Indonesia - Bhinneka Tunggal Ika

After spending several summers on one of the many Indonesian Islands, I built strong relationships with the local people from the small villages. I was charmed by the casual and comfortable way the people carried themselves and how they allowed me, a stranger to their culture, into their lives with my camera. Whether it was a boy returning home from school, a mother feeding her child or a man tending the rice fields, they all willingly and openly shared their lives for a brief second of the camera’s shutter. The inputs for traveling to a poverty-ridden country came out of an experience I had on a previous photographic project, “Lake Okeechobee”. This small Florida town was hit hard after the recession of 2007 and I wondered how the term “poor” in Florida related to the term “poor” in other countries. Not surprisingly, the Indonesians in this small village had nothing by way of materialistic possessions. Governed by a sense of a purpose, the cultural significance of family, health, and their relationship to God, they felt grounded and content; happy with what they had instead of what they did not have. It has been my privilege to share this time with the Indonesian people, for the generosity and hospitality they have shown me. It is my goal to create a work of portraits that depict the daily life of a village on a small island far from home.