Tag: Photojournalist

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Don’t Judge a Book by the Cover?

I used to think that saying was true. But…it’s not. Turns out people do judge books by the cover. Which is why Testimony Africa got a bum rap (unless you read it, and then you know why I chose the cover image and that the book contains some really good information on development in the hardest places in the world).

But I digress.

I have written a new book called Witness, and for this one I shifted the focus of everything. It’s not a book about African development. It’s not a book about other people’s incredible stories. And it certainly doesn’t have a hard image on the cover.

The cover image of the forthcoming book Witness

This book is a memoir, a retrospective of what I’ve seen and learned in 20 years in the world’s toughest places. It’s big, bold and beautiful. Aspirational and positive. It’s a treasure trove of wisdom from those experiences that I want you to read and experience along with me. And based on the cover, I think you’ll be proud to have this one on your coffee table. And give to friends. It’s coming soon. Read (and see) an excerpt now! Then please spread the word!

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What Didn’t Make it Into Witness, Part II

First, let me tell you more about this book. Then get a FREE sample.

Witness is storytelling like you’ve never seen. Literally. Witness is my memoir presented an an aspirational coffee-table photobook. It tells how I got started in this work and what has come out of it. Witness weaves a visual tapestry around my own story and my secrets of storytelling. It is beautiful, bold, and super cool. It will find a place on your coffee table for a long time to come. And you’ll want to give it as gifts to your friends for their coffee tables, too.

The book takes you backstage in the world’s most gripping scenes, helping you harness the power of presence in the heart of a story and to embrace emotion in our collective pursuit to inspire action and change. It will equip you with a deep application to your own personal and professional growth, inspired to fully leverage your own story to drive influence and create transformation at scale. Get a free sample today, and then let me know what you think!

Now–let me show you another image that did NOT make it into the book.

I made this photo in Rwanda in 2010 on assignment for International Justice Mission. It remains one of my friend’s favorite photos. But with the rise of Instagram came all these photos with people’s backs to us in some incredible setting. And I grew tired of seeing that stuff, as you may have as well. This photo just had too much of that element to it, even though I took it well before Instagram was even invented. So–it didn’t make it into the book. But plenty of others did. And I want you to see some of those.

Get a free sample now. Then stay tuned for how you can get the full copy!

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Seeing a Scene

Some thoughts on “seeing” a scene…really this is more about “feeling” a scene; looking for and sensing where the movement and emotion is. So any time I walk into a home like this I’m just waiting for things to unfold naturally. These photos I made in November 2016 in Haiti. Medical Teams International staff and volunteers were setting up and giving care through a Mobile Medical Unit in Chateau Arniquet, Haiti, in response to the need after Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc on rural and coastal communities, blowing over crops, flooding fields and homes, and making life otherwise miserable for many. So I found myself at this recipient’s home. For those that want to know: here’s what I used to take the black and white image: Nikon D4, 24mm Nikkor lens at f/1.4 at 1/5000 of a second; all the others I shot at f/1.4. I’m not in a hurry in these situations. There are multiple shots I know are good, and all these ones I would have thought to myself “yeah, that’s on point.” When I look at them later, there is usually one I gravitate toward, for reasons I really can’t explain. The black and white image in this series is the one that got me. I think it was the mom and the expression on her face.