People live all over the world, with different backgrounds and different cultures. But all with their own story. I want to “catch” these stories in a photo.
As you may know, I like doing things that make me happy. Traveling, photography, dancing… This has all passed the revue. Last week I told you why photography is so appealing to me. And how wonderful it would be if I could combine photography with my world trip.
Last week I visited the World Press Photo exhibition in Amsterdam. I found the various photos that tell stories from all over the world very impressive. All emotions are captured: happiness, joy, pain and sorrow. That’s what’s so touching to me.
Not only the people in the photos tell a story, even the photographer behind the photos. At the moment I’m reading the book “This is what I do. – Photographing in times of love and war.” by Linsey Addario. She’s a photojournalist and travels to the most dangerous places on earth. She describes how she experiences her work. In addition, she also exposes the story behind the photos. Very impressive!
Everyone has a story. That interests me. When I see or speak to someone, I often think, “What has he/she experienced in his/her life?” Or “What makes him/her respond like this?” To give an example: recently I passed three cheerful people, all walking arm in arm. It made me smile. (You’re probably getting a certain image in your head.) I’ll describe the people more precisely: the middle woman was a foreign woman and wore a headscarf. On her left was a boy (about 12 years old) he could have been her son. On her right was a blond woman. (Does the picture change your image now?) I was completely pleased with this image. In a flash I thought: shall I stop? I’d like to capture this in a photo, with the story behind it. Just to show people.
Below a photo with its own story.
This is baby Stephen. In this photo he’s 5.5 weeks old. From Amecet shelter in Uganda we’re picking him up at his house, him and his mother Sarah. He’s getting a vaccination today. His mother is disabled and on top of that she has very brittle bones. She’s unable to go to the doctor by herself, so the people from Amecet shelter visit her once a week. They weigh the child and give advice. But today baby Stephen needs vaccinations. We help mother Sarah getting in and out of the car. I take care of baby Stephen. He’s wearing a self-knitted hat by his mom and woolen socks that are too big on him. He’s wrapped in a blanket and is lying happily in my arms. From the village, which consists out of five huts made out of loam and reed, we drive over the dirt road to Amecet shelter. At Amecet we get started. Baby Stephen now weighs 2.1 kilos and is 5.5 weeks old. He looks healthy. He weighed 1.4 kilos when he was born and even dropped to 1.2 kilos. The breast milk works wonders. And what a beautiful little guy it is! At the doctor’s post, baby Stephen gets his vaccination. Everything is going smoothly. This little guy is very strong already. But how strong will he have to be in the future? This moment he’s sound asleep and super satisfied, what a contrast. Many things in his life will not be for granted. But maybe this will all be standard and therefore quite normal to him. Will he also be less happy? I’m convinced that it doesn’t necessarily mean that a heavy life makes you unhappy. And then I’m not talking about health. I’m grateful that I’ve got to know this 5.5 weeks old boy. How will he and his mother Sarah be now?
People live all over the world. People with different backgrounds and different cultures. But all with their own story. To be able to “catch” these stories in a photo or in a documentary for example, would be awesome. Where there is a will, there is a way. That’s what I want to try and do during my world trip. I don’t know how it will look like yet and I believe that this can be done without having the best equipment. But nevertheless, I’ll definitely try!
After all, it’s about using images…
…to inspire someone.
…to put someone in the spotlight.
…to show someone the way he truly is.
…to tell someone’s story.
Let’s just say: to be continued 🙂
