paul sherar ::: humanitarian and relief photographer

Helping the helpless

paul — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:25:35 +0000

This set of photos represents the work of Sarco (HERE is his story). He lost his legs when he was a child in Halabja, Iraq during Saddam’s bombings and has committed his life to helping a group of kids that cannot help themselves. I really like the documentary feel of the black and white, so I tried it on all of these. Having a word block at the moment, so just look at the pretty pictures…yay!

disabled children's daycare

wheelchair and transportation provision

The Disposable Me.

paul — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:01:38 +0000

Despite what I believe about conservation, saving the earth, and freeing Willy I am a willing participant of a disposable culture. Just today I decided to choose a plastic cup over a glass cup at lunch for the mere convenience that it is bigger and holds more liquid. Which in turn means I don’t have to walk to the water dispenser and get a refill during my meal (who wants to do that?!). I believe a culture, or more specifically our culture has been built out of this idea. Convenience first, fashion second, and conservation 26th. I’m no expert on this subject, but I think we may be getting a bit out of hand. I’m not going to give you the if-you’ll-just-turn-off-1-lightbulb-in-your-house…or…take-your-own-bag-to-the-store talk. How about instead we just be more mindful?

I’ve started a new photo project, this photo may be the starting point or the end. I want to explore the beauty or maybe just the absurdity of modern culture. What can we change? Do we need to change? If you’d like to be a part send me your ideas, critiques, or thoughts. You can download this image (click here) if you’d like to post it, display it, or make fun of it. Discussion is the goal here.

Big thanks to mcginncompany.com for the design.

He woke up without legs.

paul — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:38:16 +0000

In his soft, hard to understand English he told us about his childhood that frankly couldn’t have been more different than mine. On March 16th, 1988 Sadam Hussein decided he wanted to do a little chemical bombing “test”. In the town of Halabja, Iraq over 5,000 people died and 10,000 more were injured as a result. It was a part of his Enfal campaign to destroy all other ethnicities in Iraq.

Sarco was 6 years old when he was riding the school bus home on that day, and never made it. The bombs destroyed the bus and he was one of the few survivors. He never again saw his parents since he waved goodbye to them that morning, and three months later he recalls waking up at a hospital in Iran with several injuries and no legs. Over the next 14 years he was aided by various agencies and moved to different areas in Iran, Turkey, and Jordan. At one point he received prosthetic legs, and was able to move on his own and in Jordan as a teenager he met an American missionary. He remembers that he was intrigued by the character and attitude of the man and decided he wanted to go to church. Sarco became a Christian at a conference and moved back to his home town where he began to see a great need in the community for someone to help disabled kids and their families. Since his return he has been helping around 200 kids, giving them rides to school, praying for them, loving them. He has helped the families have a new perspective about their children, given them a hope when they had none before. He has a vision for a disabled childrens center where he can provide more aid to the families. He says “I may not have a building for the center now, but the center is in my heart.”

Honestly, Sarco’s story amazes me. There doesn’t seem to be an ounce of self-help in him. He’s devoted his life to the help of those who can’t help themselves. It’s hard to not compare what I’m living for and what he is. Obviously we live different lives, but I want to be inspired by him and not forget. When I was 6, one time I woke up and there were no more Fruity Pebbles. When he was 6, he woke up without legs.

CLICK PHOTOS to see BIG

Sarco and his new wife.

At the Halabja Memorial for those who died as a result of Sadam's attack.

The names of the deceased are written on the wall in the memorial. The one with the green box around it was later found alive.

tExTuRe

paul — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:23:13 +0000

OK, I know I’m usually behind the game on stuff like this, but I’ve been LOVING textures lately. Not the trying-to-take-a-nap-on-your-grandmothers-couch type of texture, but blending them into photos. There are tons of free image textures out there. Recently I shot some “edgy” product shots for my buddies organization FreePeopleFreePeople. I wanted to take it to the next level, a step above American Apparel, a jump above the Gap, and leaps and bounds above Old Navy.

The quick on how to do it:

Find your image, best with a plain background or sky
Find your texture image
Get your photoshop out
Layer the texture over your image
Change the blending mode so it looks like you want it
Mask out parts of your image you don’t want to have texture
BLAM-O! textured photo

I took an old landscape photo I shot in Sudan and added some texture and cropped it to fill the background on my two screens. YOU can be as cool as me and download the full size HERE.

I’m going to be doing some more interesting photos for FreePeopleFreePeople, so stay tuned. Check them out, they are a non-profit organization that operate under the assumption that people who are free have an OBLIGATION to rescue others from slavery. Also, if you’re wondering whose hot bod that is in the photos, who else but David Morrison.

Taking my orb for a hike

paul — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:54:34 +0000

There’s a few sides to my creative side, well I guess I can’t call it a side…let’s call it my creative orb. In my orb there is a photo section, a musical section, a writing section, a random section, and a video section. Parts of the orb don’t get worked as much, and like other things that don’t get exercise they turn into blobby mush. I started poking the chubby, out of shape section of my orb the other day and decided I needed to make some more videos. I love editing, and I love how you can take different parts of video clips and blend them together to make an incredible life changing story…or, in this case a ridiculous mix of hilarity and good music. This is for your enjoyment, but mainly for mine. Enjoy.

You can see the video in HD on vimeo, just click the title. Here’s a few still frames from the day:

Thousand photos, one word…Haiti.

paul — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:51:49 +0000

Now back from Haiti, half wishing I was still there, half glad to be home. When I’m traveling sometimes it’s easy for me to get connected to people in particular and places especially. It’s a tearing sensation when I leave, and I think that’s why I’m so bad at goodbye’s. In the little grey cube I call ‘office’ I’ll flip through the photos and am reminded of moments, simple or complex, that bring me back to where I just was if only for a flash.

“No, don’t take picture, no!” He says laughing while washing his face in the street.

“HANDS!!” The whole community gathers to hear a simple lesson on sanitation.

“Most of these women have been waiting outside the gate since 4am..” A worker says as they take food tickets from women waiting for their share of 50lb rice bags.

“Don’t tell anyone I let you sit there.” The heavy equipment operator yells to me from the cab of the excavator as I climb down.

“(Something in Arabic)“ A Jordanian UN soldier says to a women posing for a camera phone shot.

CLICK photos to see BIG

The Navy Seabees helped remove a delicate altar from a destroyed church in Grand Goave

Waiting outside a food distribution

Since 4am.

50lbs of rice.

Millions of gallons

Hand Washing

Demolition and rubble removal

You can help, and it’s easy. Check out our work www.samaritanspurse.org.

Bad made bad(er) – Haiti Earthquake

paul — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:15:40 +0000

First evening on the ground here in Haiti I went on a little tour of some devastation in Port-au-Prince (special thanks to photog David Uttley for driving). The damage is extensive, extreme, and (add dramatic “E” words here). It’s difficult to get work done, but Samaritan’s Purse is doing it. These people seem to be friendly natured, but when life and death comes into the equation things can get out of hand very quickly. I heard today that 5 American’s were taken hostage in Cite Soleil, which just so happens to be labeled as one of the most dangerous areas in the western hemisphere, which also happens to have 8-9 murders a night, which ALSO happens to be an area we drive through regularly to do work. Dangerous? yes. Good work being done? also yes.

Who needs a model agency? – East Africa trip

paul — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:42:43 +0000

It’s been happening often on trips lately. One kid will catch a glimpse of the back of my camera as I’m shooting and he’s hooked. He wants to see every shot I take after that. Then the crowds come, kids come from everywhere. All of them wanting to see the little picture on the back of this wierd black box. I realized that I can take advantage of this. I tell one of the kids to go over there and pose for me. He stands there in a boring stance, so I give him some help. This hand here, that foot across that one, eyes up, turn head, perfect now STAY. Click Click….Click. I give the model the first look, but I know the whole swarm will want to see. “WAHHHH, OOOOH!” laughter, smiles, etc. “Him! Him!” they all point towards the next model. The best part about it is that none of them ask, “Hey can you tag me on that in facebook?” They are completely happy just seeing it for the moment.

Love them teeth.

I love how coordinating colors just happen to show up sometimes.

This would have been a more dramatic photo if my dirty foot wasn't in it.

Turkana people, Northern Kenya

Tilt-shift lens. Turkana, Northern Kenya.

"Him! Him!"

I made this guy jump over and over.

Turkana silhouette.

Nuba Mountains, Sudan.

Food Distribution. North Kenya.

Ugandan Orphanage/School.

"Turn your head, look up, arms crossed...perfect"

People of Samoa

paul — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:12:42 +0000

Here are some photos from the Samoa Tsunami Relief trip late last year. I walked around a market and had fun interacting with these people, and was surprised at their openness. The last few are some I just wanted to throw in because they were interesting to me, and since this is my blog I get to do things like that.

CLICK FOR BIG

I would have sent this one to him, but he said he doesn’t have an email address. He looks pretty BA if you ask me.

LOVE his hair.

These kids had fun posing for me. We turned it into a game.

Samoan Tsunami

paul — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:39:02 +0000

It was Sept. 30th, Mikala and her family were heading to the hospital in a van to have the kids checked up on. Just another beautiful Wednesday on the Pacific island of Samoa. Then the ordinary day turned not-so-ordinary. A 30ft wave, that officials said came with much less warning than a normal tsunami crashed the shore and tumbled the van end over end off of the road and into the homes. Two of her daughters, aged 2 and 10, were swept out of the van. The father tried to go after them, but it was too late.

Mikala’s baby was in her arms the whole time and had drowned in the struggle to get to higher ground. As she sat in the trees pleading and praying to God for life to come back she began to give the baby mouth to mouth. The baby coughed back to life to Mikala’s relief.

Over 100 people died on Samoa that day with more homes destroyed. The people have been diligently working to get their communities back to order. Samaritan’s Purse is helping them in the effort by providing kitchen kits, hygiene kits, and tools. It was so nice being able to help a people group that wasn’t expecting someone to help them. Check out samaritanspurse.org if you think you’d like to be involved.