my hometown: san diego
shooting in oaxaca, mexico
i believe photography is gift that gives me tremendous power! a power i choose to use for good. to show the world that God is still working and He offers Hope & Compassion to those who still seek Him!
i choose to use my camera to help document God’s Work whenever i can…whether its to bless my next door neighbor, around san diego, or oaxaca mexico.
me and raquel
i met raquel in february, 2010 in san baltazar, oaxaca mexico. i was in oaxaca with adventures in life ministry, helping document the work God is doing through AIL as they partner with local churches and missionaries in oaxaca. 
she was shy at first, not allowing me to take any photos of her. she would watch me from the door where her mom was helping cook for the men, but when i would try to take a photo she would duck inside. trying to earn her trust and with the help of the polaroid pogo printer, i was able to sneak a photo of her and print it and give it to her. after that…the flood gates were open! she let me take more photos and she went and got her sister as well. i ended up taking family photos of raquel and her family that week. 
it was a simple reminder that with this power comes responsibility. you need to respect the people your taking photos of. and not take photos without their permission. it doesnt matter if they are in san diego, guatemala or jamaica…photographers need to use respect and compassion for the people they are photographing. and sometimes that means we dont take their photos!
the other big lesson i learned was…in the field, if possible, leave a photo.
everyone has a camera today. and too often, we take a photo, show them the screen of the photo we just took and thats it. they never see it again. even if its just a small polaroid photo, that little picture i gave raquel was huge. a small reminder and as i came to discover, the first photo she ever had of herself! what a blessing and privilege!
one (1) shot 