PRIDE London 2017

London Pride 2017 kicked off in colourful style today and for the first time in my life, I
held a Rainbow in the Palm of my hand. I can only hope a Pot of Gold follows. This Rainbow symbolises, hope, peace, love, equality and acceptance for all.

In honour of the 1969 Stonewall riots that took place in Manhattan, Pride Parades around the world have highlighted the needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender to be accepted with equality. The Pride London takes place every year and is held during the summer months. It attracts over one million visitors to the city. Yesterday, 8th June, I attended this event armed with my camera to capture the atmosphere and magical moments of people in full-blown self-expression - It did not disappoint.

I have to say, this Pride Parade was something else. Billions of people on this planet
and we are all fighting for our little piece of heaven on earth. We will only
find this little piece of heaven when we fully accept who we are and without
any shame. Share ourselves authentically with the world. Do not go seeking
approval from anyone, walk the path of life on your own, create yourself
powerfully, follow your spiritual compass, express yourself and let the world
celebrate your unique expression of life. This guy got my full respect. This
man’s expression sums up Pride 2017 for me. This dude was totally naked except
for his covered virtue and high heel boots and yet, I experienced his open
heart.

Today one thing I learnt about Pride 2017 was this whole issue of self-expression.
I saw something, which made me pause for thought about our human family. This
guy, I felt, was a perfect example of someone with a creative sense of style,
devil may care and someone who was waiting for some someone to speak to him. 

Guess who that person was? The Fuji Warrior is first and foremost a people person.
Zero judgment, just an individual armed with a camera and a deck of cards,
ready to acknowledge and make a difference. 

I
engaged him in conversation; he was cool, chilled, easy going with the “Vibe of
Pride”. I got the shot because I asked and told him I admired his expression. He
gave me the exact look I was after.

The very nature of Pride London means you will see and experience a lot of humour. I caught a few shoots that made me laugh, stop me right in my tracks and I just had to acknowledge that people are funny. We are all so different and yet, everyone and I mean every human being on this planet is deserving of respect and love.

The flamboyant, the crazy, the attention seekers all made Pride London a colourful and spectacular Parade.

Finally, I created two images that created a strong contrast to the human story and condition. The man with the poster, made his point loud and clear. The other fella was more concerned about finding a place to lay his head while others paraded to be accepted. Our world is a beautiful place, people make it all go around.

There has got to be someone out there somewhere who actually cares, is that person YOU?

Wow, what a message and moment to come across.

Nothing left to be said.

What are you proud of?

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