I Different Look at Things

The other day I listened to a podcast interview from one of the photojournalists that I follow, Esther Havens. She is a brilliant photographer, wise innovator, and overall amazing person. She had some interesting things to say about how she selects the people that she actually works for and how she choses to portray issues in the world.
To me, the most amazing thing that she talked about was how she actually works to tell stories. Often times photographers go out looking for "that shot," the Pulitzer Prize winners, the tear-jerker of a starving kid. The problem with so many of the pictures is that yeah, there's a starving kid but do you even know their name? Their story? Did you do anything about their situation? If you just snapped a picture to make someone feel bad about the way they live their life in excess, are you really fixing anything? People are only motivated by guilt for so long. They are not going to really invest in an organization or ministry because of guilt. They might give some money when they see a sad image but to really communicate the stories, you have to go beyond that snapshot image. This concept of choosing to see the good that is happening and telling stories of hopeful life-change has rocked the way that I want to take pictures. I don't want you just to see the terrible statistics of billions of people that are living life without Jesus, the millions of people in the slave trade today, the thousands of child laborers, I want to help you see what people are actually doing to change those things.

I chose hope.

http://www.thedigitaltrekker.com/2011/05/depth-of-field-esther-havens/

What Should I Do With My Life?

Ever wonder how I came up with the crazy idea of using photography to tell stories overseas? Well that would be a really long story and maybe one day I will blog about it but I will show you someone who has inspired me to believe that my dreams really are possible.

Esther Havens is a super talented humanitarian photography. I could go on and on about her but I would just rather if you would take a few minutes to check out some of her work and read her story:

When I was a little girl I was always snapping photos with my pink and blue 110 film camera. At 12 years old, I took "studio" photos of my cats by positioning them the way I wanted. I also dressed up my brother and sister and made them pose and smile while I clicked away. I bought my first Canon digital Rebel in high school and started learning about f-stop's and shutter speed. Since I was home schooled, I graduated early at the age of 16 and started a junior college in Dallas. While there, I fell in love with the darkroom and black and white images. I had some amazing professors who challenged me to see light and shadow differently. I remember seeing Mary Ellen Mark's work in India and being in awe of how she captured the essence of people.

When I was 18, I traveled to India with Youth With a Mission (YWAM). A group of us lived in a village and volunteered with the local charities, including the local Mother Teresa house. India shaped my vision for what I wanted to do. I really fell in love with the people there and for the first time I knew that I would pursue photography. I came back from that trip and wanted nothing more than to photograph for magazines while traveling the world. I knew that travel and fame alone wouldn't satisfy me because I really wanted to help those in need.

The following year I met an inspiring group of people doing exactly what I envisioned - using photography for global change. I started volunteering for nonprofits at first and slowly got jobs with them. At one point I was photographing in the Democratic Republic of Congo when a severely malnourished child walked by. I snapped an image and thought, "What a great shot." I suddenly realized with a horrified feeling that I was photographing for me and not for them. I had started out wanting to help people, but deep inside I was still looking for that image that would make me the best photographer. After that, I vowed to myself to never again take an image for my own sake, but instead to capture images that empower the individuals I'm photographing. While the child's situation was desperate, he could be photographed in a way that would help tell his story in a positive light. To do this, you have to ponder how that image will affect your audience. I could take the image of a child with flies on his face eating dirt, or I could wait till his mom comes lifts him up and maybe a small smile breaks out on his little face.

I've seen some of the worst and most miserable situations on earth but have still found people with hope and joy. Though they have little to give, they greet me with a smile and offer me a place in their home. I have chosen to search for those stories and document them to challenge viewers to not simply view but to act. In my mind, acting can best be done in the form of giving - giving time, giving resources, giving hope. World change can happen if we would all be willing to give up a piece of ourselves to another. It doesn't have to be on a global scale; giving can happen in your neighborhood. Through my photography and my travels, I have learned that in giving you find more of yourself than anywhere else.

http://estherhavens.com/