I’m spending 2 days this week learning about cinematic storytelling from the guys/gals at Stillmotion. They not only produce amazing work but are doing a fabulous job teaching this event. It’s a Canon sponsored event too so there’s an unlimited amount of gear to play with and learn about. Lots of fun! I’ll try to do a write up when it’s over. Here’s the caravan blog and here’s some of the promo videos about the event…..
I want to notify my visitors about a new blog on humanitarian photography started by Heber Vega. Heber is a humanitarian aid worker, photographer (and now blogger) based in Northern Iraq. He kicked things off with an interesting series called 10.Q, which will consist of 10 interview questions posed to a different photog each week. It seems to have already galvanized a lively community of readers.
Here’s my 10.Q interview. Check it out and bring your comments/questions. And check out Heber, better yet, add him to your blog roll.
Last month Samaritan’s Purse launched a beautifully BIG photo blog. And right now it’s a great place to see real time, large image coverage of the Samaritan’s Purse relief efforts in Haiti. I’ve been trying to update it every day with new images. Every day since the earthquake there’s been at least 1 photographer on the ground shooting. Check it out here… and check back often. We’ll be posting images from all over the world soon.
During December I visited Cameroon where I took a week off to document the work of a local grassroots NGO called Life Water Development. LifeWater is headed by a man named Peter Njodzeka who is quite honestly one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met. I won’t attempt to tell his story now- I want to save it for the video- but just believe me when I say that Peter is passionate about helping his own community, starting with providing clean water to schools in some very remote locations. Peter’s work is supported by another great organization named Thirst Relief- you should definitely check them out here. More pictures from Cameroon coming soon….
In other news- I’ve been asked to encourage my visitors to check out a humanitarian photography competition sponsored by Photocrati. It is for Non-professionals and has been described to me as “a rare opportunity to get both funding and a platform for becoming known in the photography world. It provides $5000 grants to non-professional photographers working on important humanitarian and environmental projects. The grant is intended to identify great up-and-coming photography talent and give them a high profile platform for carrying out a worthwhile project”.
Sounds like a great way to get your name and work out there. Go here to learn all about it .
Also, I’m heading to Hatii on Tuesday. I’ll be looking for glimmers of hope. Stay tuned for more on that…
As someone who shoots weddings on the side, I’ve started to believe that really good wedding photographers are some of the best shooters on the planet. Now here’s a project that just might prove me correct. 14 wedding photographers on assignment in Tanzania to document the relief projects of Thirst Relief. I’m excited to see the images that come from this. You can follow their blog here. Looks like they will also be doing a bridal fashion shoot on location, with images to be published in the Spring 2010 edition of Grace Ormonde|Wedding Style Magazine. What an innovative way to obtain high quality images and further a good cause!
Evidently Thirst Relief’s founder & president Jim Hicks is a wedding photographer himself, visit his website here.
Today I had the opportunity to write a guest article for the blog of my favorite author & photographer David DuChemin. It’s called Dream Globally, Act Locally, & it’s about pursuing your passion in photography.
Please take a read here.
Here is a GREAT article in the New York Times about how the enormously fashionable relief organization charity: water was started. Scott Harrison was quite simply a missionary photojournalist for Mercy Ships who had a spiritual awakening. I LOVE this story because it clearly establishes the direct connection between visual storytelling and the ability to tangibly help others overseas. This was just one guy with a camera and a serious vision from God. I know of other organizations that were started in exactly this same way, but Scott’s story clearly points out the power we have as concerned photographers to truly make a difference with our passion and our skills. Of course, in the case of charity: water it also points to an appropriate utilization of Web 2.0 marketing techniques- another topic that should interest all of us considerably.
As humanitarian photographers; socially concerned, Christian, or otherwise, we have an enormously powerful set of skills and tools at our disposal. Of course, as David DuChemin frequently reminds us, “gear is good, vision is better”. Therefore we must constantly dig in to discover what we want to say visually, what we want to do with these skills that we’ve been blessed with- then design our plan for making it happen.
A big thanks goes to Esther Havens for pointing out the NYT article- whom by the way has her own story that I really admire.
I’m looking forward to this:
PDNPulse: PDN Seeks Submissions For: The Concerned Photographer.