Photography Workshop Assists NGOs in Uganda, Develops Socially Conscious Photographer's Skills

Online, August 31, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Photographing relief and development workers in the developing world can be a tough job. While making images that clearly capture a moment and a program, the photographer must respectfully overcome cultural and language barriers as well as often-rough working conditions.

They make images that will tell the stories about how large and small organizations address poor health facilities and schools, economic and physical effects of war or natural disaster, just to name a few. In the course of documenting the conditions and programs, photographers witness simple and multi-faceted solutions as well as incredible acts of kindness and dedication.

The organizations need these photographers to make clear, powerful, photographs that will tell their stories while giving a voice to people and issues that are often missed in the noise of a congested information superhighway. It is not unusual for some, especially the smaller organizations to not have access to that higher tier of photography.

Rick D'Elia of D'Elia Photographic and Laura Martin Photography plan to address this problem. They want to introduce photographers, in a workshop setting, to the world of documentary NGO photography, in one place where it unfolds, the urban and rural settings of central Uganda.
With Martin's help, D'Elia is combining his years of experience in NGO photography with major organizations with his knack for teaching developing photographers the craft, by creating a workshop that participants and partners will not soon forget.

The workshop is planned for Jan. 7-24, 2011 with plans for another date in July, 2011.

Many philanthropic-minded citizens and ex-patriots have given their time and effort to build programs and organizations that make a difference in villages, towns and cities. They need to visually and powerfully document their work not only for the record, but to demonstrate their effectiveness while inspiring current and future supporters to help continue the work.

To date, eight organizations, large and small have partnered in this workshop. They include schools for the blind, three health care clinics and support, educational/vocational agricultural training and support and youth support among them.

After a very concentrated week, D'Elia and Martin decided the workshop should adjourn to some of Uganda's well-populated wildlife parks for a less intense, but equally captivating week of exploration and photography. This second week will include a trek to visit the mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. This portion is particularly special, not only because there are few places that we may visit the mountain gorillas, but also the system that supports this sort of eco-tourism provides significant economic support to this very isolated location but also encourages gorilla conservation among the local population.

The workshop will be supported by the paid tuition of the participants. While the tuition, $7,000, plus airfare it is moderately priced in comparison to other international workshops, D'Elia hopes to find sponsors that would allow them to lower that tuition.

When not traveling on assignments for major NGOs, D'Elia is at work in the metro-Phoenix area working with editorial, documentary and commercial clients. He has lived in Uganda where he teamed up with two other photojournalists to produce an exhibit looking at the effects of the war in northern Uganda on its population. Sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, Uganda and the U.S. State Department, that exhibit toured Uganda and spent time in the nation's parliament before also being presented in a number of exhibits in the U.S.

D'Elia landed his first NGO assignment in 1994, working with Connecticut-based AmeriCares, photographing their rural clinic in Rwanda in the aftermath of the genocide. He has completed 2-3 projects a year since then for organizations such as Save the Children (USA) and Catholic Relief Services in Mexico, Brazil, Uganda, Armenia, Cambodia and others.
From time to time, D'Elia takes advantage of previous experience as an adjunct photography teacher at Phoenix's Grand Canyon University to present talks for photography groups and students.

For more details on the workshop please visit the blog at http://ugandaworkshop.blogspot.com

Rick's work may be seen at www.deliaphotographic.com and he may be contacted by email at [email protected]