Posted: 13 Jul 2011 10:07 AM PDT Nepal is a place that will constantly leave your eyes wondering with purpose through it’s variety of faces, languages, food, and industries. Kathmandu will challenge you, make you struggle, and push you to your very limits with it’s inner workings. When you think all hope is lost, ready to call this city quits, through in the towel, and book the first flight available to Southern France, Kathmandu will suddenly look at you with a smile, show it’s softer side like a father pushing his son to the brink of tears proving that hard work, persistence, and love for something is all about the journey and not the finish line. With the help of a friend (You know who you are) I have recently discovered subconsciously that I continue to photograph situations of people that almost always include some form of survival. Before I left for this trip, I had these crazy ideas and situations that I would run through and through in my own head where I would be photographing 20-30 different stories, running into a mob of angry protesters, hanging from one hand off the side of a mountain while taking pictures with the other and walking away with these award winning photographs. In my head all I saw was the final shot with glitz and glamor. This mentality blinded me from really seeing what the purpose of this journey was. Kathmandu has shown me what this purpose is, to really dig deep, both for myself and my love for telling real stories through my photographs. What is important?…. Inspiring people first and foremost. From there I hope I have made that much of an effect in people’s minds that is forces them to get involved by volunteering in their communities, ask questions about social issues and globalization, show an interest in educating and helping the less fortunate, traveling to foreign countries to understand human beings and the cultures they live in, and to continue creating that effect with the individuals they inspire. You don’t have to start an NGO, save 60 orphans from a burning building, or tie yourself to a tree…. You just have to WANT to help. From there we can all inspire people to really create change.
The following photographs are the daily lives of people that inspire me to keep photographing!!
A mother feeds her son due to his disabilities in the slums on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
A small Indian child living amongst the tent yards on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
A fine carpenter carves the molding for an altar that will be used for a families home.
Two small Nepali children play with each other in a make shift daycare while their parents work in the surrounding factories.
A Nepali metal worker.
A Nepali metal worker.
A young Nepali girl laughs and plays as my guide and I take our morning tea at the local wholesale market in Kathmandu.
A small Nepali child in her home amongst the slums on the sacred Bagmati River in Kathmandu.
A Nepali Man brushing his teeth before starting his day in the metal bowl factory.
The metal bowls that are made and to be sold in local markets in Kathmandu.
A Nepali man mends old potato sacks to be reused for the transportation of other goods and products in Kathmandu.
A Nepali man operates 3 different self operated looms to make pashmina to be sold throughout Nepal.
A Nepali man takes a little rest before going back to work in the metal bowl factory along the Bagmati River in Kathmandu.
A Nepali man who works as a porter in Balkhu wholesale market where he earns 5 rupees per load carried.. about $0.07.
A Nepali man operates 3 different self operated looms to make pashmina to be sold throughout Nepal.
A Nepali man operates 3 different self operated looms to make pashmina to be sold throughout Nepal.
An old Nepali man checks he plot of land to make sure his rice crop is doing well.
A Nepali woman drying her lentils out in the sun.