A picture is worth a thousand words and after seeing the pictures taken by Courtnee’, our featured talent to watch, you will have a thousand words to say! Courtnee’ is a 20 year old aspiring photographer from Maryland. She’s been passionate about photography since the age of 16. Her work is great and anyone will enjoy looking at her photos. Photography takes skill, creativity, and talent… all of which Courtnee’ has! We took some time to talk to Courtnee’ about photography. Here’s what she had to say…

1. How did you get started in your talent?
I got started with photography when I was in high school. I took a photography class as an elective and fell in love with it instantly! I asked my mom to buy me a camera and I have been taking pictures ever since.

2. What equipment do you use?
I use a Nikon D50 SLR Digital Camera, Sigma 70-300 mm lens and Sigma 28-135 mm Macro lens.

3. Do you have a role model/s in the area of your passion? What inspires you most about them, or have you picked up any tips from them?
Dani Brubaker and Shannon Stewart (of Madison Avenue Photography) are two of my biggest role models. The creativity, beauty and processing of their photos inspire me the most. From both I have picked up on different angles to use and how to style my subjects for a shoot.

4. What are your favorite photography subjects?
Kids! I love capturing every emotion they have from happiness, to sadness, to anger. Their innocence and candidness bring something special to each shoot and make me enjoy what I do even more!

5. What do you hope to do in the future with your talent?
In the future, I hope to be a part-time child model/actor photographer.

6. Are there any special techniques that you use?
The technique that I use the most is shooting with the light coming from behind the camera. This way my photos are not too exposed or under exposed.

7. Maybe photography isn’t as easy as it looks; what are some important things to remember when you photograph?
When you photograph, one of the most important things to remember is lighting. It can make or break your photo. The best light is usually found in the afternoon and 30 minutes before sunset. Other important things to remember are to shoot at different angles and be creative.

8. How do you use photography to express yourself or what do you hope your photos/work say about you?
I use photography to express myself by showing the words that I cannot always speak. When people look at my photos I hope they see my inner thoughts and feelings.

9. How would you suggest newbies to get started in photography?
Research, research, research. There are many helpful links online that will guide you from buying your camera to how to set up for a shoot. Techniques that would take you years to figure out on your own can easily be found with the help of the internet.

10. Besides Photography, what are some of your other talents? What else are you interested in?
One of my other talents is graphic design. I love making banners and composite cards for pageants and modeling. I am also interested in photo processing/retouching and writing poetry.

Check Out More of Courtnee’s Great Photos!

Do you have a unique talent that you’d like to share with the world? Do you write, design, do photography, or have another unique and creative talent? If so, we are looking for you! We would like to put the spotlight on some of you kids/young people. We want to feature all different types of talents, not just those who act, sing, model and dance. If you would like to be featured as our Talent To Watch then please read below for submission information.

If you are an entertainer and want to see if you can be a YBStar, submit yourself HERE

You can be the next featured talent by submitting an email to contribute@youngblackstarz.org with the following *REQUIRED* information. In the subject line put in TALENT TO WATCH: (NAME).

Name
Age
Your Talent
Photo of Talent
Brief Write-Up
Example of Your Talent (photos, videos, writing, etc.)

After your submission is considered by our staff, we will contact to let you know you have been chosen and we will post about you on our site!

Not Easily Broken

Inspired by the book Not Easilly Broken written by Bishop T.D. Jakes, this film follows a couple that has been married for 20 years as they go through their ups and downs. Dave, the husband (Morris Chestnut) and Clarice, the wife (Taraji P. Henson) are faced with asking themselves if they are really meant to be with each other. Dave, though he once dreamed of being a major league baseball player, is the head of a small construction firm while Clarice works in real estate and ends up not seeing Dave’s wants: to start a family with his wife. Clarice soon begins to pay more attention to Dave as a result of a tragic car accident as she notices that Dave may be falling for her physical therapist. Dave and Clarice’s fight to keep what their relationship has built begins here. The couple shows how a twenty year marriage is “not easily broken” despite the different things they may encounter. Members of the cast also include YBS’s very own Kwame as well as Maeve Quinlan, Kevin Hart, Wood Harris, Jenifer Lewis, Niecy Nash, Cannon Jay, and Eddie Cibrian. Not Easily Broken is due out in theaters on January 9th, 2009. Take a look below at other movie releases for the week.

In theaters January 9th

In theaters January 9th

In theaters January 9th

The iPod Touch is a hot item right now! It’s Apple’s latest creation and it’s features are hot! It comes in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB. The iPod Touch features music, movies & TV shows, Safari internet, photos, games, and many different applications. I think the different apps that you can download for your iPod Touch is the coolest feature ever! Check out some of the applications for iPod Touch that I think are pretty cool!

Pandora Radio
I love listening to music and the Pandora Radio App makes that very easy! Pandora allows you to listen to a wide variety of music of all types of genres. It even allows you to create stations that suit what you like. I think Pandora would be an ideal application for any music lover. If you have an iPod Touch, I would recommend downloading Pandora Radio. Oh yea, did I mention that it’s free?!

Tap Tap Revenge
The iPod Touch can be filled with so many cool game applications! One of my favorites is Tap Tap Revenge. It’s a music game but I must say it’s kind of addicting lol! You can play along with different tracks on easy, medium or hard. I also like the game because the colors are vibrant; I don’t like playing dull games haha. Tap Tap Revenge is a free application and I say you should download it and see how fun it is for yourself!

Marble Mash
This is another one of my favorite games. Marble Mash is rather challenging but that’s what makes it extra fun! This game is like a puzzle where you have to tilt your iPod Touch to get the ball to the end of the maze without falling through any holes. I’d say that Marble Mash is very entertaining! It is available in a free version as well as a paid version.

Whether you’re into playing games on the go, keeping in touch with friends, teasing your brain, listening to music or what have you, there’s sure to be an application for you! Just open up your iTunes and browse the App Store. The choices are endless!

There’s no doubt that there were several great album releases in 2008. Here are some of my picks of albums that really stood out:

Mary Mary: “The Sound”

Mary Mary’s album “The Sound” was released in October, and brings a positive and uplifting message who may want to listen. A song on the album “Superfriend” featuring David Banner has a lot of urban flavor and vibe, and other songs like “It Will All Be Worth It” are soothing and moving. Here’s one of my favorite songs from the album, “Get Up”; it’s really inspiring! It makes me want to get up, go for my dreams, and dance: