Stephen Alvarez

Stephen Alvarez is a photographer who has mainly worked for national geographic, which has provided him the opportunity to travel all over the world. He graduated from my high school and came to speak there a few years back. We had a couple of his photographs hanging in our chapel. These two photos were the first things that popped into my head when I read Barthes's piece, Camera Lucida. These pictures were taken in Uganda. Maybe its because I saw them everyday for four years, or maybe its because they are just two amazing photographs, but something about them really sticks with me. 

You can almost see hope in the picture of the man and the gun. Why? well I'm not sure. I would think that there would be fear. But the woman holding her child seems glad to see this man. He brings relief. In the second picture, there is a boy running in front of what seems to be a church. The church looks abandoned, but maybe its not. Something about both of these two pictures together really leaves a lasting impression of life in Uganda. I use to love to sit and stare and these two photographs, which is what I did most of the time during chapel services. When I gave tours of our school, these were one of my favorite things to point out. Even though they seemed out of place in a chapel, I liked them there. Why do chapels always have to be perfect and filled with pictures of Jesus? Why not filled with pictures that give you hope about the world right now? I just have to say great work Stephen Alvarez. Go to his website to see more of his work.