2011 In Review IV.

November 5.

UVA did it again as they brought Kendrick Lamar and Stalley one year after they brought Big Sean and Mac Miller for their first SHHO show in Charlottesville. It was definitely an honor to meet K. Dot and see him perform. Hard to not see great things in his future. Definitely full of energy and hard to photograph with him flying everywhere. I don't have anything smart to say here. It was a quality show even though the wait was killer. Killer in a bad way.

2011 In Review III.

April 11.
When one half of the Clipse wants to come to your school you let him. When he wants to talk about books you let him. This is a university right? The book is about Christianity? Fine but only because he's Malice. All that aside, Malice's lecture was thought-provoking and got a lot of SHHO members involved. It was so successful we did it again at least three other schools. Plus we got our pictures taken with him and his giant Re-Up Gang chain.

2011 In Review II.

March 2.
To be considered a real photographer, you just need to own a lot of cameras. That's the trick that young people my generation do not understand. They want to use film. Well they should just hit up their local Urban Outfitters and buy a couple Holgas. Instagram counts as well. With that said, this photo of Rebecca at the grocery store was one of the first I took with my new Lumix GF2. She doesn't look very pleased in the photo, not because I didn't help her carry the basket but because I got the new Lumix GF2 in black instead of pink. Today, there is a newer Lumix GF3 which Lumix should send over.

2011 In Review I.

January 14.
It's that time of year again. That time of year where I begin this blog by saying, "It's That time of year again." Well it is. So besides hearing what the top ten albums of 2011 were from some Asian kid, here's to looking back on this past year. Call it the Duy Nguyen Photo Hour.

We went to In Your Ear Recording Studios this night and to shoot a little video for an upcoming collaboration between Nickelus F and Lee Major for Nick's latest mixtape, Faces. Also to show off our new SHHO hoodies that we got printed that day. Ok, so Nick didn't end up using the track heard in the video and we weren't really recording to anything. We just wanted to make a video okay?

The picture above is of me telling Nick to freestyle into this mic we found and set up. Great direction from a great director. Looks so believable right? I'm pretty sure we were allowed to be in there.

Holidays with Nature.

Never Extinguish.

There's always something that draws me to the culture of the skateboarder. There's this mystique that comes in this type of athlete. An almost superhero, Robin Hood character. A humble servant whose master is whatever dictates what rad means to them and their brethren. Some may see them as hoodlums and miscreants but I view them as living, moving agents that release an artform among the streets. And what better way to see that then in the video above. Obviously drawing off of Romain Gavras's STRESS video for Justice, Rune Glifberg and fellow Danes skate Buenos Aires for an energy drink.

A Full Time Gig.

So in celebration of my new job at Mondial, the guys decided it would be a great idea to throw me a giant party, invite all the big execs and creatives from all the ad agencies in town and tell them how awesome their new editor is. Okay so maybe the party wasn't for me but I did talk to some creatives and told people how awesome I was. Here are some pictures of our friends I took from the night and an Epic video of a turkey with nothing else to live for.

By the way, check out the new site at MNDL.com.

Go All Day.

When I was in grade school, around the same time the Tony Hawk Pro Skater video games came out, all of my friends picked up a skateboard. My mother was terrified of the idea of me bombing hills and jumping down stair sets on a piece of wood, she refused to let me get a skateboard and hang out at the skateparks or any of the spots around town. Instead I picked up a guitar stole all the girls from my buddies. Take that. Anyways, some days I sit and wish I was a kid again and this video definitely evokes that mindset. If I was a 17 pro skater by the name of Chaz Ortiz.

Kitty Hawk!

I edited this piece over at Mondial for a band out of Richmond named Ki:Theory. The footage was shot by Nick Wurz of Mondial and Johnny Hugel over a Halloween weekend opening for Passion Pit in Charlottesville and Norfolk.

James River Shorts Winner.

Thanks to everyone who attended the James River Shorts at the VMFA this past Friday. We saw a lot of great films ranging from low budget experimental and animations to big crew movies from all over the United States. Congratulations to all of the finalists and those who supported Faces as we brought home a Best of VA Award.

Swag.

There's nothing like swag. No, not the kind that makes you walk funny. I stopped by Need Supply today and got caught up with what they're doing. You've probably seen the catalogues and videos out recently but they're getting ready for the holiday season and from what I've seen and heard, it'll be a good season for them. I've signed on for another video for the holidays and this one should be fun and cold to shoot.

Faces Tape.

Nick took his birthday to give us all his latest tape, Faces. Download it here.

Kendrick/Stalley.

This weekend I headed over to our more preppy campused, equally dope chapter of SHHO at UVA. They hosted Stalley and Kendrick Lamar and showed everyone a good time. Great job to Tobin, Chuck and everyone else over at UVA and UPC to make this happen.

Faces.

Nickelus F's trailer for his upcoming album Faces dropped the other day. The short is also a finalst in the James River Shorts Festival and will be screening on the big screen at the VMFA on November 11th. Thanks to Jonathan Nestor, Forrest Pando, Jasce Burrow, Ric Hatcher, Jordan Davis, Jessica Lynn Greenfield, Steve Boone, Phil and everyone else who made this possible.

Meet Your Maker.

Kendrick Lamar and Stalley Show.

More info here.

DTMD Show.

More info here.

Need Lookbook A/W 2011.

You saw the video a few weeks ago. Here's some of my favorite pictures from the actual lookbook shot by Ashley Florence for Need Supply Co. Most of the looks were shot on her Yashica and Hasselblad medium format cameras. Check out the rest of the photos on the Need site.

Drive.

To me, this movie was perfect for what it is. I wanted to write a review being overly sarcastic and saying how bad it was but I can't even do that. Plus I'm lazy. For example, Ryan Gosling is not a stud muffin. Bryan Cranston sucks and no one likes Breaking Bad. Carey Mulligan wore too many clothes that didn't help the mood of the film. It didn't turn into a horror flick for a segment of the movie. There wasn't an Oldboy hammer fight scene. The soundtrack sounded like M83 pooping out a Daft Punk record. No one likes pink type. There was too much dancing and singing and not enough exploding heads. Too many zooms not enough one take wide angle shots. Too much dialogue Now check these stills!

Meet the Maker.

Come to Need Supply tomorrow night for a little get together with Raleigh Denim found Victor Lytvinenko as he introduces Raleigh Womens. I'll be there with my entourage of lenses. Oh yeah, you can win some expensive pants too!

SHHO Reel.

The Range.

We spent our last days in the mountains doing the only thing we could do. Hop in the beamer to go shoot a shit ton of guns. It was my first time shooting and I was handed a shotgun, an AR and some sort of loud, deadly handgun. We arrived at our destination and switched to a more powerful machine to crossed the river. Sitting in the back of a truck looking at the gate closing behind us made it very reminiscent of the days I would go to Chuck E. Cheese and play the only shooter they had. That Jurassic Park game. You know what I'm talking about.

Graves Mountain.

This past weekend Rebecca and I went West to the mountains where we stayed in a cabin and ate a bunch of food that somehow involved an apple in the meal. We brought Riley and needless to say it was pretty fun and relaxing. It was a weekend of many firsts for me. I had never gone horseback riding before so I got the chance to do so on a nice little trail around the whole mountain. More pictures after the jump.

Imagine.

Here's the last video I did with Whoa. Get money haha.

Lost in Translation.

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire's mixtape Lost in Translation dropped a few weeks ago and ever since he's been making news all over the internet. Here are some photos from his first and last show ever at Webster Hall in NY.

Download it here.

 

Rice.

This is Rebecca. The other half of A College Project. Those of you who know me know her and those of you that don't, here she is. When I'm not making her sit around and look cute, she works as a graphic designer, web developer, graphic artist for an ad agency in Maryland. Fresh out of school and making bank her first year. I'm talkin' buku money! Anyways, we're celebrating her birthday this weekend so you can see me riding bitch on her Ducati. Peace.

Need Supply Shoot.

Around this time last month I went out with friends from Need Supply to shoot some footage for their upcoming Autumn/Winter season. I had done something like this before but that was more of a behind the scenes shoot. This time we tried to have something that could standalone as a sort of lookbook itself. Not to say that we didn't take advantage of this time and shoot something for the catalogue as well, we did. Here are some of photos I snapped from the side.

Ashley and Luke came up from North Carolina with rolls on rolls on rolls of film for the shoot. We dragged out our friends and shot over two days at numerous locations throughout Richmond. Here's our stylist Ali getting Cody ready to head out. Don't mind the booties.

Need Supply Autumn/Winter 2011.

Here is the video for Need's Autumn/Winter 2011 lookbook video. I'll post some behind the scenes stuff tomorrow.

Mr. Rager.

It's been a while since I personally had Kid Cudi on my radar. I had listened to MOTM non-stop and when MOTM came out, it was cool too. Maybe it didn't do it for me as its predecessor did. Maybe I just have never done drugs to be able to relate or see what he was seeing. Maybe the tunes weren't as banging. Or maybe it was that stupid ass Erase Me video with Kanye. Whatever it was I'm glad to see this new video from him.

Tonight: Big Sean & Nick F.

Huzzah!

On the past NY trip we hung out with Exquire. Nicest dude you'll ever meet who raps about anal.

For the past year or so the west coast has clenched its five fingers into a very tight grasp on hip-hop music. There seems to be something for every party: blunt-enlightening social righteousness on the couch, ass rape swag speeches from the skateboard soapboxes of Fairfax, and wherever stream of consciousness verses are rapped and repeated. But emerging out the wood work, for rap geography’s sake, is a new class of New York hip-hop including the likes of ASAP Rocky, Action Bronson, Matthew Ragazino, and twenty-six year old Crown Heights native Mr. Muthafuckin’ Exquire.

King.

Here's the music video from Corey McLemore's mixtape, The Definition, directed by yours truly. The song is called King.

Check it out and download the mixtape at his site here.

Nathan Mills Guitar.

Be sure to check out my good friend Nathan Mills' new website. He recently moved out of my luxurious mansion and got himself a full graduate assistantship at East Carolina University where he's going to get his masters in playing the guitar or something. Anyways he's got a new website up, designed by the very own Rebecca Rice of ACP, so check it out if you have kids that want to learn how to play some guitar or like neutral colors.

Jonathan Mannion.

It was a surreal moment cramming into that little elevator with five other grown men. The awkward ride up gave me time to reflect and come to terms that in a few seconds, if this thing doesn’t break and kill us all, I’m going to meet the dude of hip hop photography. Doors open and we step into Jonathan Mannion’s studio in Manhattan.

His passion for his craft and hunger and drive to achieve the next step in any goal makes him a quintessential artist. New York City is known for talent but also to chew up fakes and lames. It’s always good to see a hard working individual rise up and take what’s his.

After the interview and the stories, I quietly walked up to him with my little camera strapped around my shoulder and from one photographer to another, we shook hands. No words exchanged, none needed. With that said here’s the last video of the Mannion series, as well as the last video from that New York trip.

Part II and III after the break.

Let It Grow: Mel D. Cole.

If you're familiar with the NY nightlife scene I'm sure you've run into this guy one time or another. We met up with photographer Mel D. Cole of Village Slum to give you this segment of the Let It Grow series.

Edited by Forrest Pando.

Months Ago.

Found these old photos on my camera of when we took pictures of the SHHO clothes for the online shop. Elijah, Paul, Arnold and myself had picked up some supplies around town and got to working. Pretty decent set up if you ask me.

More after the break and make sure you check out the store for the remaining items.'

Different Faces.

Here are two behind the scenes stills, taken by my friend Jonathan Nestor, for an upcoming video. The video is ready to drop just when I get the OK from the artist. I'm sure he'll tweet you all when it's out.

Let It Grow: Rob Stone.

We sat down with the man in charge of Cornerstone and The Fader magazine to talk about success and my 401k.

Let It Grow: Dru Ha.

Head-On Review

At its core, Gegen die Wand, better known as Head-On to American audiences, is simply a love story. Even though the boy may be a 40 year old depressed drunk and the girl a suicidal, philandering woman, Faith Akin’s take on this conventional narrative of “boy meets girl” still remains simple. It is this simplicity that makes Head-On such a strong film.

Let It Grow: Raekwon.

Part two after the break.

Let It Grow: Clipse.

It's been a long time my friends. Here's something to keep you occupied.

Fortune First/L Media Music.

Here's the video I did with Whoa and L Media Group.

Gensler.

Here's the write up from Neil and the SHHO on our visit to David Gensler and the KDU's office in Brooklyn. Click here for more.

FFXIII Gameplay Trailer.

Final Fantasy XIII is another game that falls into the "I Would Totally Get This If I Had Time To Play It" category along with such titles as Heavy Rain and L.A. Noire. And when considering I'll be finished with school soon, jobless and nothing to do, I might just finally indulge in the world of the stay-at-home-homeless-person.

I'm not going to lie, I only watched the first bit of this video but one of the reasons I respect well made video games like this is that it really does fall into what I see as Cinema. Now you obviously don't have the same dynamics on a video game as you do on set, no physical camera operation, no metering, no yelling at the grips for slacking off, but what you do get instead is something very exclusive only to the creation of a video game. What that is I have no idea but I imagine it to be just as collaborative, which is what being on a set really is. Teamwork.

Great Britain.

First off, I would just like to apologize for my horrible semi-pun titles that I have made and will continue to do. Now that we have all recognized that. This is Britt Sebastien's studio. I feel like I'm probably one of the last people in Richmond that know Britt to blog about him, but honestly I only met him the other day. Britt is days away from being a graduate of VCU and is already running a successful screen printing shop, but what most people know him for is his Hollywood Cemetery clothing line.

Fortune First.

Richmond rapper Whoa and I linked back up to shoot a video for his upcoming single Fortune First/L Media Music. We decided to switch it up a little bit and shoot the whole think in pitch black. Just kidding. Anyways more pictures after the jump and the video soon.

SHOW: Foreign Exchange.

Too Illusive.

Shomi and Robert of Illusive Media stopped VCU by a few weeks ago to talk about thangs they've done. They kind of lost me when they suggested that I fake it 'til I make it, but nevertheless they've worked with some big names in hip hop and have come a long way due to their hard work. Props to them, props to all!

Gensler Says.

Call of the Dead.

Here's a trailer for two of the things I like best. Movies and video games. Sort of.

Black Girls x White Dudes.

A few friends and I met up with a few other friends and made this little video of friends being friends. Black Girls is a Richmond based "Snuff Rock" band on the up and up. For more information check out their still used MySpace here. Shot on Red.

Keys Open Doors Recap.

Here's a little recap of the show on Saturday in Charlottesville. Collectively edited and shot by Forrest Pando and myself. Features the Clipse, TiRon, Phil Adé and Nickelus F.

Check out photos of the night here.

Keys Open Doors.

Stopped by the Jefferson Theatre in Charlottesville, VA yesterday to see the Clipse perform. It always a good time when the different SHHO chapters meet together under one roof. UVA SHHO hosted this monumental show. Nickelus F from Richmond, TiRon from LA and Phil Ade from DC all made it out to this as well.

More pictures after the break.

Enforce the Law.

Make Some Noise.

Understand Me.

I think this was the third music video I ever did. Anyways it was shot around a year ago and you can download the song HERE.

HEF I.

Welcome to the first post of an ongoing series called Half Eaten Food. On anyone's travels, one must eat. This is what I have. More after the break.

PHOTOS: Malice @ VCU

More pictures at SHHO & PROVE and HERE.

Keys Open Doors.

RSVP

YouTube Line Up Playlist

Poster by NikBuela and VLGG.

Untitled.

Open Shop.

The SHHO shop is now officially open to the public. In the past, to rock the coveted SHHO Classic Hoodie, one must have either been apart of the organization or slept with someone who was and stole it the morning after. You could also skip those two factors and be Raekwon the Chef. Either way we've worked long and hard to put this one out along with a few other items for sale at the shop. Welcome to the club and keep on looking good.

More pics after the jump.

Amsterdam Destroyer.

In this culture, whatever you want to call it, trends come and go as fast as (insert joke here). From raw denim to denim jackets, it's almost more cool to hop off the bandwagon before it even gets too loaded. The ad guys at Nike have done it right however. It's almost undeniably cool to see Clint Eastwood smoking a cigar, James Dean and his leather jacket. That's why when I get out of this rut of saving money on things that matter, I'm getting myself a Nike Destroyer Varsity jacket.

The Real Beastie Boys.

So many cameos in here. Don't be surprised if you see yours truly in the background! Or at least someone who plays yours truly.

Bold Choices.

For those who personally know me, I'm not a fan of alcohol. For those who know me intimately, I'm even lesser fan of advertising for alcohol. But for those who know me more than I know myself, I like Willem Defoe. So here's a nice little video with Willem Defoe in it.

Cassette Chronicles.

Check out our friend Nitty Scott and go download her debut mixtape.

Back By Popular Demand.

Malice will be stopping by VCU Monday, April 11th to talk about his new book along with doing all the other things famous people do. Sign things, pose for pictures, dap others up, the usual.

VCU Final Four Aftermath.

The age old question of the chicken or the egg. Would Richmond have acted this way if it wasn't for the presence of the riot police? No doubt alcohol and just a plain adrenaline rush fueled the lighting of fires and throwing of garbage cans into stores, but whenever you get a mass group of people together for a common cause and then add police presence, you're bound for a good video. Doesn't hurt that it was edited by the same guys who did all those Geico commercials.

Nitty Gritty.

Final Four.

Chasing Forever.

Here it is as promised. Millz latest mixtape Chasing Forever. Brought to you by 2AM, The SHHO and A College Project.

Download it here.

Koyunbaba!

Here's the proof that I have some classy friends. At least some trained in classical guitar. This is Nathan Mills rocking out to Koyunbaba by some fancy old guitar dude.

Where Ya Paper At.

Here's the video for Whoa's 'Where Ya Paper At' featuring Sean Ray, I did a few weeks ago.

TWK x ZOO.

The ACP team headed to the National Zoo for some research and inspiration. Don't let the title fool you, we're just trying to finish off that stupid 'x' symbol people misused and killed a while ago. Now there's nothing like taking a metro. I feel like you can tell a lot about a whole culture of an area, whether it be DC, NY, London, or Tokyo, just by sitting and observing.

More pictures of cute animals and things after the jump.

Norfolk.

We took a ride yesterday towards the beach to go to the mall. Now this wasn't any ordinary mall, they claimed to have ice cream from the future. After the extreme disappointment of a small cup filled with little frozen pebbles, we decided to proceed with what we drove all this way to do. Much like you will proceed from reading about DippinDots to something actually meaningful.

Here we are with Gene Thornton, better known Malice from the Clipse, shooting a quick promotional video for his upcoming college lectures at UVA, W&M and VCU. We tried to switch things up from a backdrop of big black booties to computer repair shop.