Expectation

Amy and Paul are naturals in front of a camera. And with almost no direction they expressed their love for each other and all the excited expectation they have for their first baby. After a beautiful evening at the lake, I can just picture what a great family they will make.

Yucky grass

How do you get a little boy to crawl towards you on the grass when it looks like he'd rather crawl on nails?


I don't know...

Milestones

Following a family through milestones is an honor. I've made new friends taking family photos year after year, and I've had the opportunity to document the major events in old friends' lives.

One of those great friends is Andrea. Since I was actually in her wedding party, I didn't get to shoot the wedding, but I did manage to pull out my camera for a couple of in-between and reception shots.

A little more than a year later, I documented the arrival of their first child. Then came a family Christmas photo and, most recently, one-year photos with the little guy crawling and taking assisted steps.

This kid smiles with his whole face. From his sparkling blue eyes, to his crinkled nose, and his toothy grin. He's a great kid, with a sweet personality, which I think he gets from his mother (although his dad's a good guy, too!) I look forward to more fun times with these friends, with and without the camera, in the future. Who knows, I may even be around for the little man's wedding.

Uganda Part 3—Picking up the pieces

Watching War Dance recently, reminded me of my trip to Uganda three years ago. I was shocked to realize how quickly I had lost sight of the situation there. The media has forgotten about the tragedy in Northern Uganda, and in a way so had I. As I looked through many of my pictures from that trip, I was compelled to look into what's happened in the last couple of years.

If you don't know about the situation in Uganda, a rebel group called the LRA has been terrorizing Northern Uganda for the last 20 years—killing and mutilating villagers, and kidnapping an estimated 20,000 children to be soldiers and sex slaves—forcing hundreds of thousands of people into government protected camps. The Juba Peace Initiative is making steps to end the conflict and resettle the displaced. But with the Final Peace Agreement yet unsigned, the situation is precarious. Families struggle with the decision whether to remain in the camps in relative safety but completely dependent on international aid, or to move back to their ancestral lands to try to make a living and put themselves at risk for more violence.

Life is hard for children in and out of the camps. Former child soldiers struggle to integrate back into community life, children are left to fend for themselves while their parents walk long distances every day to farm, and all are vulnerable to abuse and lack of education. When I visited some camps around Lira three years ago, this was already the case, and I'm afraid that not much has changed for many of the children there. Here are a few more images from that trip.


The look on this boy's face still haunts me. I saw him at a food distribution at an IDP camp outside of Lira. What hardship has he seen in his short life?


Former child soldiers at the Rachele Rehabilitation Centre. Used as slave labour they likely witnessed brutalities that we can only imagine.


It's estimated that over 2,000 children have been born in the LRA. This baby was fortunate to be born at Rachele Centre rather than in the bush. His mother will have many challenges to overcome.


Babies caring for babies, while surviving family members work long hours to eke out a meagre living.


This little girl carrying her sibling on her back shaded from the hot sun by the gourd.


Hope for the future in these curious boys.

I stole my title from an excellent video posted on IRIN. Visit www.irinnews.org/film and look for Picking up the pieces (Northern Uganda)

Blossoms

I was out this afternoon enjoying the sun and the flowers that are finally in full bloom. Fabulous peonies, both in full bloom and their tight little globes; glossy poppies; and intricate buds that I've never seen before. It was a great opportunity to play with my macro lens and capture all the tiniest details (the smallest buds were the size of kernels of popcorn.) Wide open the macro lens also gave me great control over the depth of field, allowing me to choose what would be in sharp focus, and isolating it from the background. 

The big event

BMX tricks, rock bands, and an inspirational message—all part of a youth event I was shooting for the Billy Graham Association in Moncton, NB, this last weekend. I love the big event. Which is odd because normally I'm a fan of more laid-back environments, but this is all chaos, noise, and adrenalin—between the crowd and the band, or up to the highest vantage point I can find. And throughout, all those kids hear about God and His purpose for their lives. That's the best part.

Uganda Part 2—A lesson in beauty

I saw this beautiful little boy in an Internally Displaced People's camp in Northern Uganda. I didn't think he was beautiful at first. In fact, he was kind of annoying me. Every time I turned my camera back on the crowd of kids following me through the camp, he was always front and center with his messy face. I found myself wanting to somehow crop him out of the picture, wishing he would give up and drift off to the side. But then I really looked at him, with the eyes of my heart. He was a curious little boy, with bright eyes and a sweet smile, who just wanted his picture taken. It was a dangerous thing to do, and I knew I'd have dozens of tugs and taps for me to do it again, but after I took a picture of him I turned the camera around and showed him the tiny little preview picture on the back of my camera. It was that moment that I wish I could have caught, but it was just for me to enjoy and remember. His eyes got bigger, his smile got wider, and he danced away like a hero. I was completely convicted about my idea of beauty. Sometimes I can get so caught up in the surface stuff. But my prayer is always that God would reveal Himself to me in the subjects of my pictures. Even in the messiest, ugliest situations, we can find a glimpse of Him.