Archive for the ‘Photojournalism’ Category
From the other side.
Two days before we left for Mexico Emily and I were stopped on the street by an elderly lady. She asked, “Where did you get that?” pointing at a ribbon-shaped pin I had on my jacket. “World Vision” I replied. She asked me where to buy one - she’d been looking for something like it for years. When I took it off and gave it to her she grabbed me and kissed my cheek. She told us that she had been in Canada for 25 years and that no one had ever given her anything for free. Looking back I consider this the beginning of our trip. The first of many women to tell us little bits of their stories and shower us with affection and grace.
Mexico was different than my other trips. First, travelling with Emily was a wild ride. I haven’t travelled internationally with her since we were 19 (she was with me the first time I travelled overseas). Also, the first time I travelled independent of an organization was to Mexico City. That was 7 years ago. I was desperate to see the world. I remember being on a tourist bus driving out to the pyramids looking longingly out the windows at the communites that whizzed by. I would have rather explored those communities than the pyramids. I wanted to meet people - to talk to them and hear their stories, but I didn’t have the means.
Returning to Mexico City under the banner of World Vision was a dream. The communities that I had longed to see years before were amazingly the ones that I had been sent to photograph. I finally found myself on the other side of that bus window eating and visiting with the families that lived in those communities. This time I was equipped with experience, support and time. I’m constantly amazed (and choked up) at how passions get placed and when the time is right you get brought back to them - to experience them fully.
Winter Archiving
One of my favourite things to doing during the winter is to tuck myself in and go through my archives. I come across photos that I somehow neglected throughout the busy year. I get all excited and can’t wait to share them with you. Here’s a shot from my last trip to Mali. These guys were moving concrete in the Koutiala market.
Let’s Hear it for the New Year (2010 edition)
It’s been exactly a month since I posted my last blog. A very intentional break. I like the silence, taking some time to appreciate being a little older, letting the excitement about the coming year seep in and most importantly reflecting on priority. For me it is a priority to truly see things as they are and shouting out how they could be with a little love and care. To see the vulnerability and humanity in everyone. Not surprisingly I can’t do this until I acknowledge these things in myself. I’m constantly struck by how much we all need the same things regardless of our position in life - community, security, hope. With that in mind - let’s hear for the new year! Together, I think it’s going to be a good one.
To kick things off here is a black and white from Paris. My friend and I found this truck randomly. It was early in the morning and there wasn’t anyone around to ask what the story was. In any case - it was a stark contrast to the neat and upscale area around us.
The Hope Moment
Every photographer wants people to see their photos. In addition to this I hope that people will see my photos and feel an inspired compassion. So it’s very well a dream come true to exhibit my photos during World Vision’s Ottawa Campaign for Children. If you are in the Ottawa area please join us this Thursday July 30th from 6pm-9pm at the Market Media Mall (the “A” Channel building) for an exhibition entitled The Hope Moment. You’ll see 19 of my photos from Ethiopia, South Africa, Brazil and El Salvador.
Above you’ll see the invitation and an article that appeared in today’s 24 Hours (the Ottawa addition) about the exhibit. You can click on them to see them larger. You can also find the Facebook invite here.
Also! If you are in the Ottawa area I will be on “A” Morning at 9:40 am on Thursday.
A Thousand Stories
An exciting part of having a new site is that I get to share whole bodies of previously unseen work with you . I’ve been working on putting up galleries for my trips with World Vision. I shot thousands upon thousands of photos in Ethiopia, South Africa, Brazil and El Salvador . As you can imagine it is quite a task to sort through. The images above are a small preview of what’s to come from the Ethiopia gallery in the next few days. Nicolette and I were there gathering stories about female genital mutilation. The gallery focuses on the stories of women and girls as they cope with the harmful traditional practice. It was quite an experience to get to know these women, to be trusted with their stories and to help them have an international voice.
Some love from the “A” Channel
This morning my new friend Kurt Stoodley called into his Ottawa morning show on the “A” Channel from here in El Salvador. While he reported on our trip, a selection of photos that I’ve taken so far aired as the visuals! I’m pretty excited to see the clip.
Landed and Safe
