Paper Cranes and Bon Fires

My awesome friend Emjay through a dinner party the other day. Who else would go to the effort of tying paper cranes to a wall?

Bonnie Lane - Into the Dark

Pritchard at BUS Projects, Melbourne

Pritchard at BUS Projects

Sarah G and Giz

Went to a really amazing show at BUS Projects today. If I were a writer or reviewer, I wouldn't lug a camera. All I can say is it is really worth going to.
These photos are of us screwing around in there.

Winter Light

Corner of Swanston and Lonsdale St

I decided to take a break from shooting. To rest, and to put the camera down. After my trip to Timor-Leste (and indeed during), I have been feeling burnt out. But out of habit, I still have my camera on me. And I saw this pretty light. And I couldn't help but take a photo.

Busy Busy Busy

A young lady receiving antenal care near Raimate, Liquica District, Timor-Leste

Of late, I have been fairly slack in shooting. In fact, I think I am having the equivalent of writers block. However, I have been working hard in trying to prepare this fund raising show. I have decided to include this image, amongst a small collection of other images from clinics and schools in order to drive home the real aims and objectives of this fund raising exercise.

I have been asked by many people 'Why Timor?'. Timor-Leste is one of our closest and poorest neighbours (an hour away by plane, or 600 kms). Only one in three women recieve antenal care, and the maternal and infant mortality rate is roughly ten times that of Australia. However, the small Austronesian nation recieves almost no media coverage, and the standard of coverage is so infatuated by the 'Australian Perspective' of detention centres and Chinese relations in the nation that the real issues of poverty, education, and health care, and public infrastructure are almost always overlooked.

While photographing at Bairo Pite clinic, a power failure (something that happens regularly in Dili) resulted in the death of a patient who was relying on oxygen. A quick look at a cemetery will reveal many tiny graves of children who have died of malnutrition, TB, Malaria, Typhoid, and Dengue. Detention centres and Chinese building contracts seem so insignificant once you are on the ground.

Funraiser Organising.

Okay. So I haven't taken photos for the last week. One thing which I am experiencing for the first time in a long time is being burnt out. But that is okay. It is something which every one involved in anything they are passionate about experiences. The best thing to do is just to embrace it, and take a break.

I am concentrating the rest of my energy into my fund raising show. Flyers are being printed. Prints are being developed. Photos are being selected and edited for print. What I need anyone who reads this to do is to tell all their friends in Melbourne, and head down. If not to check out my photos, to share a beer and a conversation with me.

Anyways, here is a pic which I am pretty confident will make it to the show. Almost every night in Timor-Leste, I experienced an amazing sunset. Whether it be beautiful shades of pink, orange, and yellow, or amazing cloud formations with beams of light fighting through, it was almost always unique and perfect. After arriving back from an overnight trip, Ash and I arrived back to the house we were staying at, and were lucky enough to experience one of the most beautiful sunsets of the trip. I went for a walk down the beach, and found a fishing family cooking dinner on the shores. Another family were pulling boats in. I sat with them for a bit, enjoying the communal experience until some monsoonal rains forced us off the beach.

Shameless Self Promotion

Sorry I haven't updated this or my website for ages. The last few days have been insane! Upon touching down in Melbourne on 9 May, I realised that I needed to hit the ground running when it came to raising funds to get back for Dili Marathon (which takes place in just over one months time). In order to achieve this, I realised that a print sale and pitching stories would probably be my most viable option. The most time consuming of the two would probably be the later, and consequently, the last week has been spent creating and promoting the above. So.....

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ATTEND! There will be lots of images of daily life around Timor Leste, ranging from street photos, to images relating to women's health care. Prints are affordable, in editions, and printed on premium paper stock.

Over the following days, I will be updating this blog with images from Timor Leste.

Fatulia

 Today I traveled up with Ash to the Baucau, a town about 200 km East of Dili, to help photograph some projects for the Food and Agriculture Organisation with the United Nations. I won't post these photos on this blog, as it is part of a much bigger project, however, I thought I would post some images of the amazing ride on the bus (bis in Indonesian, and thus, Tetun), as well as some images of the small rural village of Fatulia.

The bus to Baucau is an amazing cultural experience in itself. For $4USD, you too can enjoy the hardcore stylings of country and western, Bryan Adams, Shakira, and a wide array of pop music. If you like the breeze, riding on the roof costs $1USD. We decided to go for the comfort of the cabin (not really by choice - different bus vendors compete for your custom by using techniques such as seeing you exit a taxi, grab your bag, and placing it in the bus in order to make you choose their service. Once aboard, it can be a bit of a tight squeeze. People hang out the door. Much like the goats hanging off the ceiling.

When we arrived at Fatulia, we were shown the mountains, the rice paddies, and of course, the people of the village. Villagers were chopping up timber along the roads. It was later explained to us that these trees were felled as power lines are to be introduced into the village.

Lady and child on the bus. They were sitting on a bag of rice. The headdress the lady is wearing is used as a cushion to carry cargo on top of her head. The child stared at me with curiosity so I gave him some biscuits I bought in Dili as a sign of good will.

Rice paddies from the bus.

The drive up to Baucau, although long, is actually very beautiful. The whole way is lined with cliffs, sea views, and people clinging on to the side of the bus.

An elderly couple at their house in Fatulia.

An elderly villager in Fatulia.

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