Guatemala: Is it enough?

Is it enough to go to a foreign country and take cool photos to bring back to our western culture, a kind of photojournalistic voyeurism? For me it isn't. I want Christians to see my photos and feel such Godly compassion and love for the people in them that they will be moved to action.

Alone, we may or may not change entire nations. But, we can each affect those we learn of or come in contact with. My photography is worthless unless it causes us to act.

©Copyright Gary S. Chapman 2007

Guatemalan children (85mm lens, 1/60 sec, f4, ISO400)

Home: Thinking

I've come to a "Y" in the road. Until now, the adrenaline of travel has kept me wanting to keep traveling. The intoxication of the exotic has urged me again and again to go overseas. I have relished in all things foreign. But now, my comfortable existence at home is becoming more appealing. I am tempted to find excuses not to go. Why bother any longer with malaria avoidance, shots, giardia (don't ask if you don't know), questionable food and water, thieves and downright discomfort? I think this is a good place at which I have arrived. Inward examinations are taking place. I have discovered it will take more than just a selfish desire to visit far-flung locales. I know in my heart that if/when I leave again, it will not be as a travel junky, an addict of the far and away. My prayer is that God will fill me with such a love for people that it will transcend my love of the foreign, overcome my affinity for comfort, conquer any fear of the unknown and crush any pride I may have harbored. Should God ask me to leave again, I know I will be different.

©Copyright Gary S. Chapman

Sudanese refugees: (135mm lens, 1/125 sec., f2, ISO320)

Mexico: Simplicity

The first thing I saw when I woke up in the luxury hotel was the fire alarm on the ceiling. My first, sleepy, thought was "What a shame they don't have these in the villages of stick and mud houses we had just been in." We are so wired to think we "need" so much.

What could be more simple than these utensils hanging against the mud wall of a kitchen.

©Copyright Gary S. Chapman
(Spoons 24-105mm lens @58mm, 1/25 sec., f5.6, ISO500)
(Alarm 24-105mm lens @105mm, 1/160 sec., f4, ISO640}

Mexico: Not So Different

She has raised 14 children in a one-room home made of sticks and mud, without water or electricity, during her 85 years of life. To see more of her village and people go to www.garyschapman.com/mexico.mov Or, if you have a slow internet connection, try this lower resolution version at www.garyschapman.com/mexico_low.mov

©Copyright Gary S. Chapman
(45mm Tilt-shift lens,1/640 sec.,f4, ISO200)

Mexico: A Life of Value

When asked where he was from, this man replied, "donde la vida no vale nada", which means "the place where life has no value", in reference to a famous song about the city of Guanajuato, his birthplace. You can read every one of his 88 years in the lines of his face.(Caption by Daniel Chapman)

To see a few more photos of this man and the people he lives with, go to www.garyschapman.com/value

©Copyright Gary S. Chapman
(135mm lens, 1/100 sec, f2.0 ISO 1000)

Jamaica: Prison Boys

Inside, it was dark, humid, and smelled of urine. We were only allowed a few minutes to shake hands, look around and offer a few words of encouragement. Since I could not stay, I can only imagine their life behind bars. This short visit was definitely a case of being of more value to me than to them. Whenever I look at their faces I want to be a better dad.

©Copyright Gary S. Chapman
(24-70mm lens at 24mm, 1/125 sec, f5.6 ISO400)

Cairo: Muslim Girl Cover-up

At the church I attend, I was asked to present a gallery of my photos from around the world. On Thursday, my daughter and I hung the photos, taking great care of the groupings and wall placement. On Sunday, when we arrived at church, I noticed a table and three-panel display advertising a summer camp placed in such a way as to completely cover two of my favorite photos. One of them is this photo of an eight year old Muslim girl in Cairo. We had chosen the photo as the opening piece because of her piercing eyes. The emotions and thoughts of, "How could you...how dare you...you are covering up MY photos," assaulted my mind. We all battle those kinds of thoughts when we feel our rights have been violated. But, within just a few seconds of having those thoughts I sensed God telling me to not worry. The right people will see the photos at the right time. It is great being able to trust God.

©Copyright Gary S. Chapman
(135mm lens, 1/2500 sec, f2 ISO400)

South Africa: Moment of Realization

To come to God we must all realize we can't come before Him as we are. We have too much junk in our lives. But that is where the good news comes in...the Gospel, as Christians call it. The start of the journey is to first realize that we do have junk (sin), to know that God loves us anyway, and to understand that He (God) made a plan to have a sinless Jesus Christ pay the costs of our wrong by dying for us. But how do you photograph that moment...something that is and should be a heart issue? Every so often those encounters with God are revealed in faces. We need to be ready and make sure our presence is not a disruptive intrusion.

(70-200mm lens at 200mm, 1/1000 sec, f4 ISO100)

San Francisco:Voices

Christian teens made their voices heard at City Hall in San Francisco as part of Battle Cry, a Christian event dedicated to helping teens have a voice in opposition to corrosive youth pop culture. About 100 counter-protesters tried to drown out the speeches with megaphones, whistles and shouting.

To see more photos of the event go to www.garyschapman.com/battlecry_selects

(16-35mm lens at 16mm, 1/400 sec, f8, ISO200)
(16-35mm lens at 16mm, 1/500 sec, f7.1, ISO400)

India:A Lot of Sandals

Of the two to three hundred people that took off their footware before entering the church, I was the ONLY one wearing shoes and socks. (I actually checked). It seemed that no one in the entire country wore shoes during the rainy season. It took me forever to untie or tie as I entered or exited buildings during the day. Everyone else just slipped in and out and were on their way. I had made a big mistake packing for this trip.

(24-70mm lens at 40mm, 1/100 sec, f4 ISO400)

Cairo: One Child at a Time

What can you do when there are thousands and thousands of Sudanese refugee children in great need? "I'm just one person," we all say. "The need is too great." "What skills do I have?" Or God forbid that we do not even acknowledge the problem and just turn and look the other way.

These are some of the 2,000 Sudanese children that WERE helped during a recent medical and spiritual outreach in Cairo, Egypt. If you would like to see more of their portraits please go to www.garyschapman.com/portraits. Or, for a multimedia piece, please go to www.garyschapman.com/children.mov.

(45mm TS lens, 1/200 sec, f2.8 ISO400)

Egypt:Never too Old

Doc Charlie is 75 years old and after 50 years of active medical work he has not settled into the typical life of ease and retirement. Recently he chose to go to Cairo, Egypt to provide healthcare for over 2,300 Sudanese refugee children. Many thousands of Sudanese have fled their country and the war that has been raging for over 30 years. Healthcare and educational opportunities have been extremely limited for these refugees in Egypt.

Doc Charlie and other aid workers rose before sunrise each day to make their way to the small Sudanese schools around Cairo. The lines of children seemed endless that backed up for medical exams, food, school supplies, prayers and hugs.

If you would like to see a short multi-media piece on Doc Charlie, please go to www.garyschapman.com/doc.mov

(24-105mm lens at 28mm, 1/200 sec, f5.6 ISO400)

Georgia: Faithful in the Small Things

The other day I was outside looking at the veins in a leaf...how one central vein keeps dividing into smaller and smaller veins until they are almost too small to see. We all want to be that one big vein, the important one, the photographer constantly getting and producing the best assignments, forever on the covers of the big magazines. Then we realize there are estimated to be 129,000 photographers in this country. It is easy to become discouraged, bitter, or jealous unless you realize that those tiny veins are very important to the individual cells they touch. My prayer is to be a blessing to the "cells" God allows me to be in contact with, big or small.

Pakistan: A Tent for Eleven

Why am I here...a small mountain village in Pakistan? Why have I spent my time, my money, rejected the relative safety of home, and embraced inconveniences as necessary adventures? Why am I in this place, photographing a man, a woman and their nine children outside a tent where they have lived through the winter after a devastating earthquake? Will my portrait of his family give him a new home? What does he get out of this? I left him with an embrace and a meeting of the eyes. May I not forget. May we all never forget.

(24-105mm IS lens @24mm, 1/100 sec, f5.6 ISO800

Thailand: Long Neck and Ethics

Here is an ethical dilema/question for you photographers. Women of the Padaung Long Neck people along the Thai Burma border have worn these ornamental brass rings for centuries. The reasons for this practice have been lost for generations. Was it for beauty, or was it to make them too ugly for slave traders? Whatever the origin, one of the main reasons it seems to continue today is tourism. Their villages along the border have become a magnet to tour groups in the last ten years as the tribes have fled persecution in Burma. Would this custom quickly die out if photographers and tourists did not pay to tour the villages? Are we perpetuating a custom that does have health consequences for the wearer?

(Both images 70-200 IS lens, 1/500 sec, f2.8 ISO 100)

Panama: Head on Lap

I loved this moment the instant I shot it. A young missionary meeting the eyes of a cute boy from an isolated jungle tribe. But when I showed the image to others, many cringed and said the photo was "not right." "It looks like the boy's head is just sitting on her lap. He doesn't have a body." From then on, the moment in the photo was ruined for me. Why didn't I capture just a bit of his body from behind her skirt?

(70-200mm IS lens @135, 1/800 sec, f4 ISO100

Peru: Bathroom

Are you ever tempted to complain? This is the bathroom of a church in Peru.

(24mm lens, 1/15 sec, f8 ISO100)

Peru: Etched Years

The question is not really how old she is. The question is more, "What has she seen? What suffering has she endured? Does she cling to any feelings of hope?"


(70-200mm lens at 175mm, 1/1000 sec, f4.5 ISO400)

Georgia: Tearful Goodbye

Almost all of my mission photography is done overseas where passions run high and dangers abound . I never expected to see the level of dedication and emotional involvement that this group of American teens showed as they spent a week working on painting and repairing houses of elderly or disabled Americans. Tears flowed freely between this 82 year old resident and one of the workers on her home as goodbyes were being said.

(24-105mm lens, 1/250 sec, f5.6 ISO500)

Pakistan: The Imam Comes

It is so rare for a Christian to be allowed into the home of a Muslim and to be given tea and food.

It is rarer still for guests to be allowed to speak with openness about their lives and who Jesus is to them.

But this conversation was swiftly brought to a close when the local imam (leader in the mosque) came to the door to see what was being shared.

The man of the house quickly said, "We are Muslim and it is time for prayer."

We had to leave.

If you would like to see a new movie of images from Pakistan please go to Pakistan, Thoughts and Images.

(24-105mm lens at 24mm, 1/30 sec, f4 ISO1600)

Pakistan: Faces

The crowd was huge. There were more men waiting to receive the relief aid than there was actual aid. There was pushing, shoving and angry venting of frustrations. This man silently waited. And waited. Names were called and men picked up food to take to their families. This man went home with nothing. There just wasn't enough.

This photo is part of a series of portraits done in far northern Pakistan, six months after the devastating earthquake that killed 80,000 people, where families are still living in tents.

If you would like to see more of the portraits in a Quicktime Movie, please go to Faces of Islam , or for a gallery of images click HERE.

(24-105mm lens at 105mm, 1/100 sec, f4 ISO1600)

Nepal: Friends

This photo isn't part of any grand story I was trying to tell. I was taking a break from a shoot, eating momos (Nepalese meat dumplings) and relaxing on a balcony overlooking the town's main square. I saw the two school girls walking home for lunch, engrossed in their own world. I grabbed a camera and shot two frames as the girls came close. This is not a photo that will stop wars, change the balance of world government or end poverty. It is a simple moment that shows a connection, a sharing between two young girls.

I often tell photo students that we should never say:

"I missed this photo because I didn't have my camera with me."

"I missed this photo because I wasn't paying attention."

"I missed this photo because I didn't learn how to use my camera well."

I then tell them the only reason for missing a photo is because God asked me to put my camera down.

Nepal: Evil eye

A protective mother in Nepal would never think of letting her child go out in public without black kohl makeup around their eyes. It is believed the kohl will shield the child from the dangers of the evil eye. The kohl can have a powerful effect, but not in the way the parent intended. Unfortunately, the kohl paint often includes lead that is toxic and quite dangerous to the wearer.

It has always amazed me how much the eyes tell about a person. A subject's gaze will often reveal so much about them without a word being spoken.

If you would like to see a short Quicktime movie of portraits, please go to Look into Their Eyes

(70-200mm lens at 135mm, 1/500 sec, f2.8, ISO400)
(24-70mm lens at 24mm, 1/125 sec, f2.8, ISO400)

Venezuela: Street Preacher

Imagine this scene. You are walking around the downtown district of a very prosperous city. The hustle of everyday life surrounds you as you set up your microhone and speaker and begin to attract a crowd, the people wondering what you are selling. Only you aren't selling anything, really. You have come to tell whoever will listen, that God is real, Jesus is alive, and that you would like to share the story of how you know this to be true.

It takes passion, courage and total abandonment to share your heart with total strangers. I have at times been glad I could hide behind my camera as those more brave did the frontline work. Over the years though, I have learned that fear of speaking out goes away when you are trusting the one that gave you a message to share.

I had photographed the street preachers many times and decided to look for a different angle. Fortunately, the doorman of a nearby building let me go to the roof without a lot of red tape and releases.

(70-200mm lens at 135mm, 1/500sec, ISO400)

Hyderabad, India: Prayer

The heat, the flies, the people next to her...nothing distracted her from her conversation with God. She did not move a muscle. Others clapped, cried, and swayed to the music. In the crowd of over 400 Bible school students, she was alone with God. She stayed that way for the longest time and I kept being drawn back to photograph her, to capture her introspection.

India is such a visual feast of color. I was curious if my photos would still be interesting if I desaturated and toned them, reducing or eliminating their vibrancy.

If you would like to see more India photos in a Quicktime Movie, please go to India Movie.

(24-70mm lens at 66mm, 1/50 sec, f2.8 ISO 800)

India: Girl with flies

To this girl, home is made of bits of cast-off plastic,
wood, rope and palm fronds. The monsoon rains and
extreme heat of India must make a mockery of its
construction.

This child and her family are also cast-offs, part of the
untouchable caste of India. They live just outside the rich
metropolis of Hyderabad, but have little contact with it.

I watched her stand there, still as the horde of flies that,
almost magically, clung to her dress. Hope does not often
visit her, but today it seemed something was shared
by the touch of a stranger's hand and the meeting of their eyes.

This is another of the desaturated images I spoke about earlier.

(70-200mm lens at 130mm, 1/500 sec, f4, ISO400)

Katmandu, Nepal: Beggar

You’ve heard the story of Peter going to the
temple, seeing a lame man and declaring, “Silver
and Gold I do not have, but in the name of Jesus
Christ rise up and walk.”

I saw this lady outside a temple in Nepal. I wanted to
pray for her like Peter did. I wanted to grab her by
the wrists and pull her up. I wanted to walk in faith.
But I didn’t. I photographed her with a long lens
and quickly put some money in her hands as I walked
past her and out of the temple. God, help me to do
it better next time.

(200mm lens f2.8 focused on the fingers)

India: Muddy stop and Gospel tract

The group of missionaries I was with were travelling in a bus going from one village to another. They had no intention of stopping here. It was raining and they knew no one. Yet, the leader said he felt compelled to stop. They set up their loud speaker. One of the group spoke for 10 minutes about who Jesus is. It continued to rain; they handed out tracts with their message written in the local dialect. We left.

Did the little girl understand the brief message? Can she even read the tract in her hand? All I know is that the missionaries did what they thought they were being led to do. My wife once accepted a tract while she was in college. She kept it even though she didn't understand it. Years later it helped her understand the simple message of grace that Jesus preached.

The mission group I was with was Gospel for Asia.

Girl (24-70mm lens at 28mm, 1/320 sec, f4.5, ISO640)
Feet (24-70mm lens at 57mm, 1/160 sec, f5.6, ISO640)

Romania: Insane Asylum

The mental asylum in Romania was a warehouse for the mentally insane, the physically handicapped and even for some Christian pastors that had been drugged into insanity during the dark years of Ceaucescu's reign of terror. A year after his assassination, little had been done to help those closeted away in the mountains of Transylvania. I felt overwhelmed. What could I do? I decided to do portraits of as many patients as I could. They couldn't leave, but I could at least let others see in.

The language barrier really wasn't a hindrance; we had translators. The problem was, that for most of the patients, their minds were not in the same building we were. They were living a life outside the dreary and dirty rooms where they were housed.

If you would like to see more photos in a Quicktime Movie, click Romania.

(24mm lens, f2.8)

Katrina: Mud & the Rolex

I was in a neighborhood along the Gulf Coast that had been totally wiped away. These were houses that had cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Gone. There were only foundations and piles of debris. As I was walking among the foundations, I looked down and saw a watch in the cracked mud. It was getting late. The sun was setting and I was losing the light. I shot a few frames and thought nothing more of it till I blew the image up on my computer days later. The watch was a very expensive, diamond encrusted Rolex. The things we think are so important are really meaningless. Jesus always put relationships before everything else. Before things. Before achievement.

(16-35mm f2.8 lens at 35mm, 1/60 sec, f5.6, ISO320)

Katrina: Wilbur lost everything

Wilbur is calmly telling me his story of how his wife of 25 years refused to leave as the storm approached the Gulf Coast. Wilbur left because he told me he didn't feel good about this one. As the winds became stronger, his wife tried to leave. She actually burned the tires off the rims of her car (behind Wilbur in the photo) trying to escape the mud in her front yard. With her car stuck in the ruts she had made, she got out and ran back in her house. Her phone still worked and she called Wilbur to tell him how frightened she was. A short time later the line went dead. The house was blown or washed away by the estimated 30 ft. tidal surge with only the pilings left. His wife's body was found in the woods.

The story doesn't end here. Many church groups have come to help Wilbur. The rest of his story can be found here.

(24-70mm lens at 24mm, 1/500 sec, f5.6, ISO100)

Sri Lanka: Abandoned Flip Flops

I was standing on a beach in Sri Lanka that had been hit hard by the tsunami only a short time earlier. My guide told me that one thing he had noticed once the water receded, was the abundance of sandals and flip flops that had lodged in the tree tops and broken tree trunks such as this one. I looked around. He was right. Everywhere you looked you could see little piles of flip flops that the raging waves had torn from their owners.

(16-35mm f2.8 lens at 24mm, 1/125 sec, f6.3, ISO400)