A worker feeds a child with disabilities.

A child brushes his teeth at the children's home.

Children play in the shadow of the Bal Bhavan children's home.

Children at Bal Bhavan praying before bedtime.

“We’ve found babies in the trash dumps.”

“We’ve found babies in the train toilets, on the train tracks.”

“We’ve found babies at our doorsteps.”

“People leave babies at the hospital sometimes.”

“In Hindi, the word orphan means ‘a godless child.’  So we call this place a children’s home. Bal Bhavan (the name of the home) literally means ‘children’s palace.’ We want them to be able to call this place their own home.”

–Lashi Lall Howard–Director of Bal Bhavan Children’s Home.

We have all seen them…ads asking us to support orphaned kids. Who do you believe? Who do you support? Well, I have seen these kids CICM helps. Their workers are amazing. Your money won’t be wasted here. CICM–Central India Christian Mission supports around 4,500 children throughout India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Bal Bhavan is home to 98 children.  Click CICM to help. NEWS UPDATE**Just found out another 350 kids were supported yesterday after people viewed video and photos produced by Andrew Tucciarone, Jon Sturdevant and myself. A few weeks ago 225 people stepped up to help kids too. This should be very encouraging to all photographers and workers in this field.

All Photographs copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D3s, 50mm f1.4, 1/400 sec, f1.4, ISO 2500)

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/6400 sec, f1.4, ISO 200)

(Nikon D3s, 70-200mm f2.8 @85mm, 1/320 sec, f7.1, ISO 200)

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/125 sec, f2.5, ISO 4000)

Buddhism: A Buddhist monk circles Boudanath Stupa in Nepal while spinning his prayer wheel.

Hinduism: Hindu Sadu at Pashupatinah, Nepal

Islam: Muslim men praying at Jama Masjid in Delhi, India.

Christianity: New Christian believer being baptized in Delhi, India.

Four faiths all leading to the same place? The same end? Can everyone be right? Are there multiple roads to eternity that all join together as they near a place called heaven? Can I do enough good works to merit a place in heaven? What do I really deserve? Is it us vs them…a fight to the death? Can I neglect every faith and still be right with God? Are there millions of gods? How do I chose one? Can a modern intellectual really believe in a god? Am I a god? Are we asking enough questions? Are we giving up on God, eternity, heaven and the pursuit of truth because it is all too confusing?

My intent with this post is to encourage readers to continue asking questions about faith and not to offend anyone.

All Photographs copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D3s, 70-200mm f2.8 @145mm, 1/1600 sec, f2.8, ISO 3200)

(Nikon D3s, 70-200mm f2.8 @122mm, 1/800 sec, f2.8, ISO 400)

(Nikon D3s, 70-200mm f2.8 @180mm, 1/400 sec, f2.8, ISO 400)

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/6400 sec, f1.4, ISO 200)

70-200mm 2.8 Villager in central India. Originally tried 24mm but did not like distortion. I was shooting this tableau and the man walked out...perfect.

50mm 1.4 Woman and her offering at Boudanath Stupa, Nepal.

24mm 1.4 Woman sick with fever, Mission Hospital, India

The combination of lenses I use when I travel is constantly changing. On one trip I will go super light, so light that I, on purpose, don’t look like a pro. Other times I will carry everything from 14mm up to 300 and throw in a tilt shift and an extender just to test airline weight restrictions and build a few extra muscles. But for the last several trips I have standardized on three lenses: 24, 50, and 70-200. This simplicity of glass is suiting both my back and my creativity. Sure, without the wide and mid zooms I have to move my body more. But the fast 1.4 primes and 6400 clean files have opened up new opportunities to capture moments in near darkness. A caveat though — shooting at 1.4 is a bit dicey on the focus. I often have less than an inch of sharp critical focus. You’ve got to get the focus spot on the eye.

As David Duchemin always says, “Gear is good vision is better”. Make conscious, informed decisions about your gear choices. Experiment. Get comfortable with your choice and then let the creativity flow.

All Photographs copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D3s, 70-200mm f2.8, 1/640 sec, f2.8, ISO 400)

(Nikon D3s, 50mm 1.4, 1/100 sec, f1.4, ISO 4000)

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/100 sec, f1.4, ISO 2000)

One newborn of twins abandoned at railway station in India.

This child is more fortunate than many babies abandoned in India. She and her twin sibling were found in a railway station and immediately rushed to the Mission Hospital run by CICM, Central India Christian Mission. Just two days old in this photo, the twins will become part of the growing family of children given shelter in the home run by CICM once they gain their strength and can leave the hospital.

The home has taken in many children abandoned for different reasons — an unwed mother fearing the stigma of raising a child alone, birth defects, extreme poverty or couples wanting a boy instead of a girl. Should you care to help any of the orphans being helped by CICM, please check out their site: Central India Christian Mission.

Photograph ©Copyright Gary S. Chapman 2011
(Nikon D3s, 50mm 1.4, 1/400 sec, f1.4, ISO 250)

Explore extreme angles. Glorious is one of the main workers at Land of a Thousand Hills coffee washing station.

Find a background that relates to subject's story. Pastor Pius, a survivor of the genocide, ran for his life and hid for days in a banana plantation. He said, "Every face you see on the streets carrries a hidden pain from the genocide. No one has been untouched."

Just wait for a good reaction or expression. Sophia was orphaned by the genocide. The non-profit side of Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee, (www.drinkcoffeedogood.com) has been able to supply her basic needs for housing, food and schooling.

Look for graphic lines and color. Amie, 23, is chief of fermentation at Ruli Washing Station. Here he is in a fermentation tank. "Before coffee my life was very bad. I was an orphan. I lost my family in the genocide. Because of coffee, I get money and I am succeding."

Have you ever felt the almost paralyzing fear of realizing you have 5 minutes to pull off a story-telling, engaging portrait and nothing seems to be working in your favor? There is no time to set up the lights you brought, even though you ditched your mantra of “carry-on luggage only” to bring the extra bag all the way to Africa. You feel a great creative void inside from whence ideas used to flow like a cool mountain creek. You hear the imaginary tick-tock of the clock that tortures you with the truth that time is running out and the harsh mid-day sun — that is horrible for portraits — is making you sweat on top of your already nervous sweating.

Then you see a beam of light crossing an old wooden wall in the church or you remember seeing an interesting mud texture on a wall. Suddenly, your mind clears a bit and you visualize how a colorful graphic alignment of lines could make a great background. You remember your subject spoke about hiding for his life in a banana plantation… “I can use that as my background,” you sigh in relief. Creative ideas begin to slowly push aside the fear of failure. Time is still pressing in, but now you have a visual hook to hang your portrait on.

When I have to do portraits under extreme time pressure, I look for certain elements that I can place my subject into:

1) Beams of light or pools of light

2) Textured backgrounds

3) Extreme angles

4) Story-related backgrounds

5) Comfortable location where I can have a conversation that may elicit a great expression

6) Graphic lines and colors.

All of these choices of background should help the viewers to understand something more about the people and their story.

I don’t know about you, but I am certain all these ideas don’t just pop into my head from nothing. I am learning to relax more and actually enjoy the creative process that goes from nothing to something as I push fear aside and rely on solutions that come from God’s creativity.

All Photographs copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/160 sec, f7.1, ISO1000)

(Nikon D3s, 50mm 1.4, 1/500 sec, f4.5, ISO200)

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/40 sec, f3.2, ISO200)

(Nikon D3s, 50mm 1.4, 1/400 sec, f1.4, ISO250)

(Nikon D3s, 50mm 1.4, 1/2500 sec, f1.8, ISO1600)

(Nikon D3s, 70-200mm 2.8 @150mm, 1/400 sec, f2.8, ISO800)

Coffee farmer in Mbilima, Rwanda

Farmer harvesting coffee cherries.

Coffee Cherries ready to go a washing station.

Weighing coffee cherries.

Farmer loaded with coffee cherries bound for a washing station.

While in Rwanda, working for Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee in Atlanta, I had the privilege of spending time with a group of coffee farmers that were thrilled with their harvest and excited to be working with the Atlanta based company. Before this trip, I knew little about coffee and only occasionally drank it. I had never heard of a coffee cherry and knew nothing of the finer points of grading a specialty coffee. By the end of the trip I could recognize the differences in grades A1 through A4 and could understand what a coffee cupper meant when they said the coffee was sweet, earthy, or chocolate-like.

Mbilima, Rwanda is blessed with the right ingredients of elevation, weather and good soil for growing specialty coffee. Farmers in Mbilima have some of the finest coffee cherries in the entire world, their coffee being honored as the best in several competitions. The owner of a Mbillima coffee plantation proudly said, “Coffee provides for houses, cows, and schooling. This was a very good season. Maybe we can purchase new land. My children grow up so well because of coffee. I want the next generation to do better than I did.”

Check out Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee if you are interested in learning more about their coffee as well as their work in Rwanda. Their slogan is “Drink Coffee, Do Good.”

All Photographs copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D3s, 70-200mm 2.8 @200mm, 1/500 sec, f2.8, ISO800)

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/1000 sec, f3.5, ISO200)

(Nikon D3s, 50mm 1.4, 1/500 sec, f2.2, ISO400)

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/800 sec, f2, ISO200)

(Nikon D3s, 70-200mm 2.8 @200mm, 1/640 sec, f2.8, ISO250)

Brian, known as the "Preacher under the Bridges" has lived on the streets for over 20 years.

A young volunteer navigates the steep grade of an underpass to deliver a lunch.

Reta, comforted and prayed for by a young volunteer bringing food.

Touch and sincere interaction are trademarks of the 7Bridges volunteers.

Matt Brandon of The Digital Trekker once asked me during an interview if I ever did any humanitarian photographic work in my own backyard, Atlanta. I was stumped. I have traveled days to get to a remote village in many of the 60+ countries I have photographed in. But I have never had  an assignment with a local organization that helps the hurting living under bridges just 45 minutes from my comfortable rural home.

That changed this weekend as I was asked to photograph for The Do Good Experience, billed as a conference to inspire and equip students to serve  daily through acts of love and service to at-risk communities. Hundreds of students fanned out across the metro area to serve with local non-profits.

One of these non-profits is 7 Bridges to Recovery, a faith-based group that goes out in the streets and under the bridges of downtown Atlanta every week, regardless of weather.

I am looking forward to linking up with other non-profits in my own backyard…not too many frequent flyer reward points…but rewarding none the less.

All Photographs copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/1000 sec, f1.4, ISO200)

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/400 sec, f2, ISO800)

(Nikon D3s, 70-200 f2.8 @120mm, 1/160 sec, f2.8, ISO800)

(Nikon D3s, 24mm f1.4, 1/250 sec, f5.0, ISO200)

Please consider supporting these organizations:

The Do Good Experience and 7 Bridges to Recovery

 

Jonathan Golden, Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee

Drink coffee. Do good.

This is not just a catchy phrase, but the premise by which Jonathan Golden started Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Company just north of Atlanta in Roswell. An Anglican priest by vocation, he started a coffee growing business that also fosters healing among warring tribes in Rwanda. Former enemies during the 1994 genocide now work side-by-side to produce specialty coffees that are then served in USA coffee shops, restaurants, and churches. Thousand Hills pays higher than fair trade wages and says that  investment in the farming community is their “top priority.”

Two children at the orphanage air out their bedding.

Queen receives a toothbrush in 2008.

Queen in the hospital a few days ago.

A few days ago I received an email from a friend in Kenya telling of an emergency need for food and hospital care for several orphans. Vivian and I gave some, but knew more would be needed. I decided to share the need via Twitter and Facebook and within hours the immediate emergency need was met. You continued to give and now we have enough in reserve to provide food and care for several months. Vivian and I are grateful, but the 40 children at the home are even more grateful.

Emergency need met! Several months in reserve! But what happens next? How do we help them for future needs? Is there anyway to help the children become at least partially self-sustainable? It is the age old question of giving a man a fish or teaching him how to fish. If someone has wisdom on this, share your ideas and questions.

We hope to travel to the orphanage  to do individual photo stories on as many children as we can so that we can help match the children with families around the world that would like to “adopt” them by giving monthly support.

Thanks again for the tremendous generosity. Now, come together with us to help them help themselves.