Category Archives: Well Being

A Rising Cause of Homelessness

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Poverty is a major cause of homelessness, that in itself is not a major revelation. What has been surprising to me is the people who I have met in the homeless community who could be any number of people I know today. A cruel twist of fate could happen to most anyone; I have met people who have been overwhelmed by medical bills or who have lost their job and have ended up on the street. There are some people who have chosen this lifestyle and they are in the minority. This 6 minute video explained to me a trend that is growing and should be a cause for concern for all of us. The growing inequality and wealth divide is a problem that is undermining our society and community, and forcing an increasing number of families below the poverty line. By increasing awareness of this, I believe we can and must change this trend.

A Big Mess

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There were three stories in the Oregonian newspaper that caught my eye this week.  The first was a story about the impact of homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk and leaving a mess that needs to be cleaned up.  There is a debate about police powers related to this issue.  The second story announced that …

A Roof Over Our Heads

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When I ask members of the homeless community what would make the biggest difference in helping them get back on their feet and increase their quality of life, I get a consistent answer, a roof over their heads that they can rely on.  This is something I take for granted but for many it is …

A Promise of ZERO

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My last post outlined the UNICEF ZERO program which is focused on eliminating all preventable deaths amongst children across the globe.  While significant progress has been made, reducing the number of preventable deaths each day from 35,000 in 1990 to 17,000 in 2012, there is much work still to do.  You may be asking, what …

Believe in ZERO

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After spending time in Ethiopia and Namibia my eyes have been opened to the broad divide that separates the peoples of the world.  The 80% of the world that lives on less than $10 a day illustrates this.  As I looked for some way to make a meaningful contribution to help close this gap, I …

Portraits of the Homeless

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Before I started capturing images for Operation Nightwatch I had little idea of the homeless people in our community beyond the obvious perspective of seeing them living and sleeping rough and experiencing the panhandling for money.  My perspective was shaped by my distant impression, distant because I couldn’t describe my interactions deeper than passing by …

So Close to Home…

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In a recent conversation with Laura Valenti Jelen, my wonderful photography mentor, it dawned on me what really drives my photography.  Creating an image I and others really like is very pleasing, as is being selected for show in a competition but I get the most satisfaction from taking pictures that move the viewer and …

Scarcity

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It recently dawned on me that I live in a world of scarcity.  I was in a meeting at work discussing budgets and a consistent theme emerged, in order to do what was being asked we needed more.  Not once n the meeting do I recall anyone saying I have enough and this certainly wasn’t …

Fear and Safety

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Most of the bon voyage comments I received ended in something like “travel safely” or “be safe”.  In the week before I left for Namibia these comments got me thinking was I putting myself in harms way, was I being reckless?  Wouldn’t it be safer to simply stay at home? Of course I could lock …

Collaborations For Cause 2013

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  I spent last Friday and Saturday in the company of a group of photographers, videographers, media professionals and staff from NGO’s at a conference in Portland discussing the topic of collaborating for impact.  Collaborating for Cause 2013 provided me with a humbling experience listening to some incredibly talented photographers who have attached their work …