Photo: On a mountain road in Northern Honduras.
Current Location: Windsor, Ontario, Canada / 42° 19′ 60 N, 83° 1′ 60 W
Where do I begin?
Flying home yesterday, my thoughts could have split clouds. It's never easy coming back from an assignment like Honduras. It's the hardest part of any journey.
As a photographer, seeing the world thru a lens is no easy task--personally and spiritually, especially when you've captured images that speak volumes beyond words. Images of a land and its people, forever tranquil, forever resilient.
As we traveled thru the mountain jungles of Honduras, the team and I are literally lost for words; camera shutters clicking filled the audible void in our vehicle. The occasional "wow" would reverberate thru the cabin, followed by more clicking of the shutter. From one village to the next, the landscape constantly changes--with majestic views of hills and cliffs as far as the eye can see. The higher we went, the lower the clouds came. Touching it was almost possible.
When the roads became too harsh to handle, we simply held on to dear life.With one hand gripping the handle bars of our SUV, I cradle the camera on my lap with the other--using my body as an absorber, protecting the glass at all costs. At times, I'd risk life and limb, my head protruded out the window, camera rolling--all in the hopes of capturing life on the move. It's an exhilarating feeling. The wind rushed through my uncombed hair, bugs splattered on my face.
When we got hungry, we ate. When we needed hydration, we drank. When we needed inspiration, all we had to do was open our eyes.
Life in Honduras is about survival. Making less than two dollars a day, the average Honduran knows all too well how to manage what he has and what he doesn't have. His mode of transportation consists of a mule, not to carry himself, but rather the fruits of his labor: corn to the market or to feed his family. And when he's home, his role as a father doesn't end when the sun goes down, it's only the beginning--as he wonders how he'll provide for his family when morning comes. It's a sad existence.
But when you see the smile on his face and hear the laughter of his children, you begin to understand what hope is. It's love, life, family, and the pursuit of happiness. Sometimes, we forget what it's all about. And living life thru a lens, it's extremely difficult to grasp--which is why I've devoted my life to capturing these moments--hoping that others would find it easier to see.
Blogger Note: For the next few days, I will be posting journal entries from my recent foreign assignment in Honduras. I will also have "Oh Sh!t" Moments Vol.2, Honduras Edition. Thanks for reading.
4 comments:
I think life everyhere is about survival, but in places like Honduras it's more visible to the eye. The main thing is that people there in those villages know how to manage what they have,they smile, laugh, and hope like people anywhere in the world.
I just find it very inspiring when I see people with so much less than us, yet, they're so much happier than we are sometimes. As foreigners, we are usually sadden by what we don't have...which I think is the wrong way to look at life and what should make one happy. Love, hope, family...those are things that define happiness in our lives, not the stuff we have or don't have. It's so hard to capture that on film and convey that message sometimes...
This is out of topic, but I just had to comment this ;)
How much weight could that tripod of yours hold? I never knew tripod could be used for that (referring to your pic) purpose.
OUCH!! I knew someone would get me for doing that! In "theory" it can hold up to 60lbs, on a set of legs that goes up to 5 ft. But, in this case, I have it on what's called a "Hi-Hat," which is designed to sit low to the ground, so I'm assuming it can support more than 60lbs.
But, here's the story behind my pose:
After a 15 hour day of travelling and shooting, I needed time to breathe the air that was around me. Sometimes, when you're so engulfed in the action, you forget to see everything around you. While we stopped on this mountain, I needed to catch up with my thoughts, so I took a seat on what was available at the time. Oh well, it still works...trust me, I tested it. Oh...and I've been losing weight too, so I'm sure that helps! LOL
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