Darbe Images: Best Photos of 2016

Two Thousand and seventeen can't get here soon enough. Just a few more hours and we can say goodbye to the uniquely bad, 2016. A lot of celebrity deaths this past year. So many of them were 80's stars or icons we grew up with. 😔 My 2015 nightmare prediction that big city liberals would help make Donald Trump the next American president? That came true. Ooof. Terrorism affected my travel plans for the first time this year. I canceled plans for South Africa, shortly after the Istanbul airport bombing. And that city is still having terrorism issues as of earlier tonight. 😞 The Obamas - our generation's greatest POTUS and FLOTUS, are saying farewell to the White House but, word is, they'll still be very active on the social front in the years to come. Can't wait! 

As for my photography? If you hadn't noticed already, my new website is live. Please check it out. I licensed a few of my photos for print projects this year. Most notably was my double page inclusion in the book, "Hip Hop Raised me", which was released worldwide by publishers Thames and Hudson. I shot the WebMD Health Hero Awards with Seth Rogan, Robyn Roberts, Maureen McCormick and a host of other notable celebs, musicians and world renowned medical experts. That was this past November. All in all, it was a good year for me, on the photography front. 

In case you missed them on Facebook or Instagram, here's a few of my favorite shots from 2016.  

 

 

Hip Hop Raised Me

"I'm so proud to have been asked to contribute my photography to this project. DJ Semtex along with legendary publishers Thames & Hudson, have put together an incredible book here. It's an honor to have my work presented along side some of the greatest Hip Hop photographers of all time." - Darby

Hip Hop Raised Me is the definitive volume on the essence, experience, and energy that is hip hop, and its massive and enduring impact over the last forty years. It’s packed with contact sheets, outtakes, and glory shots of artists, collectives, and fans from iconic photographers including Martha Cooper, Henry Chalfant, Eddie Otchere, Normski, Janette Beckman, Chi Modu, Nabil Elderkin, and Mark Humphrey, as well as photographs of hip-hop ephemera and vinyl courtesy of specialist collectors.

With the help of his definitive catalogue of interviews with hip-hop artists from the 1990s to today, conducted at key moments in their careers and including Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Drake, Nicki Minaj, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, and the Wu-Tang Clan, DJ Semtex examines the crucial role of hip hop in society. He reflects on the huge influence it has had on his own life and the lives of many others, providing inspiration to generation after generation of young people. Taking a thematic approach, Semtex traces the characteristics and influence of hip hop from its origins in the early 1970s with DJ Kool Herc’s block parties in the South Bronx, through its breakthrough to the mainstream and advent of gangsta rap in the late 1980s, with artists such as Run DMC, Public Enemy, and Ice T, to the impact of contemporary artists and the global industry that is hip hop today.

Caribbean Vacation - Saint Lucia

I spent my vacation in the Caribbean last week. My friend Danielle and I went to Saint Lucia. We stayed at the La Haut Resort, in a lush jungle above the town of Soufriere and overlooking the infamous Pitons. The staff were extremely friendly and accommodating. They made us feel like family. All the meals were prepared with food from the resort plantation. The grapefruit tasted nothing like American or European varieties. By far the best strain of the fruit I have ever tasted. We had fresh bananas, oranges, coconuts, eggs, bread and meats for breakfast and dinner every day. I highly recommend La Haut for anyone thinking of staying on the island and wanting to steer clear of the tourist center up north in Saint Lucia.

We also spent time swimming in the resort's two infinity pools, drinking the local Piton beer, exploring other resorts, downtown Soufriere, boating, hiking and meandering through the rainforest and botanical gardens. The boating with Sugar and Spice Charters was especially fun. The captain and crew - Mario and Lyndon, treated us to an incredible day of snorkeling and ocean hopping we'll never forget. Another thing we won't soon forget? Hearing American Country music playing in between Reggae and Soca artists on the radio at random. Apparently, the locals loooove it. St. Lucia sure is an interesting place. It was an amazing vacation, we learned a few things and now it's back to work on Monday.

I'm already looking forward to my next adventure. :)