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Nakate’s Beads of Hope
Shanley Knox Is one of the most courageous women I know. She takes Social Enterprise in its literal sense as she works with Local Artisans far deep in the Village of Kakooge in Nakasongola Uganda to help them generate a sustainable income rather than hand them aid. The most interesting thing isn’t only her model but the fact that she uses fashion to make known talent that lies deep inside hard working local Artisans at one end of the world.
The Nakate Project “exists to provide unique designs from Ugandan artisans to fashion conscious women. We use the creation of our pieces as an opportunity to establish relationships connecting Ugandan professionals and artisans with marginalized women in rural villages – using African talent to nourish African growth and development. Our idea of taking Africa with you is centered on the belief that the Africa we have experienced has to something to teach and offer brave, open, inspired women across the globe. Through the unique aesthetic we have come to love, we seek to both celebrate a part of the world that teaches us to live more deeply, and to challenge the bold adventurer that we know already lives inside of you”
I had the opportunity of working with Shanley doing a little bit of product photography for some of the works of the Women and here are a few shots
Portraits
Someday I want to be so good at Portraits that the photos I take will not need captions to tell their stories. I love smiles and I love telling a different story about Africa. I tell stories of poverty and pain but i also tell stories of Joy, happiness and hope. Now those are stories I want to keep telling and I think this is a start for me.
Vintage cars at the Suq Waqif
I found these beautiful Vintage Cars at the Suq Waqif a famous local Market in Doha, Qatar. I couldn’t get enough of them. the first one is a Rolls Royce, the second is a Chevrolet and the last one is a GMC. I would love to have these in my collection which is currently none (Chuckles) but may be someday
A day with man’s best friend
A friend gave me the opportunity to spend a little time with his dogs so I decided to learn a little about Dog History. The facts I found whether true or not were amazing. It was my first time to work with animals and I enjoyed every single minute of it. Animals can teach us very important life lessons and the one I learned was about Friendship. Its not for nothing that they call Dogs man’s best friends. here are a few of the facts I found
Its believed that dogs have been with man way before before donkeys, horses, sheep, goats, cattle, cats, or even chickens were. Dogs have lived with man for 14000 years while cats have only been with us for half the time. There are 7 billion people in the world and its believed that there are 400 million dogs. There is something about Dogs that other animals don’t have. They are sensitive and are very intelligent sometimes more than even human beings. Dogs can smell about 1,000 times better than humans. While humans have 5 million smell-detecting cells, dogs have more than 220 million. The part of the brain that interprets smell is also four times larger in dogs than in humans I guess this is the reason the police chose to work with Dogs over any other animals.
A person standing still 300 yards away is almost invisible to a dog. But a dog can easily identify its owner standing a mile away if the owner is waving his arms. Dogs are also loyal. A dog can lay down its life for its owner and that for me is the true test of friendship. So do you still question whether Dogs are man’s best Friend? If a dog can be such a good friend why shouldn’t we be?
Old Toms Lens 2012 in review
The WordPress team prepared a 2012 annual report for Old Toms Lens and this is what they had. Its a humble beginning for me but also very humbling experience as I pursue my dream of being a Professional Photographer. You can read the full report by clicking on the link below. A special Thanks to all my friends and Family mentors and Clients. 2012 was a wonderful year and it was all because of you.
I am a UPPA award Winner
A few months back, the Foreign Correspondent’s Association of Uganda held the first Ugandan Photography Competition named the “Uganda Press Photo Award” (UPPA) asking for submissions country wide. I had shot for a couple of months as an amateur photographer and had quite a number of images that I was going to choose from. Unfortunately, I lost all my images when I was robbed of my laptop and back up drive. I was so discouraged but I didn’t give up. I decided to shoot more images till the final day of submission and burnt the midnight oil preparing my images for submission. A few weeks later I was contacted that I was a finalist and that I should send a short bio of myself and also attend the award giving ceremony. I was so ecstatic and so anxious. There was an 64GB iPad and a Nikon D7000 DSLR to be won. These two are like a photographer’s best friends and for a beginner, they would have saved thousands of dollars in investment. So I arrive at the Venue and …. anyway I didn’t win the iPad or the D7000 DSLR but seeing my images printed and on display as people looked at them and were making all sorts of comments filled me with joy. The winners were really good and deserved everything they got. I saw images by fellow Ugandan photographers and I marveled at the level of talent that we have as a country. All that people are looking for is an opportunity and as they say give a man just half a chance and you will be amazed at how much they can do with it. I am so grateful to FCAU for the opportunity to showcase my art and I look forward to more opportunities.
For the list of Winners Click HERE & for the Winning Images click HERE
For those who weren’t there, here are the two images that came 2nd place in the News Singles and Environmental Story category
3 Sides of Sheila
Sheila is the Guild president at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. I had a few moments to chat with this amazing lady and I was blown away by the wisdom and passion that flowed from her mind. Its people like her who take it upon themselves to be the change they want to see. They don’t wait for the government to do things; they do them and the government catches up later. Sheila has many sides to her; there’s Sheila the Business Lady, the Leader and the Activist. I am proud of you Sheila. Keep the Fire.
Follow Sheila on Twitter & Facebook
