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GUESS WHAT?! I'm going back to Ethoipia for 2 months, and I leave in one day!

Last year Jan - March 2009 I went to Ethiopia as a student and started multiple long term projects. Now, seeing the fruit of these projects and also more of a need to help, I have chosen to go back to Ethiopia for 2 more months to build on top of what I started last year. This time I will be taking a team with me and I will be co-leading this outreach.

I wanted to show you this portrait, and ONLY this portrait of my Ethiopia outreach last year.

If you were at my art show on Oct 30th 2009 in Wichita, KS, you would've seen about 30 portraits of the Karo Tribe in Ethiopia, the street people and also other groups of people in Kenya.

These photos are being saved specifically for my website. I will release them online once (and if ever) I have a presentable and honorable website to show these beautiful people.

I decided to show you this beautiful man, knowing I will not upload for another 2 months.

This is an Ethiopia Monk from Addis Ababa the capital. One day, my outreach leader, 4 other students and I decided to go to the top of the mountains in Addis Ababa to a monastry to be with the monks and take their portraits. I do not know the name of this gentleman, but I remember he was so willing for his photo to be taken.

My favorite aspect about this portrait is the wrinkles under his eyes, the pattern of his skin, and also the white hair around surrounding his lips and his chin.

This is what I love about Ethiopians, when you shine a light reflector to their face, their skin totally pops with the harsh lighting. And here, with the use of Kodak TMAX 400, the sharpness of this face is brilliant.

I am so excited to capture more portraits just like this in Ethiopia. I already have a collection of about 50-60 solid portraits I'm waiting to release online, but now I'm ready to build up my portfolio once more by going back to a different region on Ethiopia and capturing more faces, but more importantly, their stories and lives through photos.

See you soon Flickr friends,

www.vanillagorilla.tumblr.com

- Taylor

Sam and I have been friends ever since Nov 2009. As I came back to Herrnhut from my 2 month visit from the States, him and I hit it off right away. Right when I saw his white eyebrow for the first time, I told him "I NEED to get a photo of you!" So intriguing! I've never seen a person with this before. He is right now going through his DTS in Herrnhut. I have had the privilege of discipling him while he is in his DTS and not only being a friend, but a brother. I'm stoked to see how he is going to do on outreach and see him again in March when he returns. Sam has such a beautiful heart. A heart that wants to give, love, serve, bless and change. In seeing these qualities in him right away, my heart resounded in the same desires as well. As iron sharpens iron, so does a brother to a brother.

Claire right now is attending the current Fine Art DTS in Herrnhut, Germany. I met her for the month I came back in Nov and it was such a privilege to get to know her more. Her art is astounding. Created with such passion, beauty and compassion all in the strokes of her pencil, brush or fingers. I told her I needed a photo of her before I left for the States again, so I was finally able to go in the STUDIO and take photos. I have NEVER used a studio before, and never really want to. But I dared myself to step out and do something different. This is probably my best shot of the set. I absolutely love the harsh lighting that was set to the left of her face. Our friend, Joel from England, was in the background telling AMAZING stories about his roommate finding dead pigeons on his floor as he woke up or falling off the bed from earthquakes in the night. It totally kept her and I relaxed and was able to have so much fun together as a team. This is why I love photography : it brings friends together to see a side of them that you wouldn't usually see on a daily basis. It always ends up in a unsuspected beautiful process. Thank you Jesus!

Sam and I have been friends ever since Nov 2009. As I came back to Herrnhut from my 2 month visit from the States, him and I hit it off right away. Right when I saw his white eyebrow for the first time, I told him "I NEED to get a photo of you!" So intriguing! I've never seen a person with this before. He is right now going through his DTS in Herrnhut. I have had the privilege of discipling him while he is in his DTS and not only being a friend, but a brother. I'm stoked to see how he is going to do on outreach and see him again in March when he returns. Sam has such a beautiful heart. A heart that wants to give, love, serve, bless and change. In seeing these qualities in him right away, my heart resounded in the same desires as well. As iron sharpens iron, so does a brother to a brother.