I recently returned from 4 weeks in Haiti where I was involved in humanitarian relief. The situation there, though not as acute as the first days after the earthquake, is still desperate. The situation on the ground is overwhelming. Yet with so much going against them the people are starting to rise to the challenge of rebuilding a nation from the ruins.

The current challenge is to get people under shelter as the rainy season is starting. We were able to distribute thousands of waterproof tarps, but there are many many thousands of families that still only have bedsheets tents to keep the rain out. In the area where I was working somewhere between 50%-75% of buildings were either destroyed or unsafe. The people are so traumatized that they will not even sleep in the buildings that are still sound. And now larger and larger camps are springing up in the surrounding areas as people flee the city core.

All that means that there is so much more to do. Seven weeks after the earthquake little of the destruction has been cleared. There are still many bodies entombed in these wrecks.

Here are a few shots where I tried to capture some of the destruction that has hit this land.

I am starting to produce fine art prints of Maritime scenes. I will have them on sale very soon. There is something rugged and enduring in the people of this area.  Despite many hardships we endure.   Our prosperity has not been measured by our pocket books but by our character. Visitors from abroad encounter friendliness and friendships which bring them back time and time again.

I have been experimenting with different techniques to capture some of that beauty and sense of history.  When we see an image that strikes a cord with us it is because it has intersected with own story and invoked memories and longings.   If these samples speak to you I would love to hear your story.

My contribution to their efforts was to do a marathon head shot session for the cast and crew. I think we were about 25. Pretty tired. Posting this at 3 am. Enjoy

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I have a saying that I put on my business card, “Capturing who you are not just what you look like”. Photography is much more that a photocopy of a person’s image. To capture a portrait of a person, you must see into their soul and try to bring out that beauty.

In this case I was working with a young lady who came from China to do biblical studies. After getting to know her, I cannot imagine her without her Bible and prayer. So, we took some of the usual poses, then moved on to something a little different.

Prayer is very personal so I did not know if she would feel awkward to pose in this way. But, it came about very naturally. In fact I think she may have really been praying.

I wanted the lighting to be subdued and peaceful rather than sombre. Contemplative rather than gothic. A ray of light was directed to the Bible because it is her source of light and life. I added a heavy texture to the background to indicate that while life may come from God’s Word, it has to be lived out in the grittiness of this world.

The Chinese characters are from her favorite verse, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble of calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? ….. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away.” (Rom 8:35 ff )

There is almost no end of what you can do using these techniques. You are limited only by your imagination.

I also like to include the parent’s hands in some photos.  It shows the relationship between the two generations.  The parents gently cradling their infant, supporting and nurturing.   I like a portrait that has many unspoken stories.  It will invoke different memories and emotions from those who look at it.  Your story may not be the one I see, but they will all be part of the universal truth of  how we love and cherish those who are entrusted to us.

Here are a couple of more of the images from the same session.

I have just started a club for photographing your baby’s first year.  You get four sessions during the first year, an 8×10 of your favorite at each session and a plaque with the four favorites mounted at the end of the year.  No doubt about it, baby’s change a lot in the first year.    Hopefully the club pricing will encourage people to make sure they have that first year recorded.

Here are a couple from a first shoot in the year of sessions.  Love to see them sleep.  Not a care in the world.  Something to strive for.  Larger copies in baby gallery.  Starting to redo it.