Easter Happiness

For me, Easter represents two miracles. 1) The fact that I’ve never ever had a cavity, despite the generous portion of Sweet-tarts and jelly beans the Easter Bunny bestows on our household each year.

2) The real miracle, of course, is that of Christ’s resurrection. He was tougher than death, and His resurrection represents hope: for you and for me.

Yesterday was the first Easter in several years that my immediate family (and 93 year old spunky grandma!) could be together. We all gathered at my parents’ lovely Victorian home, the home where I grew up. I’m thankful that my mom loves holidays even more than I do (if that’s possible), and she STILL makes holidays special for all of us. She has a knack for decorating their house and for whipping up delicious food that puts Martha Stewart to shame.

After church, we indulged in our Easter baskets, just like old times…I was quite proud of myself and hid my sister’s Easter basket in the dryer….with clothes on top. I was prepared for her to be hunting all afternoon, but she managed to find it quickly. My mom knows me well, and she gave me an Easter basket containing mangoes and avocados…some candy, too, of course (for my ridiculous sweet tooth!)

The weather was a bit gloomy, but we did a five-minute photo shoot before the clouds released the rain! (Somehow my 18-year-old brother escaped the camera.) After filling up on ham, orzo with lemon, fresh-out-of-the-oven rolls, veggies, and Crème brûlée, I spent the evening doing NOTHING! And loved every minute of it. Hope you and your family had a meaningful holiday weekend!

My sister and her husband...yeah, they're cuties!

My oh-so-adorable parents

As each year passes, I appreciate my sister more and more

I'm sure you will all agree that my grandma looks great for her age (93 this year!)

My brother-in-law carried on his family's tradition and made Lamby  :)

Live the story

I believe when you're photographing globally, it's important to LIVE the story instead of simply reporting a story. Take time to humbly talk with the subject you're photographing; this adds an element of intimacy to the photos. Whether it's a hard-working woman at her market stand OR a spunky child playing futbol, don't forget to LISTEN. Listen to their story, and as you photograph them, you will certainly be pouring your soul into the images. This little girl was the niece of a Muslim family I stayed with on an island--off the coast of Kenya. She had such a sweet spirit, and after she helped prepare our dinner, she gripped my hand and gave me a tour of the island.

Full-circle moment!

Next Saturday will be a full-circle moment for me as I teach a workshop at Vision Conference: a mission’s conference for middle-school and high-school students in Lancaster, PA. I'll be speaking about photography + missions, explaining how to capture & convey meaningful snapshots/stories.

I attended this conference as a student, and I never dreamed I would one day be TEACHING at Vision. I can specifically remember listening to the main speaker 10 years ago, as he shared stories from the nation of Haiti. At that moment, in my heart of hearts, I knew without a doubt that I would travel to Haiti one day. Sure enough, years later I captured the beautiful people of Haiti for a small organization in PA.

Vision Conference really sparked my interest in missions (which lead me to Africa!), and I can only hope that my workshop encourages teens to use their talents and be part of the global picture.

If you live in Lancaster, please encourage the teens in your life to attend this awesome day. Check out the other speakers here. I highly recommend hearing Peter Greer, President of Hope International, speak about self-sustainability overseas.

“Declare his glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.” -Psalm 96:3