Mother Admiration

My photo, Mother Admiration, was juried by Tricia Hoffman into Lightbox Photographic Gallery’s upcoming “PDX 30” show. The opening will be April 9 in Astoria, Oregon.

This print will be on display and for sale as well as 29 more amazing prints from Portland photographers. Well worth the drive out there to this quirky and wonderful coastal place!

 

Mother Admiration

Dignity Period Imagery

I love to see how clients use my imagery. The Dignity Period website is full of images I captured, but the way they used this one just blows me away. Their whole focus is so inspiring!  The founder, Freweini Mebrahtu, will soon be in Portland to brainstorm an idea we both have….more to come on that!

Dignity Period will be hosting their annual gala on April 30 at the Missouri Botanical Garden, where they will auction ten of my prints from Ethiopia.

Dignity Period

“Where we began” series wins silver award in the 2014 Prix de la Photographie Competition

A few images from the “Where We Began” series were awarded a Silver medal in the 2014 Prix de la Photographie Competition in Paris, France this week.

I will be returning to the Afar region of Ethiopia this December to further develop the series.  It is my hope that these images will bring awareness to the critical needs of these nomadic tribes.

Please see the Barbara May Foundation regarding ways you can join this rally.  For large USA based donations, contact me for the 501C3 organization that directly funds this organization and its highly effective projects.

For more information, please refer to the Afar Pastoralist Development Association.

Afar Man At Hospital

Young Boys From Afar

Afar Nurse

Afar Man and Girls

Young Girls From Afar

 

Acosia Red Elk

Acosia Red Elk, color version, will be shown in the upcoming PDX Photo Month Exhibit, curated by Chris Bennett, from April 12 – May 6, 2014.

Come on out to one of my favorite cities in the world, Astoria, Oregon, to see the show and experience the chaos and quirkiness where the river meets the sea.

The artist reception will be from 6-9pm on April 12, 2014 at Lightbox Gallery.

Acosia Red Elk

Acosia at Lightbox Gallery, image by Michael Granger

Acosia at Lightbox Gallery, image by Michael Granger

Read, Set, Print! The First Prints For Prints Project

Our first Prints For Prints project was quite the ride!  Having only worked with the printers a few times before we left, we were a bit nervous about how we would perform in the field under extreme conditions. And we also did not know how we would work as a group, in Africa.

Soon after we arrived, we met up with my transportation and translator team in Ethiopia and they surprised us by taking us to see a football match between Ethiopia and Nigeria projected on a big screen which was set up in a beautiful park.  It was the perfect place for both groups to get to know each other in a spirited setting.

Dani and friends

The next morning, we got up early, grabbed our gear, and set out to go to Sheno, Ethiopia, the childhood home of our guide, Dani. His family let us set up the printers in their home so we could make photos and give prints to his extended family and to villagers around the area.  It did not take long to get the process up and running, and within a few minutes we cranked out our first print.

It was a beauty!

Sheno Ethiopia

I also brought prints that I had made before I left from images captured a year before and gave them to the family. It was an honor to spend time in this village and to see how much our prints were appreciated.

Sheno, Ethiopia

Once our process was humming along, we then branched out and made prints in various locations around Addis Ababa and in smaller villages outside of the city, some as far away as Lalibela and Arba Minch.

One other commitment of the Prints For Prints project is to train local students on various aspects of photography, in one-on-one sessions. We were fortunate to be able to coordinate this training with DESTA for Africa and the Nike Foundation’s Girl Hub projects.

Bill Purcell in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Steve in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Girl Hub Ambassadors in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

It was especially gratifying to watch local students in the workshop take over the printing, and make and donate prints to others that they met on the streets and in compounds.

Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

We printed from any spot we could find, and even sometimes while on the go!

Bill Purcell in Ethiopia

We also loved giving our cameras to the subjects and letting them photograph us. Such fun!

Heather and Steve in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

We made prints in places we never imagined, such as on top floors of high rise construction sites, and also in hospitals in remote areas of the Afar region.

Hospital in Afar, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

I also brought a print for each market worker I had photographed a year ago.  We laid the prints out on the ground, and people searched for those they saw in the prints.  My Ethiopian friend Habtamu and I gave each worker who arrived a print of themselves and they were really happy to receive it.

Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Market Workers, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Here are two of my finished portraits, created in two scenarios. The first image is Fatuma and her daughter Semed, right outside of their kitchen where they prepare food for a hospital in the Afar region.  The second image shows Raya in his place of employment, a construction site in the Bole region of Ethiopia.

Afar, EthiopiaAddis Ababa, Ethiopia

There is much to process about this first trip, and I look forward to making a few changes to the process so that we can have an even better experience during the next offering of this service.

Thank you to the community of photographers and other supporters who generously donated their prints, time and ideas to make this project fly!

Joni Kabana, Portland, Oregon, USA

 

Cameras! Books! Supplies! For A Good Cause

I just returned from spending some amazing time with two groups of photography students in Ethiopia and I could not be more excited!

Each student had a different skill set level, but each and every one of them had an incredible eagerness to learn and their love for the craft was so very apparent. Passion abounds in Ethiopia for learning photography!

However, some students did not have access to a camera and had to borrow ours for the day.  I would love to find cameras, lenses, photography books, and other supplies to donate to the new photography school that is being developed by the amazing Aida Muluneh through her DESTA For Africa organization.

Any donations can be sent or dropped off to me and I will ensure that they go directly to the school.

Many thanks for your consideration!

 

Prints For Prints participant Bill Purcell gives a quick lesson to a student in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia:

Prints For Prints Students

 

A student gives a print to a shoe shine woman and her baby:

Prints For Prints Students

 

Aida Muluneh and I, on the first day we met each other:

Aida Muluneh and Joni

 

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