PP25 – Telling Their Story

Collecting termites from a hole in the ground with a single piece of grass. Walking miles under a cloudless sky, coming across homes with no people. Hustling down a dusty path barefoot to see the new baby. Baptizing new Christians in a river with so many weeds you couldn't tell where the ground ended and the water started. This is my story - my life as a missionary kid in rural Uganda. As I grew up, I started to see and hear different stories. I heard stories of the people I lived among. At churches in America, my parents told stories of what God was doing in Uganda. But my story - the story of a little girl with blonde curly hair and big green eyes exploring a world she was not from - was left untold. It remained that way for a long time. My first year at college, I relived my story and started to share it through photos of where I grew up and the things I experienced as a little kid. I believe everyone has a story. My goal as a photographer is to tell the stories that are left untold. The story of the girl whose mother left, leaving her to carry out the responsibilities of a woman at the age of five. The story of the boy who remains hidden inside because he has cerebral palsy. The story of the girl who sings with the voice of an angel despite becoming a teen mom. The story of creativity, of courage, of perseverance. Telling someone's story gives them value; telling their story through a photograph gives them a sense of realness. A picture evokes emotions and allows the viewer to connect with someone they have never met and encounter a culture they have never experienced.