Down a Lusaka Alley

Just a quick pic upload that I took with my iPhone today while we were out visiting a community resource center, a school, and the non-profit’s offices. Start shooting full time tomorrow.

Enjoy.

Shot at Family Legacy's offices in Lusaka, Zambia.

19,370 Miles To Go: Or There And Back Again; A Photographer’s Tale

DFW to Heathrow to Lusaka International

Some of you may know that in just under two weeks I’ll be flying from DFW to London and then on to Lusaka, Zambia to work for roughly a month for a non-profit organization.  I’ll be the photographer for Family Legacy; an organization that works with orphaned children that have been abused or are inflicted with the AIDS virus.  This is an opportunity that I have been looking forward to for quite some time now and I am patiently awaiting the challenges that await me on my journey.

My primary responsibilities will be to photograph all the benefits that Family Legacy provides for the orphans of Zambia; benefits including schools, housing, food, and clothing.  At the same time I will also be going into surrounding villages to document living conditions and situations that these children are presented with.  My hope is to both show the importance of the non-profit work that goes on as well as to thoughtfully and carefully convey what these children go through on a day to day basis.  I will be accompanied by a couple of Zambian guides when I go into the villages as some of the areas may not be the safest; and have free reign to shoot all the facilities Family Legacy has to offer.  Regardless of what I am shooting my style will be the same; a fly on the wall approach.  In order to get the most genuine and natural reactions I want to be as non-invasive as possible.

It won’t be all work though; I get to spend some time in London on the way to Zambia and on the way back home.  I also am going on a three day trip to Victoria Falls which are the largest in the world.  Another added bonus is my Mother (Patty) and Sister (Katy) who are also working with Family Legacy will be with me the whole time I’m there.  Seeing as how they have both already been multiple times I consider it a valuable resource and am thankful they will be there to help me along the way.

Internet, texting, and phone communication will all be very minimal but I hope to try and update my blog as much as possible.  This whole trip is essentially what I want to be doing as a photographer and a major reason why I wanted to pursue a career in the field.  Traveling, documenting, and experiencing other cultures is exactly what I want to be doing; I’m hoping this is the first of many and that the standards I hold my work up to are met and exceeded.  I can’t wait to get back, edit, and share a finished product with those who are interested.

Finally a HUGE thank you to all those who donated to help make this trip possible, without you guys I wouldn’t be going so again thank you.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Confucius