September 29th, 2008
Just a reminder.. you can get great prints shipped straight to you in just a few days time.
I can tell you it has made my day brighter to see Jean Bosco on my wall and to look up to Manwoondi standing strong. Go to PRINTS
September 26th, 2008
Are you in Austin for ACL ?
then i want to see you…check out the great line up!
and only a walk from my house in Austin.. I can’t wait !
September 25th, 2008
I must say, Joe McNally had some interesting things to say about the photo industry.
http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/2008/09/23/as-good-as-it-gets/
“It ain’t the way it used to be, but what is? There’s never been any guarantees, or forgiveness, or for the last 10 or more years, fairness, in this industry. But here’s the thing.
We are out there, in the air, in the world. We don’t go to a cubicle farm everyday and stair at dismaying numbers on a screen. We make pictures. At the end of the day, we create something potentially significant that did not exist at the beginning of the day. We go forward, despite the uncertainty. Because this is an act of love and passion, which defies reason and prudence.
And we make that occasional good frame, the one that sings, the one that lifts our hearts and the hearts of everyone who sees it. That well and truly is as good as it gets. More tk.”
September 25th, 2008
Just finished putting up the Salt Gallery Exhibit images at the store.
If you see an image that you would like to purchase that isn’t on the list, just let me know and I can add it ..
Thanks !
-Esther
September 22nd, 2008
On the outskirts of Cairo lies a small trash city called “Helwen”. I spent some time there when I was in Cairo, documenting the life of several people who take their wagons to the nearby city daily and collect the trash, they take it back to their living and filter through it to find things to sell and recycle. They can sometimes make a decent living in certain trash cities. On one particular day, I found myself in the living area of a cute little family that sat me down and made me a delicious cup of tea. I asked them questions about their life and they asked me questions about mine. I asked if I could take a photo of their family and told them I would get the photographs back to them through a friend. Little did I know how much they would mean later on. I got word last week that the Father died in an accident on the dump site and they had no living photograph of him. My friend in Cairo quickly printed off the images I had and brought them to the family. She wrote this, “Giving them the pictures was really hard.. His family was devastated.. they couldn’t believe they had pictures of him, it was very emotional”.
I, myself, said goodbye to my Dad a few years ago as he went on to be with Jesus. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through. I am still hurting from it daily and I can’t imagine what i’d do if i didn’t have photographs to bring me back to beautiful memories. I am so thankful for them. Please keep their family in your prayers this week.
September 19th, 2008
Baby Esther is held by her Mother in a clinic outside of Kinshasa, DRC.
I can’t wait till the day I can see her again.
September 19th, 2008
Last year November, I packed my bags and ventured to South Africa with Toms Shoes to document 60,000 pairs of shoes being delivered and hand put on tiny feet all over the country. It was an incredible trip to say the least. On my day of departure to America from South Africa, I made a last minute decision ( 1 hr prior to boarding ) and decided to change my ticket. An opportunity arose to fly to Mozambique and drive across the country with my new friend Summer Rayne Oaks. We met South African, Allan Schwarz, in the airport and flew into Pemba on the northern side of the country. After visiting various villages we drove across the country to where Allan lives, the Mezimbite Forest Centre. The journey was a trip of a lifetime and I captured images I could only dream of. Summer has just headed back and posted a little recap on her blog about last years adventure. If you have a moment to watch it, you might find yourself laughing at me trying to interact with the villagers.
http://www.summerrayneoakes.com/index.php/blog/
September 18th, 2008
I received this email a few weeks back in My Space and wanted to share it with you photographers. You never know who is being affected by your images. Keep pursuing your dreams and follow the Journey set out before you! There is a Reason why we are all doing what we do.
“I felt I needed to share this story with you, considering it has to do with me visiting your myspace.
Yesterday I stumbled upon your myspace and found myself feeling something I haven’t felt in a long time. I don’t want to be someone who just tells you, “Oh, your pictures are so amazing!” because I really feel like it is Gods crafty hand work and he deserves the credit. Especially for what happened when I kept looking at the pictures. A tiny flame re-ignited in me when I saw your pictures. I have been through a rough season recently in my life, and basically I have minimized all of the things God put in my heart to do with my life. I had pushed them out since I didn’t see them happening and I finally gave up on trying. I lost those dreams a long time ago, they were pushed into the back of my head. The dreams I am talking about have to do with a lot of stuff. I used to do photography, I wanted to travel the word, and most importantly I wanted to tell people about God. When I saw your pictures, it was like it tasted familiar. It sparked something in my head because I had become so convinced what was in my heart would never happen.
I wanted you to know that. Praise God always. He is so good to us. He answered part of my prayer about what to do with my life through your pictures. I hope that encourages you wherever you are in your journey through life. ” – April
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