Recently I was invited to be the photographer for the 2015 Asha Kiran haemophilia camp, by my client Purple Soup. The camp is held by an organisation that supports individuals and their families living with haemophilia in India and Purple Soup volunteers their services and expertise running the support activities, fun and games.
My time and airfare were willingly volunteered - I mean, given the opportunity, who wouldn't jump at the chance for such an amazing experience? Having worked for charities in the past it was a chance to once again be involved in making a difference to the lives of those living with chronic illness. It also enabled me to hone in on my photography skills in such a colourful environment. What's more, I had desperately wanted to go to India since I was in Year 12, when I read 'A Backward Place' by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. And luck was on my side with school holiday timing and very willing grandparents to look after my 8 year old.
Unfortunately, due to privacy reasons, I can't share the photos of the children on the camp. But I can say that my trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. And Indian people living with Haemophilia face much tougher challenges that their Aussie counterparts - access to treatment (clotting factor concentrates) being almost a luxury. Of course, you can't walk away from an experience like that not feeling blessed in life and grateful for clients like Purple Soup who take me along for the ride...
Camp aside I also spent 6 days in magical Goa. Here's some snaps using my lovely Canon EOS 6D... Oh and that's me at the end doing my best Namaste (how I loathe to have my photo taken...)
