Tag Archives: travel photography

The Beauty of the Hard Places

August 30, 2019All things about Travel in Africa, Photography, world travelAfrica, ethiopia, Kenya, Photography, remote parts of Africa, South Sudan, the real africa, travel, travel in Africa, Travel in Ethiopia, travel in Kenya, travel in south sudan, travel off the beaten path, travel photography, world travelwollwerthimagery

I had a piece I was going to write tonight, but I decided I’ve written enough about my thoughts lately. My thoughts can get tiring to me sometimes, so I can only imagine what it’s like for other people. So tonight I’m writing a very picture heavy blog featuring some of the amazing places I’ve seen in going to the hard parts of Africa. All photos were taken in South Sudan, Kenya, or Ethiopia. If you ever get a chance to go to these places for whatever reason, they can be utterly heartbreaking yet stunningly beautiful, sometimes at the same time.

Sunrise in Arba Minch, Ethiopia.

A man paddles down the White Nile in South Sudan.

Children in South Sudan with grass fires in the background.

A woman in a remote part of the Borana region of Ethiopia.

The beauty of Yabello, Ethiopia.

The desert near the Ethiopia, Somalia border.

A waterfall on the slopes of Mount Kenya.

A giraffe with downtown Nairobi, Kenya in the background.

Jeldu Gojo in the mountains of central Ethiopia.

A rain storm drenches South-Central Ethiopia.

110 degrees f at the top of Jebel Kujur in South Sudan.

Lightning over Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

Children watching the massive cattle herds go by in South Sudan.

Morning in Addis Ababa.

Tea plantation in Kimunye, Kenya.

I could have kept posting pictures, as there are simply so many epic places in Africa, but I’ll just have to save some for another blog post.

A Week in Kibera.

June 30, 2019All things about Travel in Africa, My thoughts on all things missions related., travel, world missions, world travelAfrica, Christian Missions, humanitarianism, Kenya, Kibera, missions, Nairobi, perspective, Proverbs 30, social justice, the real africa, travel, travel in Africa, travel in Kenya, travel off the beaten path, travel photography, world missions, world travelwollwerthimagery

Recently I got back from spending a week in Kenya, most of it in the Kibera slum of Nairobi. It had been 3 1/2 years since I’d been to Kenya, and I was eager to see how our friends were doing. Though we’d been in contact with many of them, it’s much better to be able to physically see how people are doing than to just be told. Plus it’s the unspoken things that really tell the stories.

Some things had changed. More of the roads in Kibera are now paved, keeping down a bit of the mud and dust, but the trash problem has not gotten any better. Many of the children in the daycare are new, but that’s to be expected, as children get older and start going to school and are replaced by younger ones.

What didn’t change was the absolute beauty of the people in Kibera. As I came from a nation where material things are so important to people, but unhappiness and loss of purpose is rampant, I am reminded that there is as much blessing in not having what you don’t need as there is in having what you do need. The words of Proverbs 30 are brought to mind.

“Two things I ask of You—

do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.

Give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the bread that is my portion.

Otherwise, I may have too much

and deny You, saying, “Who is the LORD?”

Or I may become poor and steal,

profaning the name of my God.”

Before we think we have it better, look at the joy on the faces of the people of Kibera and remind ourselves that joy doesn’t come from what is outside.

Kibera, Kenya.

June 12, 2019All things about Travel in Africa, My thoughts on all things missions related., Photography, travel, world missions, world travelAfrica, journalism, Kenya, Kibera, life change, missions, photojournalism, poverty alleviation, travel in Africa, travel in Kenya, travel photography, world missions, world travelwollwerthimagery

Just a short post today, as I’m still in the field in Kenya. we came back to check on some friends we haven’t seen in three and a half years. I’m happy to report that they are doing well. The daycare that Pastor Obedi and has wife Helen run under very difficult circumstances is also doing well.

I’m looking forward to what the future brings for them and those kids, and I’ll be writing about some of that in the future. But for tonight I’m just going to post some pictures from the last couple days.

Back to Kibera.

May 26, 2019All things about Travel in Africa, Photography, travel, Uncategorized, world missionsAfrica, Christian Missions, culture, humanitarian work, humanitarianism, Kenya, Kibera, Nairobi, people photography, Photography, photojournalism, the real africa, travel, travel in Africa, travel in Kenya, travel off the beaten path, travel photography, world missions, world travelwollwerthimagery

In just a couple of weeks, I head back to Kibera, Kenya. A group of four men will be going to minister in the largest urban slum in Africa. We’ll be going back to catch up with some good friends we haven’t seen in a long time.

It occurred to me today that I used to post a lot more pictures than I have been lately. I am a professional photographer, after all. So for those following my journey, here are some pictures from previous trips to see Pastor Obedi and His wife Helen in Kibera.

Only Photos

December 8, 2018All things about Travel in Africa, Photography, travelAfrica, Arba Minch, Borana, journalism, people photography, petrosnetwork, Photography, photojournalism, the real africa, travel in Africa, Travel in Ethiopia, travel off the beaten path, travel photography, travel to ethiopia, world travelwollwerthimagery

I’ve been back from Ethiopia for a month now, and as of yet I haven’t done a blog post of just photos. Usually I’ve done one by now. As I looked through some of my favorites, I realized there is going to have to be more than one blog of just photos. I simply have so many I’m happy with. This was my first trip to southern Ethiopia, and all of the following pictures are either from Borana, Arba Minch, or somewhere in between. Enjoy.

Borana and The Southern Nations

November 1, 2018All things about Travel in Africa, My thoughts on all things missions related., Photography, travel, world missionsAfrica, Christian Missions, ethiopia, humanitarianism, life transformation, missions, people photography, Petros Network, Photography, photojournalism, redemptive lift, The Great Commission, the real africa, travel in Africa, Travel in Ethiopia, travel off the beaten path, travel photography, travel to ethiopia, world missions, world travelwollwerthimagery

I am back in the land of the internet. I’ve spent the last few days in the Borana region of southern Ethiopia. The Petros Network was invited here just in the last couple years to partner with a largely forgotten people, and I can say that the transformation that I’ve seen happening is truly incredible. Whole villages are changing for the good in tangible ways through the power of the gospel. We look at the people there, and they are so young that your initial thought is that they aren’t capable of changing the world, but thank God, we are being proven wrong again and again.

I will have stories to tell later as I go through the pictures and interviews from this past couple weeks, but for now I have pictures from both Arba Minch and the Borana region. Usually I have a few photos that I know are going to be some of my all time favorites, but this time there are just so many I’m happy with that it’s going to take me a while. Enjoy these for now, and soon I’ll have more.

The October 26th Update.

October 26, 2018All things about Travel in Africa, Photography, travel, world missionsmissions, persecution, petrosnetwork, Photography, photojournalism, Redemption, travel, travel in Africa, Travel in Ethiopia, travel off the beaten path, travel photography, trials and persecution, world missions, world travelwollwerthimagery

As you might have noticed, I don’t have a catchy title for this article. The fact is, I’m just too tired to bother thinking of one. I’m coming to the end of my time in eastern Ethiopia. Tomorrow I’m off to the south.

One of the things that’s always great about coming here is that I meet people that are bigger and better than me in so many ways, and it really allows me to center both my perspectives and my priorities for the coming time.

I met, photographed, and interviewed people this week who have been brought down to nothing and then miraculously restored. I’m met many people who have been beaten for their faith, and two who were attacked with swords. I met a man who was blind from birth until the age of 13, at which point someone prayed for him and he got his sight. I met a man who was freed from addiction issues and now sings to God with a beautiful voice about the ways he’s been saved.

Many of these stories I will write about in the future, while some I may not? But what is the common thread that runs through all of these stories? Grace and restoration run through them all, and a desire to continually become more and more like the one in who’s image they have been created.

I’m not going to say who’s story goes with which picture, at least for now, and some of these pictures don’t have a story that I know about yet. But these are some of the people I have met here in eastern Ethiopia, and one shot of some of our team. Until next time…

Back To Africa!

October 16, 2018All things about Travel in Africa, Photography, travelAfrica, ethiopia, humanitarian work, journalism, people photography, Petros Network, photojournalism, South Sudan, the real africa, travel, travel in Africa, Travel in Ethiopia, travel in south sudan, travel photography, travel to ethiopia, world travelwollwerthimagery

It’s been a year now since I was in Africa, and next week I go back. Once again, I’ll be going to Ethiopia. I’ll be taking my camera, not to show pictures of miserable children and flies as some like to do, but to capture a realistic picture of life; to bring awareness not only of the struggles but also the triumphs that people have on a daily basis. My goal is to capture the heart of the people and communicate what commonalities tie us all together on both sides of the ocean. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends, both from Ethiopia and North America.

I’ll be traveling to two different regions, one of which I have not yet been to. I will try to keep blog posts going as I travel, though internet is not always a possibility, so there may be gaps. I may not be able to be specific about where I am at times for various reasons, but I will be traveling to the East and the South. It’s been five years since I was in South Sudan, and the southern region I’m going to will be the closest I’ve been to that country since then. I’m curious to see how the two regions compare, so in that spirit, I’m posting pictures from South Sudan today. We’ll see if there are any similarities when I get to Southern Ethiopia. Until next time, please enjoy the photos.

A Time For Renewal.

December 22, 2017Photography, travelCarnival cruise, Dominican Republic, Grand Turk, landscape photography, Photography, photojournalism, Puerto Rico, renewal, rest, San Juan, St Kitts, travel, travel photography, travel to the Caribbean, travel to tropical islands, tropical islands, vacationwollwerthimagery

I’ve been back from Ethiopia now for a month and a half. It seems like a very long time ago. Normally by now, I’ve thought of all kinds of things to write about. Honestly though, my passion to write about the subjects I normally write about is at a nadir for the year. This is not because I’m losing interest or passion, but because sometimes you just need some downtime. This year I traveled to Ethiopia three times and spent about a month there in total. When I wasn’t actually traveling, I was either fundraising for those trips, helping other people fundraise for their trips and ministries, and working my photography job. I also helped start a 501 (3)c non-profit organization. I also have a wife and three kids. So to say the least, I’ve been busy this year. My passion for missions is because of gratitude to the God who saved me, and not out of a sense of obligation to look busy. As such, I don’t have a problem taking a vacation once in a while for some renewal.

That renewal came last week, when I traveled by ship to the Caribbean for eight days. I took the whole family with me, traveling to four different islands. We went to the islands of Grand Turk, St. Kitts, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. I had no phone and no internet for a full week, so there was no checking in with work. There was no Facebook (thank God), no email, and I couldn’t check phone messages. It was wonderful.

I of course took pictures and videos, but it was on my own terms. There were no shot lists, and no one was paying me. I could shoot whatever I wanted to. I could take pictures of beautiful things just because I wanted to. I also took my drone along and was able to get some great aerial shots of each place. I might write a blog on that sometime, but for now, please enjoy my trip of renewal through my eyes. And of course, please feel free to subscribe if you’d like to get emails when there’s an update to my blog.

Gazebo on the sea cliffs in the Dominican Republic.

Pristine beach on Grand Turk with our ship in the background.

A man painting his roof with a brush in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Aerial shot of El Morro fortress in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Panorama of Basseterre, St Kitts at dawn.

Ruins overlooking the Caribbean Sea on St Kitts.

Aerial view of a ship at the edge of a drop-off to deep water in Grand Turk.

Aerial panorama of the old section of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

A brown booby looks at me as I take its picture.

The beautiful volcanic sea cliffs of St Kitts.

Children play cricket on the island of St Kitts.

An iguana stares at me from the fortress walls of El Morro in San Juan.

The wreck of the Mega One Triton on the beach in Grand Turk.

A cannon points out over the ocean at Brimstone Fortress on St Kitts island.

An old church stands over the sea on the North end of St Kitts.

Seven Years Since It All Started.

November 26, 2017My thoughts on all things missions related., Photography, travelAfrica, Christian Missions, journalism, missions, Petros Network, petrosnetwork, photography in Africa, photojournalism, taking pictures of people in Africa, Travel in Ethiopia, travel photography, world missions, world travelwollwerthimagery

Seven years ago, almost to the day, I boarded a flight into the Sudan. I had never been to Africa before, never been to a developing nation, never been involved in missions. I was incredibly green. I didn’t even know enough to know what questions to ask. All I knew was that God had called me to go. I had a camera with me, and I knew that God had given me the skills to use it.

I look back now and question how effective my work was on those first few trips. I don’t know if much direct and lasting fruit came from my work there. However, in the bigger picture, I know that what I learned from those first difficult trips was incredibly fruitful. It has allowed me to be useful in ways that I never could have imagined. The path I’ve traveled was definitely God ordained, since he put people and organizations in my path that I never would have found without his help.

Having said that, I’d like to thank Linda and Ray at Petros Network for giving me the opportunities to work with them and to use my skills for Kingdom work, and not just for myself.

I’ve been back from Ethiopia now for a few weeks, and I’ve had a chance to go through a lot of the pictures. I’m not satisfied with my work unless I can look at the photos and know that I’ve conveyed the sense of where I’ve been, touched the heart of the people, and done both of those things in a way that I feel is respectful to the subject. I can honestly say this time that I think I was able to do that. As I promised, I’ll be bringing more stories of the things that happened on this most recent pair of back to back trips. For now though, here are a smattering of some of the shots that struck my eye as I went through the thousands of shots. All can be clicked on for a larger view.

Also, since I keep forgetting, here is a link to my ebook that I’ve had out for a while. It covers some of the things I’ve learned on my travels, as well as having lots of photos. Most of the proceeds goes to missions.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/704141