M63 Experience Culture

I am a photographer who is obsessed with different cultures and sub cultures. I started this blog to motivate myself to go out and experience more cultures

[m63ec]

After I traveled to Haiti I wound up getting a few different jobs in the portrait field. I am so thankful for this, even though I went to school for photography there is a big difference in actually working in it. I really started honing  my craft while I was a work. I got invited to Nigeria while I was at the New wine skins missions conference. It was there through a common friend I meat Bishop (now arch Bishop) Benjamin Kwashi. After seeing my photos for Haiti he invited me out to see his Dioceses and I took him up on the offer.

I left for Nigeria on thanksgiving 2007 and stayed there for 3 weeks. This was the first time I traveled by myself over seas and my luggage got broken into and I lost some of my less important gear. I feel I am rambling a bit so let me get to the photos I posted today.

Over the course of the 3 weeks I heard about the tin mines in Nigeria a few times and I wanted to go see them. It was getting close to the end of the trip and Mama Kwashi asked if I wanted to go to the national park to see some of the animals I respectfully declined and asked if I could go to the tin mines instead. I love nature but I love experiencing the the way people live there much more. She made me promise not to go down in the mines and I said ok.

So tin mining is one of the most dangerous jobs in Nigeria. A mine there isn't really what you think of a mine. Is is more of a narrow hole dug into the ground just wide enough to fit a person onto it. Once the dig far enough down they dig over with about the same size hole. They have collapses all the time there. Anyways if you have any questions feel free to message me

[m63ec]

Last week I didn't go into to much detail about how the Haiti trip changed my life as a photographer, their was a definitive moment where my word was turned upside down. A few doors down from where we were staying there was an orphanage it had no affiliation with Partners in Development (PID, There group I went to Haiti with) and it was not scheduled to be a part of the trip. We asked if we could make a trip over there and the leaders made it happen. It turns out that this orphanage was all mentally and/or handicapped children. The people who ran it (sorry I don't remember their names) just took it over shortly before took it over from people who did not care about the children at all. They said that trash was piled up in the courtyard all the way up to the second floor. They decided they wanted to change it and took it over cleaned it up and truly cared for these  kids. Some of the kids couldn't use there legs while others really had no comprehension of what was going on around them. I am not going to lie all of us were in tears throughout the entire time we were there. Just to see how the staff Loved these kids was amazing, they knew none of these kids were going to be adopted and they cared for them all the more. If that was not enough to change your life there was 2 babies in particular that really made your heart sink. Their names were Ashly and Joey. both were born with water in the brain. With Ashly they were able to get her a passport and get her to the US where they said it has progressed to far and there was nothing they could do. With Joey they were unable to get his passport. Both these kids were slowly dieing, Ashly's head was swollen to about the size of a watermelon and Joeys was not much smaller. We prayed for them and put our hands and rubbed their tummies and made them laugh. I don't think I have ever seen a group of adults cry so much in my life. I did not want to pick up my camera I was way to emotional to even think about it. Then Joe (a guy in the group) said Dave (me) you have to your a photographer that is what you do. He was right I am a photographer It is not a choice for me. I don't get to decide when to take a picture and when not to. I believe God called me to be a photographer and I want to honor Him with m photography. So I picked up my camera and snapped a few pictures. Honestly from the artistic perspective they are not good at all but these kids changed my life so I keep the slides of them and occasionally look at them to remind my self what I am called to do. I have never showed those pictures to anyone I keep them for myself so that I may remind myself what I was created to do.

If you want to know more feel free to ask.

[m63ec]

So I decided to show you all some pictures that I did back in April 2004 while I was in Haiti. I went there to help build a medical center but also took a lot of pictures. This trip forever change the way I look at photography. Before this I was planning on going into commercial photography but photographing orphans and those in need I pulled a 180 in photography and decided to start perfecting my skills as a portrait photographer and go away whenever I can to help raise awareness of those in need. 

So I know these are not the best pics but it was my start and since this is the start of my blog I thought I would share with you my early life as a photographer

other info (Camera f100, Film type Fuji Astia 100iso)

[m63ec]

Over the next moth or so I will be posting some of my photos from all of my trips from around the world.

[m63ec]

Boston Comic Con 2013