By Gaston Lacombe
Sometimes, if you want your dreams to come true, all you have to do is ask politely. One of these simple requests a few months ago landed me in the Philippines, with the chance to fulfill a photo assignment that could make even the most seasoned photographers jealous.
I have just graduated (Jan. 2010) from the Photography program at Boston University Center for Digital Imaging Arts -Washington, DC Campus. One of the reasons I had chosen to start this program was because it offered the chance to undertake “Practicum” at the end, a course in which one month is spent experiencing real-world work with a non-profit organization. Since I want to take the sort of pictures that might someday grace the pages of magazines like National Geographic, I hoped to use this opportunity to undertake an international project. So, in the summer of 2009, I asked our Practicum Coordinator, Kate McNamee, if there was any chance I could fulfill my practicum requirement abroad. Knowing the possibility of this happening was as likely as the Red Sox winning the World Series (it happens, but rarely), I kept my fingers crossed. Within a few weeks, Kate sent me an email with the good news; I was heading to the Philippines.
“Hands Across the Sea,” (HAS) an organization that supports education in the Philippines, needed a new website and photos of the people and projects they fund. They generously agreed to cover all of my local expenses in the Philippines, while I paid for my flight. For nearly two weeks in December 2009, I settled in Dumaguete City, in the southern Philippines, and documented the work done by HAS at the Cadawinonan Elementary School. Two local guides, friends of HAS, helped me meet the people, see the sights and set up my photo shoots. Everyday I met and interacted with people who lived in very poor conditions - yet had a rare joy for living. Through my camera, I documented their lives.
Every evening in my hotel, I rapidly sorted through the day’s pictures and sent the best ones over the internet to my three BU CDIA classmates who were designing the new HAS website. I also submitted my work to the client for review, in addition to my instructors back in the US. Doing this, I truly felt the reality of being a photojournalist on assignment abroad – not only was I responsible for my work, I was responsible to the entire project team , who relied on my vision to make this grand idea a reality. By the time I returned to Washington, the HAS website with my photos was nearly ready: I added a multimedia presentation using my photos and recorded video and audio from my trip, and I had finally completed this life-changing project with a great sense of pride.
At the end of my Practicum, my best reward was not my diploma, but the look of satisfaction in my client’s eyes. For the first time, and hopefully not the last time, my photography had been more than just a hobby, but it had made a difference for someone else. For “Hands Across the Sea”, I had given them new tools to grow their organization and better help the people they support.
And, all I had to do was ask.
Gaston Lacombe is a photographer based in Washington, DC. gaston.lacombe@gmail.com