Chasing Light in the Land of Little Sun

Jumping continents for travel can build a sense of comfort that you have something known well to return to. When a relocation happens for extended anchoring there is a bit of emotional upheaval that needs to be attended to...

My level of comfort often expands when I have my camera in hand. I use this tool, this curiously shaped hammer and chisel to expand my reality. It becomes my personal  psychologist as well. My camera when used with attention, can capture a bit of light and a bit of knowledge and translate it very eloquently.

I noticed the calming effect of held camera in challenging circumstances first when technical climbing, or engaging a geography that was potentially hostile. The unsettled feeling of launching into the unknown is healthy and needed for continued growth, to spur, but is often scary and requires readjustment through refocusing - Creating images helps soften any fear, and even helps to welcome the unknown - gently reshaping my myopic and astigmatized convexed cornea of ideas and perceptions...

There is a level of perceived fear of the unknown that can easily overwhelm in new situations. When the camera comes out it is simpler to objectively analyze situations, actively observe yet create and keep a bit of safe distance. Reviewing the images helps to inform and inspire a plan to re-engage - much like building a shot list and researching before a engaging a photo essay...

Here a few images that have helped with this Scandinavian translation...

Flaming Engines, AK-47s and The Telluride Photo Festival

Flaming engines, AK-47s, photo gear deluged by ATV hijinx, via ferrata, whiskey shots, missed portfolio reviews, runout wet sandstone pitches.. Amazing what kind of excitement can happen in a week's time...  Met some truly inspiring photographers at the Telluride Photo Festival and reconnected with others - the to and from and all between was exactly what I needed before escaping the continent...

Ever thankful for the creative inspiration of photographers - especially Mike Calabro and David Clifford - and a host of other shooters and extreme characters met this last week...

all images ©Bennett Barthelemy

Photographer David Clifford shoots on Imogene Pass at sunset during the Telluride Photo Festival

David Clifford, Mike Calabro and Richard Lee getting the shot.

Calabro making a statement.

Baja 1000 car and driver...

Calabro proving to be a hit with the ladies yet again.

Shoot with a pro clinic with David Clifford of Zeiss, Chimera and Pro Photo...

JP of Tandem Stills and Motion wooing the ladies...

David Clifford proving why he is a rad shooter on the via ferrata above Telluride with Jessa Younker as model.

Calabro cooking up a gourmet dirtbag meal.

Full Contact Piñata

Celebrating another solar spin and it continues to be a wild and crazy ride... 

A fitting and incredibly welcome way to celebrate with flying candy, temporary tattoos and lots of laughter... Honored to have such fun individuals sharing this orbit and these revolutions... 

Special thanks to John for allowing his nice Jeep to take a few hits... 

And after shooting this I think we have some semblance of what it must be like to be on the frontlines as a war photographer. Someone managed to mangle a new BD carabiner with their grand slam broom swings...

Bridging The Generational Divide

When I was 31 I spent a few days backpacking the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska with my father... He brought cotton Levis, had no rain jacket and had twisted his knee getting in shape for the trip when my hasty divorce just a month prior left me with tickets to Alaska and no partner to hike with. It is one of my fondest wilderness memories - this "accidental" time spent with my dad.

This last week I shared some 60 miles with a father and son team across the Continental Divide in the Rockies of Rocky Mountain National Park. Between lightning storms, high altitude hypoxic forays, over flowered alpine tundra and snowy passes - I saw a similar bonding evolve between father and son - a bond that I believe only shared extended time in wilderness can provide...

Post Senegal - The journey continues...

Amazed, humbled, thrilled... My first Kickstarter campaign is 105% funded. I have returned from Dakar with thousands of images, video clips and audio and met incredible and inspiring people along the journey...

And the journey continues! I have produced my first piece of media, other than my blog, and it is live on the Play For Peace website - a scrolling slideshow and text describing my personal experience while in Dakar, witnessing the training and my perceptions whilst in the larger community of Thiaroye and Senegal.

A huge thanks to all the Kickstarter donors and to everyone involved. It has been awesome!

Dakar Youth... Sharing...

This photo I took last week of homeless children in Dakar. There were to be 34 of them sleeping in that tiny space that night. It was late evening and we only stayed a few minutes but what I understood was that this tiny non profit in Thairoye Dakar is a partner non-profit for Citizens of the Streets - Citoyen Des Rues - Senegal. A Paris based NGO that seeks to provide assistance to street youth around the world.

This is El Hadj Beye and he is the president of the Senegal chapter and gave us a tour of Thairoye and the work they are engaged in. I also went to a meeting at city hall where El Hadj was awarded $500 by the Ministry of education and youth for his his NGO. Conducted in Wolof and French, with prayers by the tribal village headman it was quite an experience. The average wage in this economically challenged area I was told was $1 a day - below poverty line. I also accompanied El Hadj and the director of CAFT (below) for a meeting with the USAID education director for West Africa to talk about project funding.
 

I took this photo two days ago of Mamadou Diallo, the director and founder of CAFT - a school for children in Thairoye Senegal. It has been active since 1992 and is considered a community school which is certified by the Ministry of Education yet set up like a private school where each parent pays according to their means. Many are on scholarship, some pay nothing.

Since its founding Mamadou says he has personally gone to homes and knocked on doors to ask parents why there children were not in school and brought some 500 new students to CAFT this way. El Hadj Beye was one of his former students. Here is the CAFT website in French.

I was there to experience firsthand a training by an international non profit Play For Peace. The goal was to help create mentors and facilitators with CAFT teachers and older youth in the school. Mamadou had invited several other NGOs in Dakar to be part of this training as well so that it would have a much more far reaching effect in Senegal.

Elisabeth from Quebec Canada (she speaks French), and Agyat from India were trainers. Play For Peace is not a funding organization and was in Dakar to share their methodology that is now active in some 20 countries in communities of conflict. A skype session to Guatemala with an active Play For Peace center there, and knowledge exchange with Agyat and Elisabeth were part of the curriculum as was a heavy amount of game playing.

Together the two trainers have nearly two decades of training experience working with communities in the slums of India to the gang-slammed streets of Guatemala.

Every minute there was filled. Amazing for both the cultural experience and the warmth of the people as it was for the crash course in international aid work, local politics and being at ground zero where it all comes together.

My life in 10 days has been forever changed. I look forward to sharing these stories. My Kickstarter I am using to cover costs for this project is 89% funded. Thank you to everyone.