Salaam Garage

Beth Kanter is a tough act to follow. After presenting her fundraising strategy to Gnomedex attendees, she gave her call-to-action to send a Cambodian orphan to college and raised a ton of money. But Canadian photographer Amanda Koster did a great job of keeping attendees inspired and interested.

THE ETHICS OF FRAMING
Amanda Koster began her travel photography career doing a series of what she describes as "drive by shootings". She'd take photos of strangers in developing countries never really knowing her subjects' stories. Then one day, she felt uncomfortable. After a woman requested rupees in exchange for having her photo taken, Koster felt so uncomfortable that she made a life altering decision - she re-examined what it means to be an artist.

Salaam Garage is an organization of individuals who travel to third world countries on behalf of cause-related NGOs. Koster brings 5 other amateur photographers and videographers to chronicle their journey and tell the story of aid and development work. There is a human being behind every photograph, and there is a story behind every human being. From organizations in the favelas of Rio to the rice fields of Vietnam, Salaam Garage is helping NGOs raise money and awareness. And on a larger level, Salaam Garage is raising consciousness amongst bloggers, amateur photographers and technologists.

Koster's call-to-action to Gnomedex attendees was this: All of us in this room full of laptops, iPhones and professional digital cameras have the ability to change the world. We know how to get independent distribution and to produce independent content.

Suddenly meta-life is less about personal brand and more about progressive action. After all, what's the point in promoting the things you do, if you aren't proud of the life you're living? To become a Salaam Garage photographer visit www.salaamgarage.com.

( Add your comments )

Recent Entries:
· The New Hotness: Chrome, Celebrity & Seed
· Salaam Garage
· Gnomedex: PR & The Blogosphere

[ READER COMMENTS ]

(Note: separate multiple email addresses with commas)

Salaam Garage

Add your comments...

We kindly ask that you keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Abusive or inappropriate comments or comments that are specifically promotional in nature may be removed.