i'm back (and meet a new friend, ryan youngblood)

Selam, friends, I'm back in Houston!​

​I had an amazing time in Ethiopia:  in addition to photographing some of the most beautiful people and scenery I have ever photographed in my life, I also met some folks who I'm sure will be lifelong friends.  I can't wait to share them all with you, and I will, every day this coming week.  So I hope you're ready!

I was planning on sharing a kitchen redo update with you first, but it's too depressing:  while I was gone, Marcus was busy discovering things that involved words and phrases like "leak" and "rot" and "seeping through concrete slab," and worst of all, "insurance adjusters."  I can't bring myself to take a photo of everything that is happening here, quite yet -- suffice to say that the renovation is stalled for a bit.  So instead, I'm sharing the photograph of one of those new friends I mentioned above, videographer Ryan Youngblood, who traveled with us on this trip.  In this shot, he's training a young Ethiopian protégé on the fine art of cinematography -- or maybe he's just showing this sweet boy how cool he looks on film.  It's one or the other, I can't be entirely sure.​

In the meantime, I'm still processing photos, so there'll be more very soon, friends.  It's good to be back.​

(Also, here's some of Ryan's work.  Stunning, yes?)​

The World: A Reel from Youngblood Films on Vimeo.

__________________​

I spent last week in Ethiopia at the kind invitation and expense of The ONE Campaign, a nonpartisan, advocacy organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.  ONE works to convince governments to invest in smart programs that help eliminate poverty and preventable disease in a sustainable way.  During the next week or so, I'll be supporting a group of  parenting bloggers by capturing images that tell the story of how the organizations for which ONE advocates are effecting real change in Ethiopia. 

If you're moved by anything you read or see here, on the ONE blog or any of the ONEMoms' blogs and you'd like to help, please consider adding your voice, and join ONE by simply filling out the surprisingly short form in my sidebar on the right, at the very top.  Your information will remain confidential, I promise.  And if you're already a member, and would still like to help, I'd love if you'd spread the word by sharing this post with your friends and followers.

That's all there is to it.  Because ONE never asks for your money, just your voice.