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As a fairly new photographer with a trip to Rwanda coming up this May, I've been scouring the web looking for women who are using their photography skills to make a faraway place come alive. I'm particularly interested in artists who understand the power of images to transform our understanding of what's possible--especially in less developed countries where pictures in today's news outlets too often tell one dimensional stories about the way the rest of the world lives.
One of the more compelling photographers I've discovered in my search is Kresta King Cutcher Venning, a photographer who decided in 2005 to take cameras to orphaned children in Rwanda, so the children could document their lives and experiences. The images from this trip and many others can be seen in her Flickr stream and provide an amazing chronicle of how hope travels when creativity is present. If you are a Flickr fan looking for some inspiration to follow, you'll be sure to add Camera_Rwanda to your list of contacts. More about the project in this interview. Blogger Carla Stey credits Cutcher's images with the inspiration she needed to render images of African children in oil painting.
Another photographer with incredible images that transform assumptions about the world we live in is Rena Effendi. Born in Azerbaijan, Effendi represents life in places most westerners will never see--camps for internally displaced camps, remote areas of Afghanistan and beyond. Effendi's images serve as a point to dive into a deeper understanding of human experience too often hidden in more public politically charged conflicts. Her entire portfolio is an illuminating work of art.
Wendy Marijnnissen shows the side of Palestine you won't see on the evening news in this compelling set of images on Flickr. These artful shots of children playing in the West Bank, highlight a kind of vibrancy and resilience of spirit that adds something significant to the larger story at work in the region. Classic black and white photos of drag queens preparing to perform in a nightclub humanizes the subjects and creates a kind of empathy that takes you off guard. Wendy Marijnnissen keeps a photojournal on Blogspot.
If you are a budding travel photographer with an eye for social commentary, you might consider submitting your images to Odyssey Photography, an online collaborative travel and documentary photography site. Exotic subjects and locales are not required as the site exists to celebrate the spirit of adventure available in each and every moment. Anyone can submit images for consideration to this expansive site, featuring over two thousand sixty-four images from one hundred nineteen countries and one hundred eight photographers. Some favorite contributors include Jacqueline Gallo and Laetitia Dupin.
