Leprosy Project Will Begin Next Week

At last, I've finalized the first stage of my leprosy project. I shall be travelling to India next week and will be spending about 3 weeks in leprosy treatment facilities in and around Delhi, Patna-Bihar and possibly Orissa. I'm excited about the project finally coming to fruition after 4 months of research and preparation. I'm also apprehensive about the culture shock and whether I can deliver the goods! That's healthy, right? I'll be posting as much as possible from there and any comments are welcome.

Photo of the Week #2

Children hold up pictures of tsunami victims at a prayer vigil held in Toronto on January 8, 2005.

Thoughts From a Novice Yogi

I've been practicing yoga for about 3 years now (I'm on the 50-year plan!). Obviously, there are all kinds of symbolic things to be aware of. For example, like life, postures are not always comfortable and sometimes painful. By being aware of this fact, the postures seem to become less painful over time. One thought that has become my resolution for 2005 is to acknowledge my own personal space. The space that my mat consumes in a yoga studio symbolizes how we are all together but separate. In both the yoga studio and in life, instead of getting annoyed at the people around me for having different behaviors and attitudes, I'm going to try and concentrate on my own space. I can be present in the same space as other people, but still have enough room for my own mat.

My Photo of the Week #1

JUST DO IT!!!

Every week I hope to post a photo that makes me feel good. This is of my niece who modelled for me on the roof of a Toronto office building where they is a very windy running track!

Leprosy Funding

I've spent most of my week trying to figure out how to finance my Leprosy project in India in March. I've agreed with the World Health Organization to exchange photos for logistical support at the local level, but still need to finance getting over to Calcutta and a few weeks of food and lodgings. The project will celebrate the WHO's Leprosy Elimination Program. They hope to declare the end of leprosy as a public health problem by year-end 2005. A truly historic event by any measure, considering this disease has been around for 2600 years. I'm in the process of applying to the Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council and Toronto Arts Council for grants and some wild cards such as the Indian High Commission. We'll see what happens! Nothing I've heard or read indicates that there is any kind of living to be made in documentary photography. Sometimes I wish my camera could be interested in fashion or food photography, but I seem to have no say in this matter!

A Tsunami in Darfur Too!

There is no doubt that the response to the Tsunami disaster has been overwhelming. Stories of children giving away vacation money and the millions of dollars that have been raised throughout the world to help the people of South East Asia. But why does it take an event like a Tsunami to wake people up to the devastation that is happening all over the world. It is said that over a million people have been displaced and tens of thousands slaughtered by government affiliated forces in the Darfur region of the Sudan. Aid and human rights agencies have been trying to draw attention to this genocide for most of last year. Why is it mostly ignored? Similarly, if the world mobolized to eradicate HIV/AIDS with the same gusto as the Asian disaster, we would be able to solve this problem for good. Last week, CNN devoted an entire weekend's coverage to the Tsunami disaster. If they did the same for the atrocities in the Sudan, would people care more? If they dedicated an entire week of programming to HIV/AIDS in Africa, would people watch? Would kids send their vacation money?

My Inaugural Blog

A new year and a new blog. My inaugural blog, no less! As indicated above, this blog is about following my camera, wherever it may take me. But first, I think I should give you a little background info. My camera beckoned me about 3 years ago. At the time I was working in an extremely comfortable job in the investment business in Toronto, having built up a pretty solid reputation over 15 years or so. However, throughout my working life, I had been a keen amateur photographer, an interest that started when I was 16 years old. Photography was my creative outlet. A way to feed my soul. Then, in 2001, I think I lost control to my camera. I took a sabbatical from my job, travelled with my wife to South Africa, Vietnam and Cambodia and began a new phase of my life (a mid-life crisis as some people would say). I decided to pursue photography full-time, knowing that it meant starting all over again. The journey has been emotionally exhausting, to say the least. I've described it as akin to swimming across Lake Ontario (not that I've ever done it). For the longest time (through 2002 and 2003) I felt that I wasn't quite half-way across and could turn around anytime while the weather was still great and the water was calm. Going further meant swimming into the unknown; maybe a storm and rough water. Turning back, though, meant giving in. My Yorkshire blood wouldn't allow me do that, so I carried on. I went on photography courses, opened a studio, started doing work for free and got rejected many, many, many times. Here we are at the beginning of 2005. I feel that I'm now way past the half-way mark - no turning back now. The weather is still okay and the water not too bad. I have a decent portfolio to show people and I'm starting to get paying work! Hopefully this year I will also start to use my camera in more useful and meaningful ways. I'm negotiating with the World Health Organization to document their campaign for the eradication of Leprosy. This project will take me to India in March/April. I've also applied to work for Medecins Sans Frontieres. The current is too strong now. I have no control. I'm drifting across Lake Ontario and who knows where I'll land. This blog will hopefully take you with me!