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HIGH POINT FOR A PHOTOGRAPHER
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We’re back in New York City, busy as ever, a million things to do. We have Face-to-Face exhibitions at Georgetown and Yale universities in the next few months, and other responsibilities and obligations have taken priority. Like most trips, our experiences in Cambodia could fade quickly into the past.
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But here’s where we’re helped by photography. Many people think that the high point for a photographer is the moment the photo is taken. The moment you press the shutter.
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For me, the high point is a much longer time period. It’s the hours spent inspecting the image on the contact sheet, printing the photo in the darkroom, and preparing the print for display. It’s during this time that you relive the moment you took the photo, the time you spent with the subject, the whole experience of being at that place. It becomes much more than a moment in time.
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I’m excited to work on my photos from Cambodia. There are beautiful images of Samon (above right, see Day 8), Ton Sophal, Nektu, Ly Pao, Mekpan. We hope you’ll stay in touch with the Face-to-Face AIDS Project so that we may share these photos with you.
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Above: Srun Srorn, see Day 13
Left: Voen Navy and son Chantol, see Day 8
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
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We confess that we’ve never blogged before. We didn’t know what we were doing, and aside from one political blog, have never followed another blog before. In fact, we even misspelled weblog for the first week or so. We thought it was a blog for the web – namely, webblog.
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Our aim for doing this weblog was so that you, our supporters, our friends of friends, our curious onlookers could experience our work in Cambodia with us. We hope you learned a bit about Cambodia. We hope you enjoyed it.
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We also hope you’ll tell us what you’re thinking. The good and the bad. Don’t worry about hurting our feelings. We're reasonably good at taking in constructive criticism.
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Here are some questions:
1. Were photos and videos clear?
2. Was this weblog confusing to follow?
3. Were our email alerts too frequent?
4. Would you mind daily email alerts?
5. Anything that you didn’t like about the weblog?
6. Suggestions on how to improve the weblog?
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Please post comments, or email us directly. Thank you.
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AND HERE’S HOW YOU CAN LEND A HELPING HAND
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This incredible first step in discovering Cambodia and the issues associated with HIV/AIDS is drawing to a close. We have learnt so much in such a short time and yet it feels like we’ve only just begun the journey. And it is a journey — one that will continue over the next year as we look for appropriate ways to offer help to the people in Cambodia.
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Already we see that there is so much that can be done. Out of the variety of opportunities that have presented themselves, two projects in particular stand out. They are: 1. Building a dormitory at the Wat Opot Family Center so that the boys have their own place to sleep, and 2. Supporting the nationwide educational outreach program at the Men’s Health Center in Phnom Penh.
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The Wat Opot dormitory can be built for around $10,000, while the educational outreach program can greatly benefit by just a few thousand dollars. Both projects have dedicated, inspiring, and honest leaders who can ensure that the monies would be carefully allocated, monitored, and evaluated. From our experience, we know that waste is all too common in charitable projects, and misuse of funds can very easily lead to corruption.
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We invite you to be a part of these two exciting projects. For information on supporting the Face-to-Face AIDS Project, visit www.facetofaceaids.project/donations, or email us at director@facetofaceaids.org. And please remember that matching corporate grants are an easy, wonderful way to double your giving.
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THANK YOU
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Thank you for following the start of this important journey.
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We will back in Cambodia in July, to follow up on the people who have become our friends, to hear stories of new people whose lives are affected by HIV, and to work on realizing our funding projects.
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We hope you’ll join us.
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Ken Wong
Ian Kearney
The Face-to-Face AIDS Project
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AS WE SIGN OFF: A Few More Random Video Clips
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Ian, Nektu, and Samon Enjoy a Walk at Wat Opot
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The Fish That Escaped To Freedom
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Somewhere There Must Be a Sale on Wicker Chairs
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For more information on the Face-to-Face AIDS Project, please visit:
www.facetofaceaids.org
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For information on how to donate to the Face-to-Face AIDS Project, please visit:
http://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/contribute/donate
and select "The Face-to-Face AIDS Project" from the pulldown menu.
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The Face-to-Face AIDS Project
350 Cabrini Boulevard, 6J
NY, NY 10040
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Tel: 917-208-0456
Email: director@facetofaceaidsproject.org
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Right: Chep Navy and her baby, see Day 6
