Matt Powell Humanitarian Photography :: Blog

My Lightroom catalog is getting huge.  And as I was browsing some old files yesterday I found these pics from the island of Sumatra.  I’d love to have a house like that.  Wouldn’t you?

Some of the missionary doctors serving with their families in Bangladesh…

Just out the back door…

This was my first visit to Bangladesh.  I stayed at a mission hospital documenting the work of missionary doctors and the need for more volunteers.  Hospitals are always challenging- not because of poor lighting.  I have a lot of pictures from this trip that I want to share, so I’ll break them up into a few different posts.  Here’s the first…People.

I just returned from a quick trip to China.  It was my first time there & I found it impressive in terms of its’ urbanism and sheer mass of humanity.  This trip was all business for me with little time for personal shooting.  So I utilized my new iPhone camera to the max.  I did this partly out of necessity, simply because most of what I saw was through a passing car window, but I also took this as a creative challenge.

As they say, “the best camera is the one that’s with you”, and this practice made me appreciate that truth more than ever….of course it also gave me a greater appreciation for a Canon 5D and a 50mm 1.2 …and that’s got to be worth something.  Here’s a few of my iPhone favorites followed by some of what I learned…

Some friendly people in the Market.

I had the chance to interface with people in a way that I often do not when carrying my SLR.  I got an overwhelming sense of awe at the 1-billion-plus unique personalities in China- let alone in the entire world.  Not a one of them the same- just amazing!

This practice forced me to focus on “seeing” a good picture.  Even if I couldn’t fully capture it with the camera in my hand, I actually “thought” about it, when normally I would just start shooting.

My friend Bill had his camera, so I was able to explain to him how I would shoot a scene.  How often do I attempt to articulate that?  Rarely.

With so little technical control, I was forced to consider what subjects I am drawn to photographing and why.

Walking through an Asian market at dusk with nothing but a cell phone camera made me strangely feel naked.  I kept looking around and thinking, “If I only had my camera!”  So what drives this compulsion to experience a foreign place through a camera lens?  I’m not sure, but it definitely feels healthy to do so without one occasionally.

Strictly Business... that's me.

This is Togi. She is on her way to the states for life saving heart surgery.