Becca & Henry's Wedding

A while ago I had intended to post pictures from the wedding I shot this past summer.

8 months later...

I shot this wedding last summer alongside Heather Hawksford.

Recent Travels (Jan 2012)

                                          At my Grandma Roxie's house in Torrance CA.
                                          Eating strawberry rhubarb pie.

                                          Went to the pier a mile from my Grandma's house.

                                          Waiting to steal the fish that jump from the bucket.

                                          The fish that calmly stay in the bucket... dead or alive...
                                          will miss the opportunity to be eaten by a pelican.

                                          A stolen fish (my favorite is the girl with the side pony).

                                          Walking with his fish.

                                          I like pictures of cuddly babies in their homes full
                                          of laundry and other real things of life.

                                          Mother and I.

                                          My cousin Julie's daughter—Aira Jane.

Moldova

I spent a week in Moldova working with... eh, more like playing with... the orphans in Falesti. I went with a team from The Village Chapel in Nashville, TN. We put on a VBS type camp for a week. The children were lovely and taught me many things about life and loss. Most of the kids have parents, but were just abandoned. Raisa was dropped off with her brothers when she was in kindergarden. The only thing she remembers is the next day when they were taken away from her to go to a different orphanage. She, along with other children, get empty promises from different relatives that they will come to get them soon.

Another problem in Moldova at the moment is their effort to try to be a part of the EU. Although this may seem like a great opportunity for their country to make progress, they need to meet up to certain standards before this takes place. One of those standards includes not having orphans. Although the government might not say this is taking place, the orphanages are quickly dropping in numbers. The government is trying to get any relative to take a child for a mere $500. In one sense, this could be good for a child... to get to be with their relatives again. However, it is quite likely that after the $500 is spent the family will not be able to afford to raise this child. Thus resulting in street children. Romania has experienced the same problem in order to become a part of the EU, and now Moldova is on the same track. Oddly enough emergency shelters are in the process of being made. It seems as if they are setting this new system up for failure.

JMI (Justice and Mercy International) takes trips to Moldova every year to work with the orphans, find them sponsors, help them get jobs, and also work with the human trafficking issue in Moldova. If you are interested in helping support an orphan, go to JMI's website. It costs $35/month. The children are so touched by their sponsors and love receiving mail. It gives them hope that someone out there cares about them.

Within the next few months we will be having an art show to help raise money for the causes in Moldova. Stay tuned for more information.

Cheers, Emily

12 Days 'Til Moldova

Today is my first day off in a while. And of course I don't spend my time preparing for travel... instead I began work on a new painting—of a street scene of musicians in Peru. I think my subconscious is telling me to reflect on my last travels abroad in order to prepare for what's ahead. I must admit, I feel a little unprepared. However, being too prepared with too many expectations can also harm a trip.

It was only about a week ago that I photographed a wedding in Portland, OR with photographer Heather Hawksford. She is so fun to work with and I definitely learned a lot from her. I'll add a few pics momentarily...

Photos @ Center for the Arts

Come check out my photographs that will be up at The Center for the Arts in Murfreesboro, TN. The opening reception will be Tuesday June 14 @ 6pm. The show features portraits of people in different places.

Newspaper Article

Hello!

Dear Friends, Family & Stalkers,

I don't mean to address "Stalkers" with a negative connotation. On the contrary, I hope there will be many stalkers that follow along with my photography, design & video posts. I decided to start a blog, because I will be traveling to Moldova (the small country between Romania and the Ukraine) this summer taking photographs & video with a group of people from The Village Chapel. We will be hosting a summer camp for an orphanage. After the trip I will be traveling to Paris & Barcelona.