of a Yemeni would be like, and as much as I’d love to be there right now to document it, this is the best I can do. Yemen was once a culturally and agriculturally thriving country, known to geographers as Arabia Felix (Latin for Happy/Blessed Arabia) and it pains me to know that as each day passes, it continues to diminish due to corrupt governance and an incredibly qat-addicted population.
Young and old, men and women-practically everyone in Yemen chews qat (also known as khat, quat, etc). In almost every single one of my photographs, you can see men sporting a large bulge in their cheek, that’s qat. Women are just as guilty, but since they’re covering their faces most times, one doesn’t notice it as much. It’s a highly addictive stimulant which causes a sense of euphoria, but in actuality it translates to unnecessary blabber and laziness. On a large scale, qat leads to many other substance abuse problems and generates a practically inactive population. Think about this: Yemen’s gross national income does not exceed $900, and each Yemeni is known to spend at least 30-60% of their income on qat. So what does this mean? Well, for one, Yemen’s agriculture has been taken over by qat fields, and 30% of Yemen’s water supply (one of the worst in the world) is dedicated to the irrigation of qat trees. It is estimated that Yemen will be out of fresh water by 2017-that’s in six years. Yemen’s current economy literally revolves around qat, and since Yemen is one of the only countries in the world to consider qat legal (making it unexportable), it is literally just a circular downfall of addiction.
Pictured above is an old man I photographed in Sana’a's Old Souk (Souk El Melh) selling Jambias, the traditional Yemeni dagger, and chewing qat.
Old Sana’a. Most visitors take note of Yemen’s gingerbread skylines, but little know that these were actually one of the first skyscrapers built in the world.
Traditional cemeteries in Aden (southern Yemen, formerly a British colony) where my Grandfather was buried. Most people don’t know that Yemen was once two separate countries-North and South Yemen. The North was dominated by traditional tribal rule while the South was a popular and quite cosmopolitan port. It was colonized by the British and was exposed to a very Westernized manner of living. My father ad his brothers and sisters were educated by the British, exposed to Western culture and were by no means the conservative Muslims you see in news segments today. My aunts never covered their hair and were immersed in arts and music. After the departure of the British and Yemen’s civil war in 1990, Yemen unified as one country and Northern (Sana’a) rule was prominent. This was the beginning of Saleh’s current regime.
I hope one day Yemen can return to being Arabia’s Felix.
Check out my older entries from previous visits to Yemen:
HERE,
HERE, and
HERE
Models: Kendra Larkin, Dylan Monroe
Styling, Hair: Lizz Jardim
MUA: Mami Izuka
I did it. It’s over. After an unhealthy amount of all-nighters, I am officially a college graduate. I officially have my life back. I no longer have to dedicate every second to my books and all my projects can finally resume. I have so many photographs and videos to finish editing and to share with all of you! How exciting. Here’s some shots from the last few months..
More soon…