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 [...]
Zimbabwe-Offering
People prayed. The plate was passed. A few minutes later, an elder in the small church said, “Our offering today is $33.00 and a blue pen.” In fact, he had just used the pen gift to tally the coins and bills. He told me later that they often get eggs or chickens and rarely much [...]
Egypt: Loving people
Do I love people or do I just love taking cool photos of fascinating people. I can’t get this question out of my mind. I think I have to deal with this before I can go further. If I don’t really love and care for the people I photograph…what’s the point. ©Copyright Gary S. Chapman [...]
Mexico: Twins last day of school
Laura and Lucero, 10 year old twins from a small town in Mexico, pause along a mountain trail on their way home from a school graduation party. At times, being a photographer gets in the way of really knowing people. So much of the time I am only an observer and not a participant. I [...]
Mexico: Different
When I photographed this man’s feet in a small, isolated village in Mexico, I was attracted to the simple story of his worn feet in homemade sandals. That is the only reason I took the photo, visual interest. Yet, as I look at this photo now, I think of the incalculable differences in the paths [...]
Kenya: Eternity Begins
How little we think about death. But when we are touched by it, the reality hits so hard. It is so final…so unchangeable. We are so powerless to stop it. Is that why we don’t think about death, because we feel we can’t stop it? Are we living our lives hoping we are never going [...]
Kenya: Great Photo
A fellow photographer recently asked me to write what I thought made a great photo: We all say, “Oh, that’s a great photo, or man, that is one cool shot.” But what makes it great? I know that when I say a photo is great, this photo, on some level, has “engaged” me. A shaft [...]
Kenya: 3600 meals
A woman at one of the orphanages in Kenya cooks at least 3600 meals over an open fire per month. In a mud hut with no electricity or running water, she feeds more than 40 children. Our traveling partner to Kenya offers these thoughts: “Americans shouldn’t feel guilty for receiving all of God’s blessings on [...]
Kenya: Orphans
Miriam Wanjekeche is 26 years old and giving her life to 10 adoptive children. In this 3-minute video she speaks about her children and the hope she has for them. The still photos were shot at her home as well as three other homes we visited. Click on the photo above to view the hi-resolution [...]
Kenya: Again
Vivian and I returned to Kenya after the trip I made during the violence of January. The “war” as some have called it, left many new orphans and a church struggling to find homes and other ways to care for those that have lost everything. One small church of 23 families took in 46 children. [...]
Kenya: Not Forgotten
He kept trying to get my attention…and I kept avoiding his gaze. But when I did glance in his direction, I could see that he was obviously mentally impaired. From then on I continued to avoid him. I just didn’t want to deal with him. Then, a few minutes later I felt a tug on [...]
Kenya: Lines
The next time you (I’ll include myself here) are tempted to complain about the lines at the checkout, take a chill pill and consider the plight of displaced families in the world’s trouble spots. Lines are a way of life for refugees fleeing violence or famine. As I photographed the people in line, great sadness [...]
Kenya: Originally headed for Darfur
I was supposed to be heading into Darfur. Then chaos and violence erupted in Kenya. No fuel was available for our charter plane. Instead of canceling the trip we decided to try and aid the IDP’s (Internally Displace Persons) that had fled from the fighting and were now seeking refuge in large camps around the [...]
Egypt: A Memory
I heard a “famous” photographer speak a few days ago. One of his thoughts about family life was presented with what seemed to be a sense of deep regret. He spoke of leaving for an extended overseas assignment and watching his child wave goodbye. He related his divided desires, “The lure of the yellow box [...]
Pakistan: Eyes
This crowd in Pakistan was so dense that it would have been difficult to raise my camera to my eye as we slowly bumped and hustled along. I also knew that if I had tried to look through my lens I would probably have lost the image. I chose instead to shoot from the hip, [...]
Mexico: Not So Different
She has raised 14 children in a one-room home made of sticks and mud, without water or electricity, during her 85 years of life. To see more of her village and people go to www.garyschapman.com/mexico.mov Or, if you have a slow internet connection, try this lower resolution version at www.garyschapman.com/mexico_low.mov ©Copyright Gary S. Chapman (45mm [...]
Mexico: A Life of Value
When asked where he was from, this man replied, “donde la vida no vale nada”, which means “the place where life has no value”, in reference to a famous song about the city of Guanajuato, his birthplace. You can read every one of his 88 years in the lines of his face.(Caption by Daniel Chapman) [...]
Jamaica: Prison Boys
Inside, it was dark, humid, and smelled of urine. We were only allowed a few minutes to shake hands, look around and offer a few words of encouragement. Since I could not stay, I can only imagine their life behind bars. This short visit was definitely a case of being of more value to me [...]
Cairo: Muslim Girl Cover-up
At the church I attend, I was asked to present a gallery of my photos from around the world. On Thursday, my daughter and I hung the photos, taking great care of the groupings and wall placement. On Sunday, when we arrived at church, I noticed a table and three-panel display advertising a summer camp [...]
South Africa: Moment of Realization
To come to God we must all realize we can’t come before Him as we are. We have too much junk in our lives. But that is where the good news comes in…the Gospel, as Christians call it. The start of the journey is to first realize that we do have junk (sin), to know [...]
Cairo: One Child at a Time
What can you do when there are thousands and thousands of Sudanese refugee children in great need? “I’m just one person,” we all say. “The need is too great.” “What skills do I have?” Or God forbid that we do not even acknowledge the problem and just turn and look the other way. These are [...]
Egypt:Never too Old
Doc Charlie is 75 years old and after 50 years of active medical work he has not settled into the typical life of ease and retirement. Recently he chose to go to Cairo, Egypt to provide healthcare for over 2,300 Sudanese refugee children. Many thousands of Sudanese have fled their country and the war that [...]
Pakistan: A Tent for Eleven
Why am I here…a small mountain village in Pakistan? Why have I spent my time, my money, rejected the relative safety of home, and embraced inconveniences as necessary adventures? Why am I in this place, photographing a man, a woman and their nine children outside a tent where they have lived through the winter after [...]