Summit 9 photo by Gary S. Chapman

You see the photos of abandoned, neglected or marginalized children. Your heart yearns to help, to wipe away tears, to fill up a few bunk beds in your extra bedroom, to take a trip to a foreign land to love on the less-loved. But how do you do this effectively ? Would your bumbling, but well-meaning efforts to help do more harm than good? What do you do about the fears of the unknown that start to strangle you when you try to make a decision alone?

The Christian Alliance for Orphans‘ annual Summit conference has become the de facto place for leaders and advocates of global orphan care, adoption and foster care initiatives to meet, share ideas, and give each other a helping hand. This year, Summit 9  will meet on May 2-3 at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, TN. If you want information…this is the place. If you want support…you will find it here.

Vivian and I will be presenting a workshop, with an exceptionally long title, called Adopting a Photojournalistic Strategy to Share Your Message and Build Your Community. Essentially, we will be sharing how photos can help your organization build a well-informed, and committed group of followers. We will help you design a photojournalistic strategy to advocate your cause. This workshop will cover a range of topics from the importance of credibility, to the effect of cultural sensitivity as you share your message and reach your audience with impacting visuals.

See you there! Register HERE.

My feet on the border of Bhutan and India. 

Andrew Tucciarone, of Whistle Peak Productions on the border of Bhutan and India.

Jon Sturdevant, of Generis, actually in Bhutan.

A climb over a broken down border wall and I just added to my list of  countries “visited” by planting my feet illegally into Bhutan for 30 seconds. My travel partners and I found a breach in the wall and hopped over. We tried to get in legally, but it just did not happen on this trip due to the difficulty and expense for Americans desiring a visa.

Depending on what list you go by, there are between 193 and 196 countries in the world. Even though I do not make it a goal to add countries to my list  like lining up trophies proudly on a shelf, when I stepped into Bhutan, it became my 69th country “visited.” Bhutan has a mystique about it that draws travelers to her. The mystique is birthed from both things real (like beckoning Himalayan heights) and things unknown (from a culture clouded in secrecy).

The pastor from this corner of the world we had come to profile lives within shouting distance of the border. He can easily go in and out of Bhutan. We can’t. It was a reminder that American passports are not always to be desired. The power of the little blue book becomes impotent.

But the pastor is not powerless. As an Indian citizen he has the freedom to cross the border without restraint. And he does. He serves the sick, elderly and lonely. I’m glad the  doors are open for him.

The important point here is not that I have traveled to 69 countries, but that I (and my traveling companions as well) have been fortunate to tell the stories of people all over the world like this pastor that are giving their lives selflessly to others.

FYI: Because of the sensitive nature of this pastor’s work I may not be able to share his profile on this blog.

School of Photography 1-University of the Nations-Kona,HI-Photo by Bill Bangham

When Vivian and I teach workshops or seminars, we always try to memorize the students’ names on the first day. But, what would you do if you were confronted with first and last names like Gjermund, Ginta, Øystese, Nuualiitia, Shulgina or Dimakides?  Do you take the easy road and just say Mr. “G” or Miss “N?” Practice and phonetic cheat sheets are the only way to succeed here. Fortunately for us, English was at least a second, third or fourth language for all of the students. So, the only challenges we had to contend with daily were not flubbing the tongue twisting names and making sure we could explain English slang like, “make a killin.”

We had the privilege of working with students and staff from 11 nations for a week as guests teachers at the University of the Nations in Kona, HI. We covered Lightroom workflow, storytelling, and ethics in humanitarian photography among other topics.

We were there to teach…but we always learn from the students too. This class was no different. We were encouraged and inspired by their creativity, positive attitude and fearless goals for their futures. Below are just a few examples of their completed assignments.

Light and shadow by Allie Ladd

Light and shadow by Alyssa Fleming

Light and shadow by Felipe Matias

Capture a moment by Masha Shulgina

Capture a moment by Gjermund Øystese

The following companies generously donated their products as prizes for the class. Thanks so much to: Think Tank Photo, Carry Speed and Robert’s Camera.

Allie, a winner with Carry Speed!

Mon, a winner with Carry Speed!

Brittnie, a winner with Think Tank Photo!

Thanks to Roberts Camera!

I’ve updated my website with a new section called Client Case Histories. I wanted a way to highlight my clients’ vision and how collaboration and hard work brought about the results they desired. These are great people I’ve worked with. I count myself very fortunate to have them both as clients and friends.

To see more images and how they were used by the clients, see:

Drink Coffee Do Good

Children of India

Persecuted in Pakistan

Vinay, 3, and his aunt Parvatrani wait to see a doctor for a post-surgery visit to Central India Christian Mission

“People said Vinay (a 3-year-old born with a cleft lip and palate), was cursed…that he did something wrong in the past. Children would not play with him. They would mock the family,” laments Vinay’s aunt, Parvatrani.

Vinay recently returned to his village after receiving surgery at Central India Christian Mission from volunteer doctors of the LEAP Foundation. “When he went back, people said they were wrong to be mean. They accept him as a normal child now and he can go to school,” adds Parvatrani.

Call to action: The medical specialists with Life Enhancement Association for People (LEAP) Foundation are real heroes to these children. Check out their work as they partner with Central India Christian Mission to restore lives.

http://www.leap-foundation.org/countries/india/

All Photographs copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D800, 50mm f1.4, 1/2500 sec, f1.4, ISO 640)

Close hauled sailing in 17 knot winds off the coast of Maine

Lobster fisherman at sunrise, Maine.

Petie Manan Lighthouse, Maine

Fishing cabin on island, Maine

“I have a passion to do what you do.”  This is a typical comment I get often in so many emails asking me how I do what I do. On the heels of that question often comes another. “Can you really make ends meet shooting freelance for only non-profits?’  While it may be possible for a handful of photographers, I don’t see it as the norm with most of my fellow workers in this field. Several years ago I did three blog posts on how other photographers weave a tapestry of  commercial shooting, teaching and writing to enable them to focus on stories of NGO’s and non-profits providing help throughout the world. See that PART 1, PART 2, PART3.

As for me, I continue to shoot stock for Getty Images and do commercial assignments. Some shoots are conceptual in nature and others are like these travel images from a recent stock shoot in Maine. For more than 20 years stock has provided me the freedom to pursue  intimate  stories of relief aid and development throughout more than 65 countries. But, the “How to do it” answer is going to be different for each individual. There’s no well-worn path to follow.

For me, photography is both a passion and a business. If you feel the same, too much focus on one or the other and your business might fizzle or your passion wane. If you really want to do THIS, nurture your passion by involving yourself in the needs of the hurting and poor, as well as devoting yourself to creating a viable business.

Several resources

Article on humanitarian photography by Camille Bromley in GALO Magazine

Book on Best Business Practices in Photography by John Harrington

A lot of useful business advice in Stanley Leary’s blog.

All Photographs ©Copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D4, 14-24mm @22mm, 1/1600 sec, f9, ISO 400)

(Nikon D4, 28-300mm@ 135mm, 1/800 sec, f8, ISO 400)

(Nikon D4, 28-300mm@ 300mm, 1/800 sec, f5.6, ISO 320)

(Nikon D4, 28-300mm@ 116mm, 1/200 sec, f5.6, ISO 2000)

When Helping Hurts

The majority of posts on this blog usually give you a glimpse into some of the stories that Gary has photographed for groups and organizations helping the poor all over the world. Today, I (Vivian) want to share a book that presents thoughtful insights on how people define the causes of poverty and why that matters in terms of solutions.

When Helping Hurts, by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert, of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development is one of the best resources we know for anyone interested in helping the poor.

Our friend, Esther Havens, kindly sent Gary and me a copy of the book’s first edition a couple of years ago. A new and expanded edition came out recently that we would like to pass forward. Leave a comment or question on this post and we will randomly select one winner. We will mail the book to you once we get your contact info. The deadline is midnight July 27th.

Update: 

Thanks to all of you for your comments. We did this the old-fashioned way, writing everyone’s names onto paper scraps and picking out one. The winner is Michaela Potterbaum. Let us know what you think when you’re done reading, Michaela.

Anamika, 18, is a teacher at the orphanage.

Some of the hundreds of children at the orphanage.

Anamika teaching a class.

Living on her own as an orphan, Anamika was in danger of becoming a child slave like thousands of children in Chattisgarh, India. She often lived in the forest, home to Bengal tigers, with other children, scrounging for food and protection. But, an orphanage run by Central India Christian Mission intervened and gave her shelter, care and an education. Now, 18, she has returned to the same orphanage as a teacher. “I was determined to help these children stand on their own two feet.”

In speaking about her students she adds, “If these children were not saved by CICM, their situation would have been miserable. Most of them would have become child slaves or would have died.” Anamika adds that she gets paid a small salary as a teacher and is investing everything she makes back into her own education. “I will study more and then side by side I can teach these children more.”

Call to action: Visit http://www.indiamission.org/ and sponsor a child.

All Photographs ©Copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D4, 70-200mm f2.8 @200mm, 1/4000 sec, f2.8, ISO 1600)
(Nikon D800, 24mm f1.4, 1/400 sec, f7.1, ISO 200)
(Nikon D4, 24mm f1.4, 1/30 sec, f4.5, ISO 3200)

Carlos ferries supplies along the beach between San Jose and Curia. The truck has no brakes and more rust than metal.

Carlos holds two children during a Bible study at a community center the ministry built.

Carlos helps a child from one of his other vehicles. He picks up many women and children for a service on Sunday.

Carlos prays outside the community center during a service.

Carlos Guerrero was just a “normal little boy” that grew up in San Jose, Ecuador, a small village of a few hundred that snuggles up to the Pacific Ocean along several miles of flat pristine beach. He played soccer and fished as a child, but also shouldered the heavy responsibility of finding food for his mother and sisters during Ecuador’s dark days of recession when his dad had to move far away to look for work.

One thing is certain, as a little boy he had no idea that he would one day leave Ecuador for the United States, join the US Army, become a US citizen, marry an American and then later own a prosperous business. All through his years living in the USA he would remember his friends in San Jose and hope to one day return. “When I left for the United States with my family in search of a better life, I made a promise to someday return to help the people of San Jose and Curia,” the two towns he grew up between.

Just four years ago, Carlos and his wife sold everything they had and returned to San Jose to start a Christian ministry that tries to meet the spiritual and physical needs of the villages of San Jose and Curia. He says, “One morning as we strolled on the beach, we met a young boy. We asked him why he wasn’t in school. He said his family could not afford to send him to high school. Sadly, like generations before him, the boy would be unable to further his education past the fourth grade for a lack of $100 a year. Our hearts sank, but our spirits were lifted. At this moment, my wife Jeannette and I made a life-long commitment to serve and be a witness for the love of Christ to these beautiful people.”

Call to action: Visit http://helpinghandsacrossecuador.org for more info or to help financially.

All Photographs ©Copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D4, 24mm f1.4, 1/40 sec, f16, ISO 100)
(Nikon D4, 70-200mm f2.8 @130mm, 1/320 sec, f2.8, ISO 1250)
(Nikon D4, 35mm f1.4, 1/1250 sec, f1.4, ISO 320)
(Nikon D4, 70-200mm f2.8 @70mm, 1/2500 sec, f2.8, ISO 1600)

Flor makes me smile.

I sure didn’t expect this response when I leaned over Flor as she was drawing chalk pictures for her English class. But that is the beauty of photographing kids…they often do the unexpected.

Photograph ©Copyright Gary S. Chapman

(Nikon D4, 35mm f1.4, 1/200 sec, f1.4, ISO 500)