Vatawaqa

I miss this place. I miss the people. Their faces. I promise you haven’t seen smiles like theirs. They are contagious. At first I walked timidly to the door of their homes. “May I take your photo, please?” I shyly asked.

“Yes, of course! Where are you from? Come in! How long are you staying? Do you like Fiji?”

Yes, I do.

I love the way they insist on getting to know a person. I adore their generous spirit. They would literally give you the shirt off their back… or climb a tree to find you the best mangoes ever. That’s no exaggeration either. I love the way they laugh even though I couldn’t tell if it was with me or at the way I stumbled through their culture. (I’m pretty sure it was the second ; ) And I had a huge fat crush on the soft light that fell through this neighborhood and all the colors and textures that made up the homes.

This is Vatawaqa, a squatters village, in Suva Fiji. The government does not want them here. Most of the people who call this home do not have jobs. They have nowhere else to go. But they are beautiful, and God loves them beyond measure.

Have you met my family?

The impossible happens every single year. Inevitably.

All four of us manage to be in the same photo with almost cordinatining outfits, smiling faces, and unblinking eyes. You know, the kind of photo were the photographer (yours truly) sets the camera on a tripod, press the shutter button, and dashes over to the rest of the family. This year we did the family picture before church. Dad is the only morning person in the family, and we did photos before church. We even made there early, folks.

See? The impossible happens.

My parents. It's like they like each other or something...

photo credit goes to Dad. My taller, little brother and me.


Merry Christmas!!!

Baby Shower

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to photograph my friend Diane's baby shower. Now I know you all are wondering, what does one wear to a baby shower as the photographer? Answer: The blue shirt with brown and orange owls. Then you show up and discover the colors are blue, orange, and brown. With owls. Score!

What baby shower would be complete without some games? I'm generally a epic fail at them. However, these ladies rocked it. Holding the baby, talking on the phone, AND pinning clothes on the line.

Little Elliot, who decided to say hello to the world early last week, is going to be stylin', let me tell you.

Christchurch, New Zealand

Right now I have the house all to myself, peoples. The Christmas tree, a nativity scene, flickering candles, and a cheery poinsettia are my company on this gray morning. Did I mention the house is completely quiet? Happy day.

Remember the catherdral I showed you earlier? Brace yourself for more loveliness. It was our second to last night in New Zealand. Bundled under several layers of clothing we ventured from the hostel to go see the Christchurch Catherdral. Street musicians filled the air with music. In the square in front of the church, kids did stunts on their bikes attempting to impress each other. Locals strolled casually by, some with curious glances at us and all our cameras. This is what I saw.

The next day was a free day. The free day I had grand plans of sleeping in until nine. The free day a fire alarm went off at six in the morning. The place didn't burn down, but that's still a nasty way to start the morning. Anyway, later some of us went exploring inside the church.

... I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psalm 84:10

Inland Empire Thanksgiving Outreach

Oh yeah, my brother and I were there too.