A sexy little collaboration between photographer Piper Carter and artist Ogechi Chieke. Model is Cody Thronton. Complete credits can be found at Ogechi's space on Vimeo. Piper says this is one piece of a series that will be exhibited-- probably at her new gallery in Detroit.

A couple of weeks into my Liberia trip, my father took me to meet some of the wood carvers from the Liberian Carvers' Association. He'd befriended them when he enlisted their help in acquiring a piece of redwood for one of his many pet projects. The gorgeous little guy is the grandson of the old man, who's showing off a piece of his son's work.

I love these plates from William Ismael, a motion director and graphic artist based in Paris. They're a functional marriage of delicacy and masculinity-- and so would probably make a great wedding gift. Purchase them-- or a smattering of other Ismael-designed products-- from his online boutique.

A global citizen, director/designer Ismael was born in the south of France and raised in Paris, Milan, New York and Los Angeles. And he's a polymath of serious proportions: he's earned a couple degrees, had a record deal with Warner Bros. France at 16, and has appeared in Vogue-- as a model.

I met this knowing young man in Korma, the village where my grandmother was laid to rest last year. This isn't the best shot I captured of him, though; the best is a group shot with some of the other village children. While they smile and play to the camera, this fellow is sitting apart from the huddle, brow furrowed and head cocked-- as if to say, "What the f*ck?"

His skepticism (presumably of me)-- and the fact that he was positively, adorably swimming in his dashiki-- only served to draw me further in. He must have sensed my energy, which may account for his age appropriate softness here.