In January 2012, Associate Member and documentary photographer James Stone travelled to Salama in Guatemala on a commission from international
NGO Plan International. James visited 4 projects run by Plan during the shoot, spending time with rural communities and photographing the children that directly benefit from the work the NGO delivers.
The brief was to create a set of images that captures the essence of the work that Plan does in these rural communities, showing the children in education, the group work with teenagers and the engagement of Plan staff in the communities.
James explains: "I think the most poignant moment for me was when we asked this group of young woman “do you understand what happiness is?” and “have you ever felt joy”. These questions fell onto blank faces as they struggled to understand the question. The only response from one of the girls was “we are supposed to raise children and support our men”. This really hit home for me, and in fact when we asked them “have you ever seen your mother happy?”, the answer was no. This really goes to show what life is like for woman in these rural communities and highlights how important it is for NGO's like Plan to do the work they do. I for one have certainly had my eyes opened again, and I will be doing all I can to help."
James also explains that this is the first time he used Sony equipment out in the field after moving from Nikon upon his return from Cambodia a few months back. "this is the first time I have travelled light" James explains, "Guatemala is a very dangerous country, so having lots of gear with me was going to be a security risk, so I opted for the Sony a77 body, the 2.8 kit lens and a reflector". "being forced to use limited equipment makes you really have to use the environment to your benefit and examine the light and surroundings in detail. I really am very happy with the results."
During the trip, james produced nearly 400 photographs for Plan, completing the brief and delivering a unique set of images for the client. You can view the full story on his blog here:
http://www.lomayani.com/blog/looking-back-on-guatemala/
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| James Stone ABIPP |
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| James Stone ABIPP |
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| James Stone ABIPP |
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| James Stone ABIPP |
