Papua New Guinea has been up the top of my Travel Wishlist for years. Despite it being Australia’s closest neighbour (only 170km from Queensland), it isn’t a very popular travel destination – hence the appeal. A few years ago when I learned about PNGs rugged beauty, rich indigenous cultures and distinct lack of tourism, I started looking into how I could get there. Simply travelling or being a tourist is never enough for me – I always look for a way to add another dimension to any journey, and I love my profession so much that turning a travel opportunity into a Photo Trip is usually my first preference. I pasted photos of PNG onto my “Dream Board” – the digital pinboard where I gather inspirational images surrounding my dreams and goals. While I was busy making other dreams come true (making a sea change, getting married and building my strawbale cottage with my husband), plans for Papua New Guinea fell into place on their own. I was ecstatic when I received an email from Cool Earth, asking if I’d be available for a photo shoot in PNG. Cool Earth is a UK based NGO (Non Government Organisation) that […] Read More
How I came to be an NGO Photographer It was December 2004. I was in a minivan to Colombo airport after my 3 month Sri Lankan Surf/Self-discovery trip was cut short by the most devastating natural disaster in recent history. The coastal road was heavily corroded and our minivan full of “survivors” had reached a stand still. A traffic jam. When your very existence is surrounded by death, the last thing you want is be forced to be still. All at once people on the streets began to look panicked. Their pace quickened and soon many were running. Others we’re climbing walls onto balconies. Some we’re yelling. The driver wouldn’t translate what they were saying, for several long minutes. Over the previous few days I had experienced more sadness than I’d ever imagined possible, which was both numbing and calming. But still, I needed to know what was going on so I insisted that the driver tell us what was happening. In the rear view mirror, I caught a glimpse of restrained fear in his eyes. “They have heard there is another tsunami coming”. I saw my life end that moment. My body was suspended in the density of our reality and […] Read More
Working as an NGO photographer and documenting the work of not-for-profit organisations that are improving people’s lives, inspires me endlessly. More than anything, it brings a sense of hope. I have witnessed so many seemingly hopeless situations turned upside down, resulting in thriving human beings and optimistic communities, all thanks to the committed work of everyday people . These people show me that any one of us can be a hero, a lifesaver, even an angel. I’d like to share with you an excerpt from a book I am writing, about my three year journey through Latin America. This passage describes an experience I had in Nicaragua, while working with the amazing grass roots organisation, Empowerment International. The organisation was formed by an extraordinary North American woman Kathy, who couldn’t walk away from a community in need, so she moved to Nicaragua to work day and night to change their situation. I volunteered with Empowerment, teaching photography classes to the children and creating a photo documentary of their projects. On my first day volunteering with Empowerment, Anielka led me into the barrio of Villa de Esperanza, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Granada. Many of the families there were surviving […] Read More
