Middle of the Ocean: Sailing
Five days of ocean sailing, long night watches with unimaginable starry skies, breaching whales, large waves, thunderstorms, calm sunset dinner cruises and great friends all have a way of clearing the mind and soul of the accumulated cobwebs of daily busyness. When you are just a speck floating on a huge ocean, the past and future [...]
Home: Scott Kelby Guest Blog
Many thanks to Scott Kelby for allowing me to guest blog for him. And also many thanks to everyone who took the time to read the post and comment. Here is the link to the Scott Kelby Guest Blog.
Haiti: “I will return”
Dr. Ines Espallargas from Barcelona, Spain, a general practitioner, spoke of her recent time in Haiti with the Christian aid group Manto de Guadalupe: My greatest desire was to be able to doctor and heal, or at least relieve, the physical suffering or raise the morale of all the people I could treat. However, my [...]
Haiti: Fasting and Praying
Worshipers gather daily outside the shell of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption to fast and pray. The cathedral, built in the 1800′s, was destroyed by the January 12th quake that also killed the Archbishop. (Canon 5D2, 24-105mm @24mm , 1/800 sec, f4.5, ISO320) Photo ©Copyright Gary S. Chapman 2010
Haiti: Hell on Earth
Just got back from Haiti. I did not spend much time in Port au Prince, really just passed through on the way to an orphanage way out in the country. The amount of debris and trash left on the streets in the capital is staggering. Months after the quake, many people, even now, consider life [...]
Kenya: Best Gift Ever
When was the last time you were overjoyed to receive a brand new toothbrush as a gift? This young orphan in Kenya responds with genuine delight. Moments like this are a constant reminder to me of how little we really NEED. We want more. We don’t NEED more. Often, we don’t even realize that by [...]
Atlanta: a Renewed Interest
A few weeks back, I was asked by Matt Brandon in an interview, why, if I cared for people so much, did I not also shoot local projects. He said, “You don’t have to be in Swaziland to help people. There are all kinds of people in your neighborhood you could help (with your photography).” [...]
Home: Hire Me! Yes Me!
A few weeks ago, author and blogger Donald Miler, wrote a great post about “The Single Most Powerful Question You Can Ask…What if?” He postulates that whenever a novel (or life, he later adds) starts to drag, “the writer simply has to ask this question, and suddenly life gets exciting again.” My question would have [...]
Pakistan: Life of Persecution
Persecuted by Gary S. Chapman | BOOK INFO The persecuted often suffer in silence, not knowing if anyone or even God cares for them. This book project on the persecuted church in Pakistan is an on-going effort to increase the western church’s understanding of what it means to suffer for the faith. What should our [...]
Home: A World Apart
Stock Photography from gary s chapman on Vimeo. Photographing spinning gears, happy couples running on a pristine beach, or creating the illusion of birds flying in a perfect arrow formation are a definite departure from my work as an NGO-humanitarian photographer. This is conceptual stock photography and a world apart from the images of human [...]
World: Identity
Pakistani woman and child living in a tent city after the earthquake in 2005 destroyed her home. Click on the video below to see the short promo piece I did to showcase our NGO, Humanitarian work. Identity-Humanitarian Photography from gary s chapman on Vimeo. All material ©Copyright Gary S. Chapman
Visitors: First 100
One year, one-hundred portrait sessions, 114 visitors (actually 115 since one was pregnant)! The first 100 in one year of shooting is over. We had planned to quit, but realize what a fun community has been created. Quitting now is not an option. We thank each and every one of our visitors. It was a [...]
Home: 10.Q Interview
Heber Vega has started a really fascinating blog about humanitarian/NGO photographers and, hopefully soon, those that hire them. Some spirited comments were aired in the first post in response to Matt Brandon’s interview. We were honored to participate in the second interview. Heber is a humanitarian worker and photographer, originally from Chile, that is based [...]
Texas: Don’t ever compare yourself!
As part of the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference in Texas this past weekend, the speaking faculty had the honor and privileged to mentor some young student shooters. For part of the day, I shadowed Megan Bailey from Union University in Tennessee, offering bits of guidance, as she shot photos in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Her chosen [...]
Home: Depth of Field Interview
Vivian and I had the honor of being interviewed by Matt Brandon of The Digital Trekker for his Depth of Field podcast series. He is an engaging and humorous host to say the least. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him. We talk about shooting humanitarian photography, working as a team and family. Check it [...]
Ethiopia: Benji Update
From Kevin Turner, SWI.org: “While we were able to keep Benji from prison, it was clearly God’s will that he go back to the refugee camp. His malaria, typhoid and severe malnutrition were treated and he was able to eat many good meals. He went back to the refugee camp, not as a refugee, but [...]
Hawaii: Class salutes David
Last year David duChemin of www.pixelatedimage.com and I had a great time teaching at the School of Photography, University of the Nations, Hawaii. This year he wasn’t able to make it but, nevertheless, his wisdom is still being imparted to the new students via his book, Within the Frame. It is required reading for all. Vivian and [...]
Ethiopia: Benji
Benji endured over three years in Eritrean jails, beaten and tortured to deny his Christian faith. He recently escaped, walking hundreds of kilometers to relative safety in Ethiopia. Benji told us of being locked in a suffocatingly hot metal shipping container in the middle of the desert with only two slices of bread and a [...]
Wakeup call
It has been a while since the world has had a tragic wakeup call like that unfolding in Haiti. The massive destruction and loss of life cannot be ignored. Images of pain, suffering, desolation and frustration are criss-crossing the airwaves and internet at an unbelievable rate. We are all a bit numbed. But, our own fragility [...]
Creativity: Parched Land Travels?
For people like nurses, lawyers, construction workers, etc., their jobs often require them to respond to outward circumstances. Their tasks are set before their eyes. For “Creatives,” I mean people like painters, musicians, photographers, etc., making a living from their craft often requires them to respond to something that sparks from within, behind their eyes, [...]
Inspiration: Dave LaBelle
Dave LaBelle | The Lesson from Francis Gardler on Vimeo. This section of the blog, INSPIRATION, focuses on individuals that inspire us through their creativity, insight, originality, artistry and vision. As a launching point for this blog series, I can think of no better inspiration than this video series about photographer/educator Dave LaBelle by Francis [...]
Pakistan: Eyewitness to Violence
A few days before our last trip to Pakistan, we listened to our friend recount, via Skype, the horrors of two attacks on Christian colonies. More than 150 houses were destroyed. At least eight persons were killed. I only have this recording of his words because I was testing a new small recorder I planned [...]
Zimbabwe: Feeding the Entire Person
The teacher told me that during the times of hyper-inflation and acute food shortages in Zimbabwe, their students had difficulties learning. Hunger sapped their energy and ability to concentrate in class. Many just did not bother coming to school. Once the school began a free feeding program, the teachers could see a marked difference in their [...]
Zimbabwe-Creativity
Sometimes we think we have to buy THINGS to solve problems. What about the problem of no desks, no chairs, no pencils or paper? How can these young children in a rural school in Zimbabwe learn to write? They use chalk on the floor to copy what the teacher writes on the blackboard. Obviously, it [...]