Allow myself to introduce..myself. My name is Rashad Penn, the Bahamian Photographer.

Yes I’m naturally a silly guy. I like funny movies but then again I like all types of movies. Horror, Action, Drama, Suspense you name it I’ve watched something from that genre and enjoyed it. I guess its the artist in me. Ars Gratia Artis and if you didn’t get the joke or realized the intro was a joke, keep reading to the end and it will be explained. So lets start with the introductions already.

Well who is Rashad Penn?

To put it in perspective.

Yes really im a complicated mind in a simplistic body model. So as to not confuse, dumbfound or bore you I will discuss who I am as it pertains to the news i write…Photography

I am Rashad Penn and i am obviously the owner and operator of my own photography business called what else than Rashad Penn Photography. What that means is yeah I’m a photographer. I get paid to shoot people.. well not shoot to harm but hey thats a photographers joke. Im also the bahamian photographer which is also the sister site to rashad penn photography. Before I was RPP however I was simply known as Shadow and Light Photography.

At a young age I used to sneak and take my dads camera and play with it trying to figure out how it worked. I think that’s what got me into trouble but eventually into electronics. Throughout my child hood I was fascinated with how a camera worked. There was no Youtube to search it up all I had was what was in my encyclopedia.

At any junction in life that I had an opportunity to hold a camera u jumped at it, which would explain why I’m in so few of my family photos. Later in life I was able to afford my own camera, a simple point and shoot camera but soon I was able to afford my first SLR camera. Now that was a game changer. In fact I still have that SLR to this day it has to be 20 years old by now.

Fast forward a few years, a small fortune spent on film and its development and then the digital age comes around. By this time a DSLR camera was a waaaay out of my budget so I had to wait. The first chance I got to purchase a DSLR I sure took it. Saved up enough cash to purchase a Nikon D80 when it came out in 2006. It cost me nearly a thousand bucks for a 10mp camera but boy it was worth it.

I could now take a picture and see the image right there and then. This was truly remarkable. Well needless to say I never looked back since.

Ive improved on my skills each year, pushing the limits of the camera until my knowledge of it and what I wanted to do surpassed its capabilities. That’s when I knew it wast time to get a new camera.

I entered a few photography contest, I lost more than I won but I learned valuable lessons that I dared not repeat. My overall break came when I found a local teacher of sorts, seeing that it took him 2 years to accept me but again it was worth the wait. My skills leaped forward as now I had guidance. I enrolled at the New York Institute of Photography for more lessons. I entered more competitions and this time I won more than I lost. It wasn’t until the opportunity was given for me to showcase my work at the Wine and Art Festival  at the National Trust that things became real.

I attended the Wine and Art show from 2010. I performed so badly in 2010 that I took 2011 off to upgrade my skills and my presentation. That year was pretty good.  Came back in 2013 with amazing work and great presentation. 2013 was a magical year for me.

I reduced the amount of images in 2014 to try out larger prints and did the same in 2015 to win the best in show for 2d art.

In 2013 I also had one of my images accepted in the National Art gallery along with another photographer friend.

In the same year of 2013 myself along with three other photographer friends put on the first photography art show in what I was told over 20 years.

Attended the Fstoppers 2014 and 2015 workshops held at the Atlantis Resort. Met some of the worlds best photographers, learned from them and made friends with other photographers from around the world

In the year 2015 I won the Best in show award at the Wine and Art festival held at the National Trust. Which meant so much to me as I went head to head with very great painters and it did my heart well to know that Photography can once again stand side by side as and Art Form amount the greatest. I received damage to my work space during hurricane Mathew and was unable to participate in the Wine and Art Festival in 2016 but I will participate in the 2017 show.

My exploits have been many in the world of photography. My work has been published in numerous magazines and I guess its a big deal so I will add those to this post as time passes. I have delved into small niches of photography here in the Bahamas of the Commercial and Advertising kind.

I am well versed in seascape photography. In fact I dare to call myself an expert in the field. Its the one type of image I capture the most. Fine Art Seascape photography will be the majority of images seen throughout my work and of which I hope to be remembered for.

Im a very proud Bahamian and its because of this pride that I am compelled to capture the culture of my people the fauna of the land and the flora that grows here. I’m continually adding to my data base of images from around the islands and make it a point to travel withing my country when ever I can.

if you didn’t get that intro joke at the beginning…it wasn’t a typo it from a movie