These were old prints of my grandfather when he was in the ROTC & Marines. I took off the old “proof” printed all across them in photoshop & combined them with a few pictures that I have taken myself. The American flag photo I took in Washington DC a couple years ago, and the mountain photo I took in Colorado. The meadow photo that helps blend in the bottom I cannot remember where it was taken, I think Colorado as well.

Anyways, just wanted to put this up in memory of my grandfather, Ormand Anderson, an incredible man.

This little girl was so precious! These are some of my favorite pictures. At first she didn’t realize I was shooting her, and I got some pix & video – then she saw me, and started smiling and giggling!

This photo below is very special to me. I took it last week, and I loved it as soon as I shot it. These little boys were on their little broken down pier, next to a larger one that men were on. They were just sitting, talking to each other while fishing with their stick fishing poles. A moment frozen in time that is yet so timeless. This shot will be blown up and on my wall as soon as I get home.

This (below) is another of my favorites. In the background you can see the large pier and the smaller on that the little boys above were sitting on. I really enjoying spending time in this landing site, and will be going back for sure!

Yesterday I was in town doing some shopping with my sister, and good friend when I heard all of this ruckus and chaos coming from down the street! Before I knew it, there were cars, trucks, and bodas filled with people holding signs, screaming, yelling, playing loud music – all coming up the street towards us! I quickly realized they were campaigning for the parliament elections coming up in a couple months. I quickly grabbed my camera and jumped out of the car – not wanting to miss this opportunity for a video shot! I scrambled out and ran up the street a little ways to catch more of them before they got to me!

While playing with the aperture, I flipped on the camera, and started shooting. “Ha! This is nuts!” I thought to myself. There were people EVERYWHERE running, screaming, yelling, shouting from cars, trucks, and bodas! They were holding up signs of the man they were voting for – big signs of a large picture of his face. They were also wearing the posters all over the vehicles and themselves too!

I had not even been shooting for one minute before a boda came driving straight at me! On purpose, this crazy boda driver sped straight at me, missed hitting me by only inches, and then swerved to avoid crushing my feet! Haha! I then decided to move behind a short car, and shoot over it. It made for some very interesting footage! I’m hoping to keep following the campaigning over the next month and get some more still shots. I then hope to put together a video of the craziness that it is!

After I got home, I later learned that riots often break out from opposing campaigns and the police will often times come in and throw up tear gas grenades to break up the riots – to “keep the peace” as they see it. Entire streets full of shops will close down for 2-3 hours because of the tear gas. Also, I learned that the people campaigning will often just break car windows, slap or punch people, throw rocks or anything at shops- all during their street campaign craziness just because they are excited and don’t care what they do while they are going crazy!

This was all very interesting to me, and we will see what I can catch capture over the next weeks to come!

“We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world, not just to go for diplomas and degrees, this work and that work. We have been created in order to love and be loved.” – Mother Teresa

Life surrounded by 7 children, 6 of which are under the age of 3 is often times loud and crazy. My sister Amy amazes me how she handles being a single mom to them. She truly is incredible and one of a kind.

A few days ago we took everyone to a near-by park to play on the slide and swings and sea-saws! As I walked into the back babies room, I realized Amy had started putting them all in adorable overalls! Thanks to everyone who gave and donated clothes for us this Christmas, we had enough pair for everyone! They were all so cute that I took them all outside and got a picture of them all lined up! This picture, along with many other “kid moments” throughout the days, reminds me of a song – one verse in particular, that goes like this:

Five years later there’s a plumber workin’ on the water heater
Dog’s barkin’, phone’s ringin’
One kid’s cryin’, one kid’s screamin’
She keeps apologizin’
He says they don’t bother me
I’ve got 2 babies of my own
One’s 36, one’s 23
Huh, it’s hard to believe

But you’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna want this back
You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna miss this
Yeah, you’re gonna miss this

My sister helps work with young women, teenage mothers especially, who need help. She has started helping several women at a hospital near here. So this Christmas, she was able to give to them special gift bags that we made.

I shot photos and videos during the process so that I could make a promo-type of video for her and her ministry here. She was then able to send my video to people who have supported her ministry and who donated to help make this “Hospital Christmas” possible. Here’s the video!

**Please note that due to the internet here, I could not upload a higher quality video, and had to compress it for it to upload. I do realize it is fuzzy!

I went to the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar in Atlanta, Ga. December 2^nd and 3^rd. I absolutely loved the seminar, and it was incredible experience! They had a silent auction that went on during the two days, full of amazing prints! On Friday, while I was walking around looking at all of the pictures, I saw a picture – that I loved, and thought it looked familiar. I looked down at the photographer’s name and saw it was a Jaoa Silva Print! If I had been sitting down, I probably would have fallen out of my chair… I couldn’t believe it! I also couldn’t believe that no one had made any bids on it – other that what the starting bid was. I decided not to write down a bid yet, and wait to come back tomorrow and see what the highest bid was then because I had to remember that I would be leaving in 3 days for Uganda, and needed all of my money for the trip. So on Saturday with several more hours until the silent auction would close, I went back and saw that someone had indeed made a bid on the beautiful picture. A woman named Barbara had written down her bid for the picture. But it only had her one bid other than the starting one, so it was only $25 higher than the starting bid.  I quickly wrote down my name, number, and a higher bid. I wanted the picture so badly, and thought to myself- “This is your Christmas gift to yourself, Deanna!”

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Joao Silva    //   Kirmashiya Marsh — Feb. 18, 2004: A Marsh Arab guides his canoe through Kirmashiya Marsh in southern Iraq.

A little while later, I checked on the beautiful print again, and saw that the same woman, Barbara Davidson, who had started the bidding had raised the bid again. So, doing the only thing I could think of- I raised it again! Then, a little while later, again, Barbara had raised my bid yet again. I told myself that this time was my last time raising the bid. I wanted the picture, but I am also not made of money, and had been saving all the money that I could for my trip to Africa! So, knowing this was my last hope- I wrote down one more bid, and with the auction about to close, I went into hear the next lecture.

Now, I had LOVED every lecture all day Saturday. Every photographer that got up and spoke had encouraged and excited me, and I was soaking it all in. The photojournalist who had been over seas, traveled places, shot documentaries, and made documentary videos, had been especially exciting to me- since that was what I was leaving to Africa to do myself!

So, as I sat down, a man up front started introducing the next photojournalist speaker. A woman who had been many places, shot incredible documentaries, worked for the LA Times, and had made an incredible portfolio as well as name for herself. Barbara Davidson. I about fell out of my chair! The woman I had been bidding against on the Joao Silva print was not just another photographer at the seminar – she was a guest speaker and incredible photojournalist! I couldn’t believe it! I almost felt guilty that I had bid against her… almost.  But it ended up that I got to talk with her after her lecture and get priceless advice and encouragement from her. You should definitely go see some of her incredible work at the links below!!

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-gangviolence-html,0,6290501.htmlstory

http://framework.latimes.com/2011/04/18/caught-in-the-crossfire-pulitzer/#/0

SO, that is the story of my early Christmas gift to myself

I saw this today… and it reminded me of what my father and friends have been telling me lately. As I talk about my trip to Uganda and all that I want to accomplish, see, do, experience, and capture with cameras and camcorders while I am there, people consistently tell me so “Be Safe” and “Be Careful”. And it’s not that I want to purposefully put myself in harms way, but there is also a strong desire within me to go where not many would go, see what many would not want to see, be with people that many would not want to be around, and capture the moments that will be able to tell these people’s story better than I ever could in words. Dangerous? Probably. Stupid? Maybe. Desirable? Yes – to me. I want to capture those pictures and footage that draw people in to the story being told. I have a peace that passes all understanding, and I know that my life is held safely in the hands of God. So I will continue to push myself outside of my comfort zones… to where life begins.