The aim of the trip was to give photographic coverage to 3 of the UK’s largest regional newspapers, the Manchester Evening News, the Liverpool Echo and the Yorkshire Post. Each had a journalist on the trip with the intention of reporting on CAFOD funded projects in Rwanda in time for fund raising events during Lent.

I’d been to Rwanda once before but only very briefly stopping overnight on the way to the Congo so it was a great opportunity to go back and have a closer look. These days, virtually everyone knows Rwanda due to the genocide back in 1994 and it was the ongoing repercussions of this horrific event our reporting was to be based on. As a bit of background, over one million ethnic Tutsi and moderate Hutus were tortured and murdered during a 100 day rampage by the Hutu dominant government and its supporters. Neighbors, friends and even family members turned on each other. Children lost their families, women were beaten, raped and saw their families cut down in front of them.

During our days there we interviewed a number of woman and orphans and they all spoke of the isolation they felt once the killing was over. With no one to turn to and no one to share their experiences with, the words, “I felt there was nothing to live for”, “I wanted to die” were repeated time and time again. With CAFOD’s support, local NGO, Avega East encouraged those with similar stories and living near each other to join together in associations. As well as providing trauma counseling on an individual and group basis, the charity provides small loans so the survivors can take control of their lives once again.

Below are a few of the pictures taken during the trip. I’ll also be posting links to the articles written by the journalists. For further information about this and the rest of CAFOD’s work please click here.

The Liverpool Echo-Online article

Names on the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre.

A view over Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Now peaceful and one of the safest cities in Africa.

Joselyne Ingabire (43) in her garden at home in Rwamagana. During the genocide her husband and family were killed and she was raped and became pregnant and caught HIV. She is now a volunteer counsellor with NGO Avega East.

Odette Mukambayiha who was raped and widowed during the genocide and now lives in Nyagasambu Village where Avega East paid for 35 houses for genocide widows

Collette Musabwasoni (47) lost her husband and five children in the genocide. She nows lives in Nyagasambu Village where Avega East paid for 35 houses for genocide widows. She runs a food stall business paid for by micro credit.

Widows tending their banana plantation in Nyagasambu Village where Avega East paid for 35 houses for genocide widows. They are assisted by micro credit programs enabling them to grow bananas to both eat and sell.

Kiramuruzi sector Abishyize Hawiwe Cooperative who are helped by Avega East to grow bananas. L-R Mukabutare Theopiste & Mukamutara Phelomene carrying bananas.

I’ve just heard some great news..!

I’ve been awarded a scholarship to attend a 5 day Magnum Workshop Fremantle which is headlining this years FotoFreo 2010: The City of Fremantle Festival of Photography. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity and really couldn’t have come at a better time in my career having just turned freelance.

I submitted the Mongolia story as part of my application but the written statements took quite some time to prepare. I’ve always been interested to know how other photographers gained grants or scholarships so I’ve copied my entry below. I’m certainly not saying this is a model application by any means but it may give other photographers an indication to what is needed. Every admission guideline and photographers history is different but hopefully this will give you an idea of what could be included in your statement.

What I have had reinforced is that you never stop learning. Moving into a freelance environment brings many new challenges from setting up your own computer system to branding and business knowledge. Then there is marketing and developing your own personal style. Each newspaper has its own house style but when you become freelance you can really start putting your own signature to your work that evolves over the years. The Magnum course will give me the opportunity to concentrate my mind and give me more focus and direction which is invaluable.

I’ll keep you posted with any new updates….

How will this opportunity benefit your career ?

This course starts just at the time of an exciting and major changing point in my photojournalism career.  I have recently left my job of 8 years with a UK newspaper and I am about to embark on a freelance career, which I hope will bring greater freedom, creativity and meaning to my work. I am also about to undertake my first long term project. The opportunity this course offers to receive guidance and advice about the dynamics, evolution and creative changes of how a long term project evolves would be invaluable to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed and learnt a great deal working for the Jersey Evening Post, however my true passion is documentary photography and reporting on humanitarian issues. During my time at the paper I used all my holiday time and unpaid leave to go on self assigned and commissioned projects.

Whilst I have had a very positive response to my work and received a number of accolades I feel I have much more potential to fill. My commitment to photojournalism is as strong as the day I started and I believe I would greatly benefit from receiving advice about refining my style, being taught stronger editing skills and having the opportunity to learn new camera and technical skills.

The chance to interact with such established photographers, seeing and learning how they work, operate and conduct themselves would be invaluable as well as being able to discuss and debate contemporary photography practice with other photographers.

This would be my first formal training environment since leaving university and I would relish the intensity and opportunity that this course offers.

…………..

I haven’t actually shot many pictures which is a bit frustrating but as many of you know, a lot of time is spent sorting out computer systems, archives, marketing, research and everything else that goes into creating a new business and organising foreign assignments so thankfully getting out there and doing what you are supposed to and love doing is just around the corner.

Good progress is being made and I’ll hopefully be posting about some very exciting new projects coming up in the near future so watch this space…!!

As for now, I thought I’d let you know that an image from a shoot I did last year for Rotary Jersey has been awarded Nominee status in the 5th Annual black and White Spider Awards. I’m certainly more of a color shooter and this was my first black and white project I’ve shot in quite some time so it was a pleasant surprise for it to be recognised. The picture was part of a series I did at Jaipur Foot in India. You can see the whole series and text here but basically Jaipur Foot is an incredibly inspiring Ngo set up by the highly energetic and dedicated D.R Mehta. Every day, hundred of people from all over India travel to Jaipur to receive artificial limbs and polio survivors are given tricycles or calipers. All of these services are given for free and it’s literally a lifeline for thousands of Indians who from here can start making a life for themselves with their new found mobility. I only had two days there after shooting the polio eradication story but found the atmosphere positively infectious. In a matter of hours you saw peoples lives transformed.

The image below was shot in the fitting centre where people wait for the limbs to be made. The guy on the left lost his leg in a train accident (most amputations are caused by train incidents) and on the right is an army officer with his new artificial limb next to him. What I liked is the fact all limbs and fittings are completed in an open room so patients can see exactly what is happening. You can see on their faces they are apprehensive but by having everything open the whole process is hopefully demystified.

A Jaipur artificial limb stands between two amputees waiting for a limb fitting.

“In these thirteen editions, the award has become a reference for humanitarian photography and its role in bringing a reality, sometimes hopeful, sometimes frightening, but to which one can not remain indifferent.”

The selected final images are, as always, of a very high standard. It is interesting to note maybe that the vast majority of images are either black and white or desaturated images..maybe this is what the majority of entrants submitted or it reflects the preference of the judges or maybe an indication of what Spanish photojournalism prefers..?

The winning images can be viewed  here www.medicosdelmundo.org/luisvaltuena

Munkhbat and Altangeret (both 15) have lived in this manhole together for over three years under the streets of Ulaanbaatar, the coldest capital city in the world. Spending time with them I witnessed what a tough, lonely and violent existence they have to endure in temperatures reaching -40c. They were forced into this situation by divorced and deceased parents but they still hope and strive for a better future. For me this image encapsulates the extremely difficult conditions these boys live in whilst life continues around them, oblivious and indifferent to their plight.”

It’s been just over two months since I last blogged..seems like 5 minutes but much has happened inbetween. Terese and I finally made it to Australia after a hectic last month in Jersey preparing to leave . Thankfully all my computer equipment, hard drives, books and everything else a photographer needs to work with turned up intact in Perth just after we arrived which was a great relief..! The only problem I had was my body armour has been seized by Australian customs who have become all excited over it. Still negotiating this a month later so any suggestions welcome..!!

This will be a short post as I’m currently in Koh Chang, Thailand on a supposed very late honeymoon (1 year late actually..!) We’ve spent the last 5 weeks travelling through Laos, Cambodia and Thailand which has been great fun and just what we needed to relax after the last year. I only brought my 5D with a 24mm lense which I’ve hardly used so most of the pics below are shot on an old Canon G9 which is still a great little snappy camera..(will buy the G11 if I ever start work again..!) They are just snappy pics but Laos is such an amazing country you don’t have to work to hard to get nice pics…

Will update some more a bit later but this really is downtime so don’t expect much..what can you shoot on a beautiful Thai beach anyway..!!

Rich…

Life on the Mekong-Luang Prabang-Laos

Boatman Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang, Laos

Backpacker heaven or hell..!!..Vang Vieng, Laos

Backpacker heaven or hell..!!..Vang Vieng, Laos

Vang Vieng, Laos

4000 Islands on border of Laos-Cambodia

4000 Islands-Laos

By far the most important and certainly the most exciting is I took voluntary redundancy from the Jersey Evening Post and I’ll be emigrating to Perth in Western Australia in about 5 weeks..!!

It was a tough decision leaving a fantastic full time newspaper job (during a recession..!!) but the time was right and my wife Terese was keen to return home. It’s going to be a steep learning curve setting up a new photography business and all the hassles of being freelance but it will be a great challenge and hopefully rewarding.

The plan is to concentrate on my foreign assignments and humanitarian work over the next few years and also make contact with the various newspapers over there..I’m still very much a newspaper photographer at heart..!

The last 8 years at the JEP have been amazing. I was incredibly fortunate to be offered the job in the first place. There is very little movement in the department so when a position comes up it is always hotly contested. I had little experience then but bags of energy and enthusiasm which sometimes counts for a lot. I’ve leant an enormous amount and the opportunity to work on foreign assignments as well as the day to day work was great.

I’ll miss the crack with the other guys who are a great bunch and it has been a real privilege to be part of that. The last few weeks where typically busy and varied so below are some of jobs I did…

I’ll keep you updated with any more news but for now it will be the occasional freelance job and lots of packing..!!..

Jersey Live 2009. Dizzee Rascal on the Main Stage. (Jersey Evening Post)

Jersey Live 2009. Dizzee Rascal on the Main Stage. (Jersey Evening Post)

Armed police surround the Royal Court at the start of the trial of one of the UK's most notorious drug criminals. (Jersey Evening Post)

Armed police surround the Royal Court at the start of the trial of one of the UK's most notorious drug criminals. (Jersey Evening Post)

Jersey International Air Display 2009. RAF Red Arrows. (Jersey Evening Post)

Gladys Manning and her sister Christine Manning who claim to have seen a UFO in their back garden in Gorey. (Jersey Evening Post)

Jersey Now Autumn Fashion. (Jersey Evening Post)

There was an awards night in London last night which unfortunetly I couldn’t go to because I was on shift but it would have been great to be there.

If you look at the Mongolia link on this blog you can see how the image came about earlier this January and below is an extract from the AOP’s press release:-

“The judges were fascinated by the story behind Richard’s image and commented:

“For me, this ticks all the boxes – emotive subject, great composition and a strong image. It really leaves an impression.”

Deborah Brown (Picture Director) – Grazia Magazine

“Like an urban, nature shot that replaces animals with people – they look like human moles coming up for air. I love what appears to be the spontaneity of this image. And for me, it completely sums up the competition.”

Olivia Howitt (Picture Desk) – Radio Times”

Caption:-

Munkhbat and Altangeret (both 15) have lived in this manhole together for over three years under the streets of Ulaanbaatar, the coldest capital city in the world. Spending time with them I witnessed what a tough, lonely and violent existence they have to endure in temperatures reaching -40c. They were forced into this situation by divorced and deceased parents but they still hope and strive for a better future. For me this image encapsulates the extremely difficult conditions these boys live in whilst life continues around them, oblivious and indifferent to their plight.”

This was a very personal project for me so I’m happy that it’s been recognised by a wider audience and hopefully through this competition more people will have an understanding of what many children are experiencing in Mongolia.

If you are interested in this subject, please have a look at this aid agency in Ulaan Baatar who I met and who are doing a great job trying to help people just like Munkhbat and Altangeret. The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.

Foto 8 held their street party last Friday which unfortunately I missed due to being on duty at work but I’m sure it was a great night. They have posted the final selection of images chosen for the exhibition so I’ve included a link below. It really is a mix of all genres of photography and some amazing images in there so please have a look when you have time.

The Press Photographers Year exhibition continues at the National Theatre and the AOP Open have their awards night next thursday so fingers crossed…!! I’m hoping to get over to London in the next few weeks to see them all….

…link to the Press Photographer’s Year selection…