A Greenhouse For Suliman | West Bank

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Meet The Olloclip.

I have looked at lens options for my iPhone since 2008 when Apple released the iPhone 3G.  The release of this new phone and iOS, the app store began to fill up with wonderful photo editing and sharing apps.  My fascination with iPhone photography started with the original iPhone I purchased when it was first released.  I liked the LOFI look of the images.  Because I was also shooting with Lomo film cameras, in 2008 I created a site to showcase what I called iPhonelomo.  Quirky photographs shot without the intent of perfection and focused more on creativity.  It pushed me to think differently about photography and what I see around me.

This fascination made me look for ways to do more creatively with my phone.  I started my iPhone lens search with a Griffin Clarifi case that made close-up (not quite macro) photography possible with the 3G and 3GS.  It also allowed me to create artistic images without anything in focus.  I got a lot of use out of this case because it served two great purposes and didn’t require me to carry any accessories.

Photos taken with an iPhone 3G using the Griffin Clarifi case.
See more on my site, iPhonelomo.com

When the iPhone 3GS came out the camera gained a new feature – the ability to focus.  The addition of this new feature meant I no longer needed the case and went without any lens accessories for the next 2+ years.  I openly admit to being tempted by many other iPhone lens options that use magnets to attach or cases that had a bulky clip on a lens – but I couldn’t see myself carrying multiple lenses or using the rest of the phones features with the awkward cases.  At times I would have fun shooting the iPhone through my old TTV cameras or through an SLR lens to get creative results, but I didn’t have a dedicated lens that allowed me to feel safe carrying my iPhone as a primary camera…until the Olloclip.

This cleverly designed lens slips onto the corner of the iPhone 4/4S and offers 3 lenses in one compact device:  wide-angle, fisheye, and macro (when the wide angle is unscrewed).  At $70, this lens may not be for everyone, but I wanted to share why this accessory goes with me everywhere.  I have been using this lens for a little over a month now and am thrilled with its performance.  From artistic uses, to capturing my children, to shooting video walk-throughs of potential home options we visited, this lens has been a gem. It is really versatile and produces crisp images with great contrast and color. The one drawback that many people point out is that it cannot be used while the iPhone is in a case.  I can understand this gripe, but because I see my iPhone as a tool for my work and inspiration, I am not as worried about it looking flawless as I am focused on creating beautiful or interesting art.  I went from using a heavy duty Otterbox Defender case to being completely case-less. I couldn’t be happier (in fact, all of the cases I’ve owned have scuffed and scratched up my iPhones, but I may sing a new song if I drop and totally destroy mine because it isn’t in a case).

Now, back to the awesomeness

I bought this lens for two reasons: wide angle photography and using the fisheye to replicate a wide angle lens when shooting video.  This lens shines in both areas.  The iPhone sensor has a different field of view when it is switched from Photo to Video.  Having young children, I use the video feature on my iPhone all the time, but it is hard to capture the entire action when indoors because you can only back up so far before you run into something.  Even when you are outside, you have to remove yourself from the fun to get a wide shot because you have to step back so far – not to mention how much worse the audio gets.  The fisheye and wide angle lenses really give flexibility to shooting video on the iPhone 4S.  It also helps smooth out movement even more than built-in stabilizer.  This flexibility does come at a small price in image quality.   Distortion toward the edges of the image is pretty noticeable when using the fisheye.  I happen to like the look stylistically, so it isn’t a negative point for me personally.  For people that love really clean footage, the fisheye may not usable.  The following short video of my boys was shot using the Olloclip.

I’m a huge fan of wide angle photography, so I was really excited about this lens.  I’ve also been surprised how often I use the fisheye for photography if shooting in square format (Hipstamatic, Instagram, etc).  I received a lot of questions on social media about the lens and I promised a review after I had enough time to know if I would continue using it or if it was a gimmick that I stopped using after a week – it is not.  I took it out to shoot areas around Chesapeake and Norfolk, VA and was impressed with the images I was getting with the lens and iPhone 4S camera.  Two weeks later, I took my first trip ever to NYC for my birthday at the beginning of this month and I chose to take my iPhone as my main camera (I also carried a Polaroid SX-70 that I took about 30 shots with).  You can see how below how much fun I had without all the gear to carry around – I was able to see a ton of NYC in just a day and a half.  I have printed the images and am very happy with the quality and look I was able to get using apps on my iPhone and this $70 lens.  It was a very freeing experience.  It is interesting to note how much I was able to pay attention to what was around me because I wasn’t bogged down by gear and the need to overshoot every scene.  I also think the images are stronger because of the way that I looked at the city and being forced to be creative in the ways I could capture it.

Needless to say, the Olloclip has found a welcome spot in my pocket or bag.  There are not many days that I do not have easy access to it.  I would probably leave it on my phone if it had a button that would push down to turn my phone off.  I hope this non-technical review helps you understand how this lens could be useful.  If you shoot a lot of photos on your iPhone 4 or 4s, this will give you a lot more options.  Feel free to ask more detailed questions is you have any.

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Dino And Domi Ride The Norfolk Tide

Both of my boys like trains, but Dino really likes them. This Christmas we introduced him to Polar Express. I wasn’t sure what he would think because he is only 2.5 years old, but the next day I heard him muttering about losing his ticket. We quickly made him his own golden “Ticket to Ride” and he carried it around with him. The day after Christmas we decided we needed an outing.

This year Nofolk, VA finished their light rail system called The Tide and one of the few stops is just over a mile from our house. We jumped in the car and headed up to ride The Tide to the MacArthur mall so the kids could play on the playscape inside.. This iPhone video captures their ride.

For those interested in the footage, it was all captured on my iPhone using an Olloclip lens. It is a wonderful piece of photographic equipment for the iPhone that allows you to shoot Wide Angle, Fisheye, and Macro. Check the link to learn more. I bought mine at Best Buy because the Apple store was sold out.

Music
“Night Lights” by Learning Music (http://www.learningmusicmonthly.com/)

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Celebrating Hadiara’s Gift Of Love

This Christmas, as we begin to celebrate the gift of God’s love, I can’t help but think of the ways that Operation Blessing shares the gift of love on a daily basis all around the world. A few weeks ago I was in Niger and met a 4-year-old girl named Hadiara.

She and her sister were playing with a crude little toy that their father had made for them out of a scrap piece of plastic that had a nail through it and hair that was sticking out of the top that the girls sat and braided.

I was amazed at the joy they found in this simple little toy. I couldn’t help but think that this toy represents the poverty they live in every single day.

But there is hope for them because Operation Blessing partners gave them two goats. To us, two goats doesn’t seem like much, but for her family it is milk that the children can have on a daily basis.

Even more important than that, the gift of a goat becomes the gift of an education. Their father is able to raise the baby goats and sell them at market, and the money they make through this repeated process allows them to send their children to school.

It is exciting to see that something as simple as a goat can become the gift of an education, and the gift of an education gives them hope for a better future—that they’ll be able to rise out of the poverty that their family has lived in for generations.

Read the rest of my story at the With My Own Eyes blog

Give a gift to support families and help make the future brighter for children like like Hadiara.

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Distributing Mosquito Nets To Help Prevent Malaria In Niger.

Every 30 seconds, a child under the age of five dies from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Learn how something as simple as a bed net can prevent this tragedy.

Imagine that 9 month old Aichatou is your baby daughter. Now imagine that she was just bitten by a mosquito. What would you do? Are you worried? In the comfort of my home in Virginia (where we happen to have a lot mosquitoes), I would put hydrocortisone on the bump and forget about it until it needed more ointment to keep her from itching it. That, however, is not the reality for Aichatou’s mother, Chafa. They live in the small village of Moli, Niger – a country where Malaria is endemic. Her village is blessed to be along a river where they can fish, bathe, wash clothes, have rice fields, and irrigate their gardens. This branch of the river, however, gets cutoff from its main source during the dry season, causing the water to stand stagnate – becoming the perfect breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

While talking to the mother, I learned Chafa had been diagnosed with malaria just over a month ago, was treated at the hospital, and is now taking medication. That led me to realize that Aichatou easily could have been the one to get Malaria. She is usually strapped to her Mother’s back, in her arms, or lying down next to her on their single mattress in a small home that has unscreened windows opened to let in a breeze. Did I mention how hot it is here?

As I held little Aichatou in my arms, I started imagining the fear a single mosquito bite would bring me if I were her parent. My boys get bit by mosquitoes while they sleep all the time and we don’t have to open our windows because we have central A/C in our home. What would I do?

I stated that malaria is endemic in Niger, that knowledge came from the Operation Blessing Niger’s Medical Director, Dr. Idi. He has worked for the World Health Organization, and was the countries Health Inspector before coming to Operation Blessing. Dr. Idi also told me that the people of Niger are becoming resistant to the medications that doctors have used to treat it. For babies, it can be especially hard to treat because mother’s wait too long to bring in their sick child. They assume their baby is only sick and will get better soon. When they do finally go, it is too late and it can turn into cerebral malaria which can cripple or kill the baby. Malaria is curable, but best solution is to find ways to keep from getting it. There are many ways to keep from getting bit by a malaria-carrying mosquito – one simple solution to combat this complex infectious disease is a mosquito net. An that is what we gave to 126 mothers of Children under the age of 3.

It was a privilege to be a part of the mosquito net distribution that Operation Blessing held today in Moli, Niger. I am honored to have the opportunity to personally give one mosquito net to Chafa and Aichatou on your behalf so that they will have a shield of protection from malaria. I am thankful for Operation Blessing donors that give to our “Join The Net” program because they are making a difference in the lives of children like Aichatou.

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Rebuilding A Life After Escaping Sex Slavery

Today I met a woman that I will call Elena to protect her identity. She came to Israel from Eastern Europe more than 10 years ago and was forced into sex slavery. At first she refused and was beaten and stripped of all her earthly possessions. Eventually she made the difficult decision to stop fighting because she feared she would be killed.

As she spoke, I couldn’t help but think about her horrifying scenario—leaving her homeland to enter a foreign country with no friends, unable to speak the language, having everything taken away, and without anyone to turn to. Her identity was stripped from her and Elena became a commodity for people to buy and trade.

After entering the sex slavery industry against her will, Elena was bought and sold by many different men and moved from one place to another. She told us that she was very close to committing suicide until a man claimed to have fallen in love with her. He asked to buy her from her owner but was unable to come up with all the money he needed.

Read the rest of my blog at My Own Eyes.

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Coming Up For A Quick Breath Of Air After Hurricane Irene

Last weekend I had to cancel a work trip to California to shoot Nike endurance runner, Jason Lester. Hurricane Irene came up the Eastern shore and posed a potential threat to my family and community. I packed up my wife and kids and sent them further inland and stayed to help my team from Operation Blessing get the word out about safety preparations and the people who we helped after the storm passed. I’m finally coming up for a quick breath of air after spending the weekend working and already prepping for a trip to Israel next week. Here are a few of the videos we created.
 

 

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Video: Critical Supplies For Nuba Mountain Refugees In South Sudan

A team from Operation Blessing just arrived in South Sudan to bring relief supplies to refugees that have fled the fighting in the Nuba mountains. Watch the video to find out more.

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Video: Extreme Blessing, Joplin: John & Debbie

I’m very honored to have been a part of John & Debbie’s story as a producer and videographer of this story for Operation Blessing.  As I listened to their story and talked to people that had worked with them or been blessed by this family, it was very apparent that they were more than deserving to be blessed.  The Operation Blessing disaster relief team worked for 7 days gutting and rebuilding this home that had been ruined by the tornado that struck Joplin.  On the day of the reveal a large crew of volunteers from Home Depot and Joey Logano and his pit crew came in to help pull it all together for family.  Watch and see how it all came together.

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Buy A Print. Change Lives.

I’m excited to announce that Operation Blessing International is giving away one of my best photos when you give a gift of $25.  It is a limited time offer and only available from the Bless The Children donation page. With your gift, you will receive 3 8×10 prints of Yerramma and Lalitha’s Water Burden.  Keep one for yourself and share the other two with family or friends (or be somewhat selfish and put it in your office).  It can be a conversation starter to let people know that you are passionate about changing lives around the world.

To make a donation to help bless children around the world, visit: www.ob.org/BlessTheChildren

Thank you for helping me make a difference by telling their story.

About the photo:

I met Yerramma and Lalitha in a very remote village in the Khammam District of India.  Operation Blessing International was installing multiple wells in the region and their village of Angargudem happened to be one of them.  Soon after we pulled in, the team was busy inspecting the well site and I happened to wander down a few paths in the village with my translator and saw a group of women gathering their metal buckets to go fetch water.  Several of us from the team wanted to see their current water source and how far the women walked retrieve it.  We walked down narrow paths following the women carrying their empty pots on their heads and children on their hips.  At the end of the path there was a small area where the small stream pooled and the women washed their pots and clothes.  Next to that was a smaller area where they skimmed water for cooking and drinking.  They were very skilled at skimming the dirty water so that it appeared clean – though we know the real problem isn’t visible to our eyes and was actually causing sickness in the village.  After they gathered the water, the heavy pots were stacked on top of their heads and again the children rode back on their hips.  After walking the narrow and winding path back to the village, Yerramma ducked into her house and the small bowl used for skimming the water clanged against the inside of the pot as she struggled to set it on the shelf.  Wearily she looked down as baby Lalitha stared at me and I snapped the picture.

Yerramma knew that the water wasn’t good, but didn’t have any other choices.  She told us that it was very hard for her to carry the heavy pots such a long distance and it gave her pain in her neck and back.  Not only was there the sickness caused by the water, but there were also villagers who lost their lives from snake bites and scorpion stings as they walked the path – something I’m glad I didn’t know before walking the path and standing ankle deep with them in the water.  As we told her about the new well coming close to her home, she was overjoyed.  Three days later, she was there to greet us with a big smile as we dedicated the new well and she filled her first pot of clean water. 

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