ERIC CHAPMAN|PHOTOGRAPHY

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:

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:

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

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.