Hear Our Cries.
After a crazy two-month journey in Africa, I am back to tell you the stories of the forgotten, destitute, and voiceless people I came to love in Kenya and Rwanda. I am back to show you their faces, which have forever captivated my heart. During this life-changing experience, I traveled through the dusty, dirt roads with two vintage cameras and handfuls of black and white film in attempts to capture the beauty and pain of these amazing places. With the resulting images, I am putting together an exhibition that will tell the stories of my friends in Africa. I hope my photographs will be used to raise awareness, funds, and support for a people who are crying out for our help. Will we listen? Will we bring Christ’s hands and feet to their rescue? If we won’t then who will? I invite you to come along side of me, as we learn together how to live, give, and love...
About Me.
I’ve been taking pictures for about four years. Over the course of those years, I’ve discovered my true passion for art and missions. For me, these two passions are not intended to be separate callings, but rather joined as one. With my photography, I believe I can speak for the voiceless, fight for justice and spark change. My prayer is that God will continue to allow me to capture images that move our hearts into action. I hope my photography inspires you to make a difference for those who are in need.
The Story.
I said I would never be a missionary. I also said I never wanted to go Africa. Ironically, God showed me that this was exactly what He planned for me to do. He soon began challenging me to push forward into this calling, and, with hopeful fear in my heart, I did. In January 2006, I left for central California to do a creative arts mission training school for five months with an organization called Youth With Mission (www.ywam.org). The first three months were spent training, learning, and preparing for overseas outreach. My team and I then left for Africa, where we spent two months living in Kenya and Rwanda. During our time there, we had the opportunity to work with orphans, widows, prostitutes and street kids. Having witnessed their joy in the midst of such depravity has forever changed my life. If you would like to read more and see some photos from this incredible experience, please click here (insert PDF)...
Hear Our Cries.
Hear Our Cries is a collection of professional black and white photographs printed by hand in my homemade darkroom. These images were documented during a two-month mission trip to Africa. Upon returning home, I felt others needed to see and hear the stories of the people I encountered. It is my goal to tangibly show God’s love and concern for His people in Africa, so that in turn we might learn to love as He does.
There will be several upcoming exhibits of Hear Our Cries, which tell my stories of Africa in more detail. Please check back as I will keep you posted on upcoming dates and locations. ** Think about email idea**
The Next Step.
In January 2008 I will be attending a video production school in Denver, Colorado with Youth With A Mission, (www.ywamdenver.org/sovp.htm). The program consists of a three-month training program on how to shoot films, followed by a two-month field application in Southeast Asia. Our goal is to produce a short film called the "Motorcycle Journey Documentary.” The plan is to journey through Southeast Asia on purchased motorbikes in order to experience the beauty of their culture more personally. Along with documenting the region’s beauty, we will highlight social justice issues prevalent in many Southeast Asian countries. Among many, these issues include misplaced refugees, child sex trafficking, prostitution and the AIDS epidemic. In exposing ourselves to all this we will be challenged to narrate the stories of such tragedies. This will be a great opportunity to document, learn and bring awareness through relationships and creativity. Most of all, it will require me to love with selfless compassion in the midst of my challenging journey.
Get Involved.
Each photograph on this site is for sale. You’ll notice four different bodies of work: Africa, The Sliver Series, Copper Plates, and Black and White Prints. All prices are listed below. All dimensions given are for actual print size.
| Framed/Matted | Unframed | Print Size | |
| Africa | $300 | $250 | 16x20 |
| Africa | $125 | $75 | 8x10 |
| The Silver Series | $200 | $100 | 11x14 |
| Copper Plates | $250 | $150 | 5x7 |
| Black & Whites | $125 | $75 | 8x10 |
One way you can help Africa is to purchase one of my Africa photographs or make a donation of any amount. With each purchased photograph, all proceeds will go directly back to support the country.
All other non-Africa photograph purchases or donations will be used to support my future mission plans.
If you are interested in purchasing a piece or simply making a donation, please contact me via email.
My Friends.
Please check out these other African organizations to learn more about them and their specific needs:
- African Leadership (www.africanleadership.org)
- Sisters Of Rwanda (www.sistersofrwanda.org)
- YWAM Rwanda (www.ywamconnect.com/sites/ywamrwanda)
- Imani Orphanage (www.imanikids.org)
The Process.
All photographs were taken using a vintage 1970’s SLR Nikon FG and a 1958 Yashica 635 with traditional black and white film. Each picture was developed by hand in a storage closet turned homemade darkroom. Nothing is digital, scanned, or touched up with Photoshop. Each piece is an original, one of a kind.
The Africa images are silver gelatin prints developed on professional archival fiber-base cool tone paper. These prints are selenium toned.
The Silver Series are silver gelatin prints developed on professional archival fiber-base paper. The series was lit using a homemade light box.
The Copper Plates are developed using liquid emulsion, a process that creates a light sensitive surface on each plate. After the plates are coated and dried, normal darkroom chemistry is followed.
The Black and White images are silver gelatin prints developed on professional archival fiber-base warm tone paper.