I am in complete awe and silence as I stand fixated on the small African village. I can taste the dust swirling through the air, each breath I take feels dry and dirty. I hear the wails of the newborn boy crying for his mother as he lays on the red and hand woven blanket. I am overcome with emotion as I view another small child holding his young mothers hand. She lays still, her beautiful face is unmoving. I want to reach out and wipe away the dirty boy’s fresh tears. I want to cry out for the doctor as he walks away with his small, worn out briefcase. I cannot believe the anguish and heartache I feel. Then somebody coughs in the next room over and I am whipped back to reality. This is not just ink on a piece of paper. For that young family, for hundreds of thousands in Africa, it is reality. Last year, over 1.3 million Africans died of AIDS, and another 22.5 million were living with it. This horrible scene I viewed in the picture was common. It was real! And for a while, the image was so powerful it became real for me, too. I felt as though I was standing in the hot, dusty village underneath the colorful blanket draped over sticks that this poor family calls home.
All over the world, things like this are happening. Poverty, HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, disease, and lack of access to clean water are just some of the hardships that add to the harsh lives of many people around the world. As we sit comfortably in our homes, millions of other people are in a daily battle with death. They are literally fighting for their lives! You would think the statistics are enough to have everyone jumping out of their seat to help, but yet many people don’t even know what life is like for the majority of our world’s population. I want to help change this fact. It’s time for us to take a stand, to fight for the good of our brothers and sisters around the world. The first step to change is making the problem known. This is my goal. I want to use photography to expose the fortunate few to the challenges and trials others face. I want to use the power of a camera to spark a change in this world, this place we call home. This is my goal.
Ever since I was young, I’ve had a love for photography. There is something incredible about an image that makes you feel. An image becomes truly amazing when you feel compassion, joy, heartache, or pain. Truly good pictures are not just a 2-D image. They are something that transports you to a new place, where you can see, hear, taste, and feel what is going on. I personally think a photographer becomes really amazing when he or she can take a simple camera to any place on the globe, whether it be their backyard or halfway around the world, and make their images so powerful, people who view them feel as though that were there too.
Someday, I will be the photographer who took the picture of the boy crying by his mother’s deathbed. I will be the one whose images spark that emotion in the hearts of others. It’s time we stand up, reach out, and help. This period of ignorance and selfishness must end. The time has come for change, and I’m going to be a part of it. I want to make a difference in this world using my love of photography. This is my passion. This is my future. This is what drives me.
(okay so this isn't really sad. but they are just too cute to not put on!! :) adorable!!)
These pictures kill me. I seriously can't believe some of the incredible but yet heartbreaking pictures there are. I can't believe people don't DO something!! This is horrible!!
But wouldn't that be incredible? To travel the world taking in every bit of culture and piece of knowledge about other people that I can? First off, I have a love of culture and find it truly fascinating. Second, I really can't believe how hard life is for other people. I sit here in my heated house, with electricity, running water, and food stacked up in the cupboards. They barely even eat every day. Its horrible. Hopefully someday this won't be the case. I want to make a difference. I want to make a change!
Well, thats all for today. I haven't posted in a while, life has been crazy! Sorry, but this is all you're going to get today. Hope all is well. Happy valentines day tomorrow!! :)
xox abby
