At least 1 billion people have a vision impairment that could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed.
In 2016 I was asked to do some portraits for an NGO called Seeing is Believing.
Two American brothers volunteering for this NGO were in Phnom Penh at the time and managed to find me online. Below are some photos from this series Seeing is Believing.
We worked for a day in a school in the suburbs of Phnom Penh. I decided to make it into an improvised photo studio, so that the focus would be on the expression of the person being portrayed.
With a full frame camera (Nikon) and a 50mm lens set to an open aperture of F2.8 I got soft and a bit classical looking fantastic portraits.
These people and children were not really poor, more lower middle class. With my daily photo tours I came to see and meet people in the slums who really have it much, much worse. The choice of an NGO is based on facts and figures, where as a photographer I have no insight or a say in those considerations. As a photographer I am just lucky to be able to help were I can with my camera. The result of this campaign is amazing!
I care for Cambodia.
In my next upcoming blog I will show my own NGO actions for a young boy in the slums with eye problems. These people are so poor that they are overlooked by mainstream NGOs. The Cambodia’s untouchables.
At just over 3,000 pairs of glasses, we need your help to accomplish this goal. Every donation makes a significant impact on this campaign and the lives of those who will benefit. A $5 donation will provide a child in need with glasses, your contribution will help change lives.
The result so far has been
64,700
EYE SCREENINGS
30,526
EYEGLASSES PROVIDED
All images by Michael Klinkhamer Photography © 2016-2021.