reflection: the time is now

I wrote this while waiting on my flight home from Ghana… 

Time stops for no one.  In a mere 5 hours I will be on my way home from West Africa and I’m confronted with the fact that we only have but so much time to make an impact in the world in which we live. I say this because I’ve traveled a world away from Atlanta to Ghana to photograph the funeral of Mrs. Christiana Darko. Through photographing the funeral I learned that she and her husband, Mr. Kwabena Darko, made an impact in the lives of many around the world. She took the years she had on this earth and decided not to waste even a moment. 

On March 31, 2011 I took the boldest step I’ve ever taken in life: I quit my secure and comfortable job. At the time, I had plans to enter a graduate program, but my plans changed. Through a series of serendipitous events after taking this leap of faith, doors were opened for me to become a full-time photographer. In April of this year, I took another leap and left Brooklyn, New York to move to Atlanta, Georgia in order to work with Ross Oscar Knight. I moved there with the intention of developing my gift of photography further so I may use this skill to help others. As Ross’ apprentice, I’ve learned far more in 6 months than I could have in a full-time photography program. For instance, who would have thought that photography would bring me to Ghana to document the home-going celebration of a woman I’ve never met?

Photography has opened doors that I could not imagine even existed. In fact, in January 2013, I have been presented with an opportunity to travel back to Africa – Rwanda, this time – to assist Ross in teaching photography workshops to children served by Through the Eyes of Hope Project (TEOH). TEOH is run by Linda Smith, a dynamic woman who also took a leap of faith by moving from New York to Rwanda years ago to serve children affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. With TEOH, she uses photography as a form of art therapy to help the children thrive in sometimes harsh situations (e.g. poverty, abandonment, or orphanhood). The children have learned how to tell their stories through lenses of hope and redemption in the midst of perceived hopelessness.

In order to serve in Rwanda, I need your help. These days, I don’t live a life filled with abundant resources, though I do live a life full of purpose. In the year that I became a photographer, I discovered that my purpose in this life is to use photography as a means to help others. Perhaps it’s the vehicle that will help me make an impact during my lifetime…

But, I can’t do this without the help of my community. I can’t do this without you.

I’m raising money along with Ross through an Indiegogo Campaign (www.indiegogo.com/hopeinrwanda). We’re trying to raise $7500 to cover our travel expenses and to purchase photography resources (cameras, printers, memory cards, etc.) for the children in Rwanda. Our campaign ends on November 29, 2012.

Can you donate today?