Biography

Born in New York City, raised in Harlem as an only child…  Alfonza Coleman III aka “Al,” had a passion for the arts & crafts at a very young age.  He especially loved drawing.  A trait inherited from his late grandmother J.H. Blades & his Uncle Ivan.  He spent many weekends with his grandmother and she enabled him to express himself through his artwork.  His Uncle Ivan, often sent him customized gift cards for his birthday, holidays and just because he felt like it – his Uncle being a very talented artist himself.  Al was just a natural; he had a natural eye and could create masterpieces from sight or from memory.

Later on in life, he attended high school at A. Philip Randolph CHS and in his senior year he met and befriended his photography & art class teacher Mr. Biles.  He was a top student in both his classes and then Al joined the yearbook committee that Mr. Biles supervised as the photo editor and was given his first camera, a simple Canon Digital 5.0 MP.  It was love at first click for Al; the yearbook was a huge success.  Al was around for every event; some students even nicknamed him “Mr. Paparazzi,” because he was always around clicking.  This love affair continued, and he carried it to college at Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden, New York.  He studied Digital Photography A.S.

Five years later and after a lengthy photography sabbatical… he purchased his first DSLR Camera, a used Canon EOS Rebel XS from a co-worker who was upgrading his own camera equipment.  It was the perfect start up camera to rekindle his love for photography.  Wasting no time, he jumped head first into his very first project as the set photographer for a movie called “Love, Sex & Kung Fu,” written and executive produced by his martial arts instructor, Professor Mahaliel Bethea Sr. better known in the entertainment world as “Sensei Mo.”  He was nervous at first and had forgotten a lot about the basic functions of a REAL camera, but he was determined and he re-taught himself through trial and error. Fortunately, his EYE for THE SHOT never left him.  His photos for the movies were a huge hit among all those involved with the project, and a lot of work followed.

In early 2011, he started Alcole Photography on facebook, twitter & Model Mayhem.  From models, to actors, athletes, makeup artists, hairstylists, designers and just people that wanted to work with his brand.  Alcole Photography is building a name for himself.  He takes a personal approach to his business.  It’s all about building valuable relationships with his clients.  He understands the importance of delivering more than a just a pretty picture… The job is to communicate a specific message to a predetermined audience in a way that will stand out and get noticeable results.  That is what visual communication is all about.  His shoots are fun, chill & creative.  He offers direction in both posing and expression, patiently walking you through the shoot and no matter what your experience level to make sure you rock it.  Not just his shoot, but the next one as well.

“Let me get my camera out, put the flash on, and I want you to pose so I can picture you doing your thing” - derived from Swizz Beatz’ 2007 song titled “Take a Picture”