The civil war in Sierra Leone ruined many things - infrastructure, education, and the very fabric of society. Most elderly people in Africa live in their communities, but in Sierra Leone so many young people died and so many communities were destroyed that what started as a poor house in eastern Freetown has evolved to become the King George Home for the Aged. The home itself was a former British military hospital. An assortment of fifty or so seniors live at the group facility, run on a shoe string budget made up of government funding and donations. The stories of how the residents ended up at the King George Home tell as much about war and a society destroyed as they do about lives lived. Even though they live as a group, because most people at the King George Home don’t have a family and aren’t in their own communities, many feel alone. Others find companionship at King George.

See more photos on glennagordon.com and stay tuned here for out takes I’ll post next week.

Saturday, August 7

10 am – 6 pm

Even in a place as photographable as Liberia, taking a good photo is much more than just pressing a button on your camera or knowing a bit about exposures.

I’m a professional award-winning photographer with four years of experience in Africa. I’ve been based in Liberia since January 2009, taking photos here and elsewhere that have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, BBC, Foreign Policy, Newsweek, Christian Science Monitor, and other places. I also have extensive experience teaching and training photography. For more about my work or background, see my website www.glennagordon.com or my blog www.scarlettlion.com.

I’m offering a one-day workshop where I’ll teach you several tricks of the trade – and mainly how to be comfortable and confident using your camera in interactions on the street and in the field.

The workshop is perfect for anyone who’d like to take better photos, whether you’re an aspiring photographer, an enthusiastic recreational snapper, or you’re just looking for something fun to do next Saturday. It doesn’t matter if you have a point and shoot or an SLR – this class will focus on using the camera you have to the fullest.

We will cover:

-Camera operations and familiarity — how to be comfortable with your equipment
-What makes a “good” photo
-How to engage with people to take better photos
-Take photos that tell stories and show place
-Composition and technique

The workshop will include interactive sessions, hands on learning when we leave the classroom and head outdoors to snap photos, image reviews, and discussions. Because there’s a lot of material to cover, I’m limiting the number of participants to 12 people so that everyone gets the most out of the workshop. The cost is $75 per participant. I’ll need a deposit of $25 by Monday, August 2.

If you have any questions or want to register for the course, drop me a line at glenna@scarlettlion.com.

The road from Monrovia to Freetown takes anywhere from 10 to 16 hours. My journey there took 16 hours, making the return 12 hour trip seem like a breeze. But when you get to the beaches on the Freetown Peninsula, it all seems worth it.

I just spent almost two weeks in Sierra Leone, which almost feels like a middle income country compared to Liberia.  More to come soon, but wanted to post this one now as I trudge through and edit hundreds and hundreds of photo files.

July 26 is Liberia’s “independence” day.* It’s a day that’s as much about independence as America’s Thanksgiving is about thankfulness, which is fitting because it’s the freed American slaves referred to as “Americos” who declared Liberia a republic. In the most straightforward sense, this involved  an end to the formal relationship with the American Colonization Society, a hybrid company/colonizer/philanthropic effort that shipped the future fathers of Liberia off to this swampy malarial region. The other thing that happened on July 26, 1847 is that the Americos installed themselves as the oligarchical elite that ruled over indigenous Liberias. They never had to make a formal announcement about this – it’s something that’s been announced informally every single day since then.

On July 26, everyone in Liberia spends the day demanding money. “Where’s my 26?” I was asked, umpteen times. Even today, July 27, people continue to ask, “Where’s my 26?”

There are so many other questions implicit on these kinds of days that I wish more Liberians were asking.

*Despite mainstream media reports that declare otherwise, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is an Americo and also is a continuation of the exact same ruling class that has dominated Liberia since the first July 26.

From Harper.

Life Without Lights from Peter DiCampo on Vimeo.

Peter DiCampo, previously based in Ghana but now heading all over the place, made this great multimedia piece about what happens after the lights go out. Make sure you check out Pete’s other work too here. He was also featured on the Lens blog a bit ago and is now on twitter — @peterdicampo.

Happy belated birthday Nelson Mandela! In honor of your 92nd birthday, here’s Tracy Morgan trying out to play you in the movie Invictus. Given the strength of this audition tape, I’m not quite sure why the producers went with Morgan Freeman, but I’m sure that whatever their reasons were, they were good reasons. HT to brother-blogger Grant over at Mo’dernity, Mo’problems.

Thanks to all for the amazing responses on my photos of my grandmother. I almost never post personal pictures, and these ones are especially poignant for me, so it’s nice to get such a warm reception. Here’s one more.