This post is about a week overdue. Better late than never right?
Last week we got back from Kenya. It was my second trip there with Compassion International in as many years. I won't go on and on like I usually do. Compassion is something I'm very passionate about but I'm going to let someone else do the talking this time. One of my favorite things on these trips is to see people witness Compassion for the first time. Andy Blanks came along this time and he's much better at communicating the experience than I am. Here's the link. Read it and enjoy.
It also wouldn't be a photo blog without some of my favorite pics from the trip:
Last year I had the amazing experience of meeting one of our sponsored kids with Compassion. His name is Brian and he lives in the Mathare Valley slum, one of the most dangerous in all of Africa. It was by far one of the coolest experiences of my life. So when they told me we were going to have the opportunity to spend a half day with our sponsored kids, I was pumped.
Brian is so awesome. He remembered me from last year and ran straight to me. We took pictures, looked at crocodiles, played on some rinky-dink fair rides, I almost threw up because of them, he jumped around in an inflatable castle (I wasn't allowed in), we kicked the ball around.... it was a great time had by all. Brian and his family are doing great, and it was amazing to spend this kind of time with him. I realize its very rare to meet a sponsored child and I don't take it for granted.
Here's Brian:
Here are a couple portraits I did while we were with a Masai tribe:
And we finished off with a trip to the Masai Mara:
Taylor Robinson
I fight really hard not to be cheesy or overly sentimental in my posts, but for this I'm going to speak the truth and you'll just have to forgive the cheese. Yesterday was Taylor Robinson's last day in the Student Life office. We'll leave today for Kenya on another Compassion trip, and when I return to the office next Thursday, it'll be the first time in my career that Taylor won't be there. He's leaving SL to start his own production company with Jason Wallis, and I couldn't be more proud of him for doing so.
His departure leaves a huge hole at SL. Taylor's a guy that made everyone around him elevate their game just a little. We called him an idea machine. He's got a gift for turning a bad idea into something great, he can see all angles of any idea, he can breathe life into a creatively dead room. Taylor's crazy talented but that's not the only reason he'll be missed. He's one of the best friends I've ever had, and I'll hate not seeing him around the office every day. But we are all super excited for him and his new company. He's going to do some great things. Good luck Taylor!
On a much lighter note, Taylor loves having his picture taken. If a camera's out, he's in front of it. Only fitting he's going to work with a photographer. Here's some of my favorite shots through the years:
Earthquake in Haiti
This is Haiti:
I've had this picture in my head all day today as I thought about what the devastation could possibly be like in Haiti. I just can't image any of those homes are still intact after a 7.0 earthquake. I took this shot a little over a year ago while visiting the offices of Compassion International with Student Life. I've been to 7 different countries outside the United States in my lifetime and every single one of them are considered 3rd world nations. Of those 7, Haiti is by far the most shocking and devastating. As far as we drove, in any direction, there was simply no escape from the poverty.
Now, I'm not writing this to talk about my experiences in Haiti, or to showcase my photography. I'm writing this post to show you Haiti. To help you understand. To make sure you're not just watching the news and saying to yourself "I feel so bad for those people over there" and letting it end there. I realize how difficult it can be to understand what it's like in these 3rd world nations without seeing it. That's what's great about photography, it can inform.
The shots above are what I remember most about Haiti. Wall-to-wall people and shacks as far as the eye can see. The poverty there is absolutely overwhelming and it terrifies me to think about what it must have been like to be amongst the crowds of people when the earthquake started.
Here are some of the facts about the country of Haiti:
- Over 80% of Haiti lives in poverty, making it the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
- The majority of Haitians live without electricity or clean water.
- Over 66% get no work, and those who do work earn the equivalent of about $2 a day.
- Over 60% of the country lacks basic health care.
- Only about 4% of the land is in forest, compared to 30% of US land, meaning Haiti relies on imports just to feed its people. Currently the land in Haiti is only capable of providing for about 40% of the population.
- Extreme weather conditions further threaten the land, with torrential rains during hurricane season racing down deforested mountains and destroying fields, roads and homes.
- Haiti also has the highest infant, under-five and maternal mortality rates in the western hemisphere.
- In 2008, hurricanes claimed the lives of over 800 citizens, and the mudslides produced have put most without clean water.
And if all that weren't enough, they were just hit with the worst earthquake in the Caribbean in over 200 years.
It's time for the Church to be the Church. Please pray for Haiti and consider donating here
So this is Christmas....
I love Christmas. It's just the best. The weather, the music, the lights... I love everything about it. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt something new. New for me at least. I'll be setting up for 7 family portrait sessions in one afternoon. I'm extremely pumped and slightly nervous at the same time. There's an anxiety that falls over me every time I'm hired to shoot families weddings babies cupcakes just about anything. I just want it to be nothing short of great every time. I don't think it's a lack of confidence as much as it's wanting everyone to be absolutely pleased with what I'm doing. So I guess tomorrow is that feeling times 7. It'll be great though, and I'll be sure and post about the day on here very soon. Wish me luck!
Oh, and enjoy the snowman. Tris has these little "things" around the house for Christmas.... add them to the list of things I love about Christmas.
Reeves Family Portraits
After a while of shooting portraits for every family that will trust me with the task, there's the hope that eventually word gets out. The Reeves' family session was one of the first "friend of a friend" family shoots. At the time of the shoot, which was a while ago, they were packed and ready to move off to the Netherlands to be full time missionaries. I don't remember much of the specifics of their move, other than it caused them to temporarily move in with her parents in Mountain Brook. This house was gorgeous, and remember location is key, it also didn't hurt that they're all very photogenic. Anyways, I loved the how the photos turned out, here are a few of my faves:
Kinsley Family Portraits
This is hardly up-to-date, seeing that I shot these photos a couple months ago. I've been so busy lately with family photo shoots that I've completely fallen down on my job of staying current with my blog. Because I've shot so much lately, I'm going to start focusing on one family photoshoot a week from now on. I think maybe a catch phrase could help, like "Family Fridays" or "Best Fam in the Ham"; I'm open to suggestions. Anyways, here are the Kinsley's: We're actually just focusing on the youngest Kinsley here, her name is Story.
Story is very girlie and loves to wear pink. Well, she actually doesn't have much of a say in how much pink she wears, but I think it's safe to assume she's not going to shy away from pink in the future. I work with Story's dad, Chris, and we like to joke with him about Story being a beauty queen just like her mom, Liza. Kinsley enjoys reading about how to surviving zombie attacks, and Liza is a former beauty queen and couldn't be more girlie; it's such a great combo. I've known the Kinsley's going on 8 years now, and they are some of my favorite people. These are some of my favorite shots from Story's 6-month photo session. 
This is Chris, he's a writer at Student Life. So much smarter than myself, which may not be saying a lot. Check him out at ChrisKinsley.com 
A not so brief update
I've been allowing way too much time between posts lately. Reason being too much to do at work and I'm very bad at multi tasking, so blogging just fell by the way side. Now that deadlines have been met at work, I'm determined to keep my blogging more frequent. For now I will leave you with a brief update on life, sprinkled with a few random thoughts.
1) It's been such an insane year at work. We finished up our last tour ever, or at least until the higher ups decide to do it again. Tour was always a fun time for me, probably because that's how I was initiated into Student Life. Most people at work began their journy through camp, but not me, it was the John Newton/Voddie/Jason Wallis tour . (We didn't actually have John Newton at that tour, but we did have a guy dressed up like him.) I hated to see tour go away, but dropping it only opens the door for us to do (a) Camp better and (b) everything else better. If the past 5 months were any indication of what work will be like in a post-SLtour world, we'll be making a lot of great videos in very little time with few people, but it'll be fun. I hope.
2) I'm not a fan of numbered lists being passed off as legitimate blog posts, but here I am... no better than the rest of you suckers.
3) I really can't stand the band Sugarland. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I just can't stand them. For those who know me well, also know that I can enjoy just about any kind of music. I don't discriminate. I will listen to Black Sabbath, Miles Davis, Imogan Heap, Sigur Ros, The Beastie Boys, and Underoath in the same sitting. I'll listen to just about anything, and all I ask is that it has integrity. For instance, if it's pop music, just be good pop music, don't try to reinvent the wheel, but also don't try and insult my intelligence (Nickleback). I'm not going to try and compare everyone to the Beatles, that's not the point. Everyone should have their place in music. Also, stop making weird music just to be weird. I have a friend, Blake, and although he doesn't know it, he only likes weird music. The weirder the better. I think somehow it makes him feel better about his musical tastes... kind of like saying to the rest of the world "don't even bother listening to this, you just wouldn't understand." Oh, we all get it. Sorry Blake. Anyways, back to Sugarland. I hate them. Some of my Georgia friends might remember Jennifer Nettles. She's the lead singer of Sugarland, but she also used to be a really awesome singer-songwriter in the Jennifer Nettles Band. She also didn't have near as strong a southern drawl as she does now. I swear to God I think I'll die if I hear "Down on the county line" again. Sugarland epitomizes what I'm talking about with integrity in music, or the lack thereof.
4) I recently had 2 separate instances where Alabama football fans said "Roll Tide" to me, while I was sporting an Atlanta Braves hat. Now I'm not sure what was more upsetting, the fact that these guys were just so freaking pumped and excited to say "Roll Tide" to someone, ANYONE... or that they don't even know their teams logo. The absolute worst thing about living here in Birmingham, at least for myself, is the obsession with college football. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE college football as much as the next red blooded southern male, its just exhausting. Year round, its the same thing... the recruiting of high schoolers, some dead guy sporting a really bad hat, and hating everyone else. They all greet each other in the same manor, "Roll Tide", kind of like a marine saying "Simper Fi" to a fellow marine, or to say "I love you brother". I think they think its endearing, but I just find it annoying. I'm a UGA fan by the way, which should discredit me to "tide" fans, accompanied by the phrase "Spoken like a true bulldog fan, he just doesn't understand how deep it goes here in Tide Country." I promise everyone agrees with me.
(Don't be mad at me Zack, you're still my bro)
5) Family life has been awesome! Reid is about four and a half months old now and completely awesome. The annoying unpleasant stuff is out of the way, stuff like his neck isn't made of jello anymore, he sleeps like a champ now, he goes longer between feedings, his smiles aren't just for gas now, they're actual smiles. Be encouraged friends with new babies, it gets a lot better and really quick. He's now onto new things like, screaming at the top of his lungs just to hear it reverberate in the room, blowing spit bubbles, being awesome, jumping in his Johnny Jump Up (i think that's what it's called.) He owns me, and I think he knows it. One of our favorite things to do is to sit together and watch a Braves game on TV. I'm sure its just the contrast and vivid colors on the television, but Reid can't stop watching the games. So now I've convinced myself he's a born baseball nut (please, for my sake, don't tell me how stupid this thought is, just let me go on believing it.) It's also been so fun to watch Tris be a mom. She's a natural. Apparently it can be fairly easy for a woman to be a crazy mom, Lord knows there are plenty of them out there, but Tris has done a great job of balancing an insane workload at her job as well as being fully devoted to her family. So far, so good... no crazy from Tris. She also makes all of Reid's baby food, and still finds time to fill in at catcher during our softball tournament (no hits, but one of the most important put outs of the night.) She's something else. I'm in love with my family.
6) I've been giving a lot of thought to the purpose of my blog. I set out to make a professional blog where I would showcase and discuss my photography. Although I do have posts coming soon showcasing a lot of shooting I've been doing, I think limiting myself in my blog has actually prevented me from pushing myself in photography. It makes sense to me anyways. I need to stop worrying about what to blog about and just shoot more. So let us hope I'll stay motivated and there will be some fun posts coming. If not, then I'll be forced to do one of those 365 blogs. You know, the ones where you take a picture everyday of the year and post it. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
7) Tris and I have been blessed with the best friends on earth. The community we have here in Birmingham is something that I don't think happens very often, and we don't take it lightly.
8 ) Finally, I'm going to leave you with some videos we've produced this year. My work with videos is a part of my professional life I hardly ever talk about. I just never comes up in conversation. It is, however, how I make a living. Plus, I'm rather proud of the work we do. For those of you who don't know, I'm responsible for all the audio in our videos. Writing original music happens to be my favorite thing to do in my job.
*many props should be given to Jason Poole, our motion graphics guy. He makes a lot of things happen in our videos we just can't understand. He also happens to be what sets us apart from other production companies around here. Way to go Jason!
This "Live Love" Compassion video may have my favorite song I've written in a while.
LIVE LOVE with COMPASSION from Student Life on Vimeo.
Ok, that's it. This has officially gone on WAY too long. Posts with photos coming soon.