I had a lot of guilt at the beginning of the Race because I was fearful that it looked like I am on a vacation and not a missions trip. Guilt, because people have supported me financially with their hard earned money to go spread the Gospel, not to fund a hidden tourist.
So I’d like to liberate myself from this guilt, let everyone in on the secrets of Race-life, and confirm that any money and personal investment of time spent in prayer is being made of good use.
I personally hold a conviction to not take pictures of the ministry aspect of the Race for the sake of having a picture. I meet real people in real places with real issues, and I want to respect their dignity and their privacy by not putting a camera in their face, in their business, in their life.
I purchased a beautiful camera (praise God, dream come true) in month 2. I anticipated learning some about photography (thanks NatGeo), but what I’ve truly learned are lessons about being the photographer. A photograph has the power to circumvent the globe via social media, and it also has the power to manipulate a person or a moment as there is no context for the viewer to interpret the photograph from. That being said, I believe there is a lot of responsibility on a photographer to be respectful and honest.
I have also learned that a photograph has to be earned; trust has to be made with the person of whom you wish to capture, especially if you value the “candid” or “natural”. I also don’t want a photo library full of faces of people I never really knew. I want to have a photograph because the subject is significant to me.
This is why a lot of my photos are of the scenery/adventure/team, and not of every precious child we teach the Gospel to, the young adults we are building friendships with, the weathered hands of the elderly we meet, the broken paper cups of the beggars we pass on the streets. You truly cannot photograph the beginnings of inner healing, the building of friendship, the prayers, the worship, the change, the growth, the heartache, the faith, the learning, the nightly conversations with my teammates where we are vulnerable and honest about our lives and ourselves. Think of it this way – do you take pictures of yourself at work, during your commute, while making breakfast, talking with your local barista…? Or do you really make use of that camera app when you see something beautiful or are with good friends? See?
Also, I wasn’t big into social media to begin with, and I would rather spend my life living it than creating an image of the life I want others to think I live.
Annnnd while we are at it…. My blogs.
I’m not the best logistical blogger, others on my squad are for sure in to this. But myself personally, I write about what I’m motivated to write about. It takes me forever to write a blog to begin with, so I’d rather spend this time writing about topics valuable to me and I hope valuable to you.
I wanted to present this in a gentle way, I hope that tone came across gracefully.
Thanks for reading this, I hope this shows you a bit of my heart and helps answer any questions you may have had, or not had 🙂
