Helping others has always been something close to my heart and a large reason why I became a photojournalist. That…and I love making images. As the saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words”. It is a powerful communication platform that allows people to experience the story, struggles and celebrations of others around the world and sometimes in your own backyard.
Recently I discovered the word “photolanthropy” (say that three times fast) as the perfect description for what I love to do. It is photography for social change. Promoting the welfare of others through photographing personal projects to give a voice to those without. I personally love to focus on the positive in situations to hopefully inspire more positive in the world. (A key reason I love shooting weddings and working with Orange Photography….a big positive orange burst!)
I have completed a handful of photolanthropy projects that have taken me to a post-Katrina New Orleans with John Edwards, a Honduran mud-hut with faith-based volunteers, and on the road and into sweat lodges with Native American elder, Uncle Fred Wahpepah.
Check out the Kickstarter page of my current super sweet project and support and share if you can. http://kck.st/gsQl10 For more information on talented photo-philanthropers out there, check out www.photophilanthropy.org
Sarah Cross is a San Francisco Bay Area based photographer who frequently shoots for Orange Photography. You can find out more about her on her website.
