Changing Spots - BALI
A$2,160
of $2,000 targetyrs ago
Successful on 20th Nov 2013 at 12:00PM.
Over time, my passion for photography has evolved into a deep appreciation of the world that we live in. When you have looked through a viewfinder onto the outside world enough times, you find yourself mesmerised by the way light falls onto an object, or a fleeting moment where all the elements have lined up to create an instant of awe-inspiring magic. What happens after that is, you begin to see these moments in life all the time, even without your camera in hand.
Dorethea Lange, an influential documentary photographer from the great depression era, once said "The camera is an instrument that teaches people to see without a camera" and I believe she sums up what I have experienced practicing the art of photography.
Being a portrait photographer, this appreciation of the world has naturally led to an admiration of people. I have always had a love for our natural world, and photography has led me to meet some incredibly inspiring people who have dedicated their lives to protecting our earth and particularly species which need our help the most. These change makers of the world are a rare breed and will do whatever it takes to protect the things worth saving, even in the face of extreme adversity.
The reality is, we can’t all dedicate our lives to important causes such as these. Without these incredible people, many treasures of our planet we now take for granted will disappear. We are at a critical moment in history in which diverse ecosystems and the balance of each living creature within them can only survive with our protection. It is my personal mission to highlight their stories and expose them to the world in a unique way, to create communities of support collaborating for a brighter, sustainable future.
"Changing Spots" is an ongoing photographic series sharing the incredible stories of individuals and organisations who are protecting our miraculous planet and all it's living creatures (that means you too!)
The purpose of this series is to recognise and reflect their efforts in a beautiful way, to inspire and communicate the same admiration I have experienced when discovering their own personal story. An artistic context naturally provides a thought provoking experience, a space where others can appreciate the real faces behind conservation work in an inspiring way.
We are often bombarded on social media with causes relating to our environment, and whilst extremely effective for sparking powerful and immediate action, this is not my sole intention for this project.
I envision the photographs featured in Changing Spots to be lasting works; artistic captures of real people as a celebration of who they truly are and the impact they have created in their lifetime.
I have made the move from the very big island of Australia, to the very small island of Bali, and decided to dedicate my life to photographic projects which raise awareness for conservation.
My dream is to document the critical areas in need of support, including Sumatra and Borneo (not far from me here in Bali) and many countries across Africa - all places where people risk their lives every single day to protect species and environments most at risk. It's my mission to highlight these individuals and expose them to the world in a unique way.
By making a pledge to Changing Spots you are also giving a voice to these animals and our only home, our beautiful blue planet, not to mention showing your support for these amazing individuals and organisations I will be working with.
Changing Spots will be an on-going series and with your support, featuring the unique stories from each environment I work in. If you would like to nominate an individual or organisation to be featured I would love to hear about it. Please email [email protected].
If you're like me and truly value these people and the amazing work they do please support Changing Spots so I can share this journey with you.
T H A N K - Y O U !
T E R I M A - K A S I H !
<3
The Dogs of Bali
In May this year I had the opportunity to spend four weeks in Bali, Indonesia, and never imagined I would connect to this unique spiritual island in the way that I did.
I am an avid animal lover, and like many tourists visiting the island couldn’t help but notice the countless stray dogs wandering the busy streets in horrible conditions. Starving bodies, itching skin and sad eyes full of fear and hopelessness are traits all too common to the Balinese dog.
Over the four weeks living in a very local area of Gianyar, close to Ubud, I noticed myself becoming somewhat desensitised to the state of the dogs. I rationalised that clearly The Dogs of Bali are different to our domestic dogs in Australia, wilder pack animals that are rarely tamed. This all changed when I met with Janice Girardi, the founder of BAWA (The Bali Animal Welfare Association).
As a photographer, I capture images to explore and understand my relationship with the world around me. I began on foot exploring new areas and documenting the dogs and their environments and soon realised I needed to learn more about a situation that is clearly a prominent experience of the Balinese culture.
I befriended a talented journalist named Marina Pliatsikas and together we scheduled an interview with Janice, during our final week in Bali. We were waiting in the front office not quite sure what to expect, and I will never forget the surprise when a beautiful white 4 month old puppy ran into the room, demanding love and kisses just like a dog back home. It was the first time I had actually seen a dog give affection during my stay, something I thought was simply not a trait of the Bali Dog.
The two and a half hour conversation that followed with emotional activist, Janice Girardi, I will never forget. It was not nearly enough time for her to share everything she truly wanted us to learn about the story of the dogs and the many layers of challenges they currently face, including issues surrounding rabies, the dog meat trade, planned fights, introduced breeds, and cultural beliefs including animal sacrifice, abuse, and teachings that greatly degrade the value of dogs as a living creature.
Organisations like BAWA are in critical need of assistance to improve the welfare of these animals, however, with approximately 350,000 dogs on the island, BAWA and other groups can only do so much with the small amount of resources and support available. Emergency situations and welfare issues are the main priority, and while many education programs are being implemented it becomes extremely difficult to focus on the big picture when there are so many significant hardships to endure on the ground level.
For example, in only the last few years scientists have just discovered how valuable The Dogs of Bali truly are, with genetic research that proves the Balinese street dog and the Highland Kintamani have been living on the island virtually unaltered for at least five thousand years! Our ‘breed’ dogs, by comparison, are only a couple of centuries old. This ancestry traces a lineage ancient as wolves. As more introduced breeds are allowed to be brought onto the island, this truly unique genetic pool is fading, not to mention the cruelty of puppy mills created for sale of ‘breed’ dogs.
I am an avid animal lover, and like many tourists visiting the island couldn’t help but notice the countless stray dogs wandering the busy streets in horrible conditions. Starving bodies, itching skin and sad eyes full of fear and hopelessness are traits all too common to the Balinese dog.
Over the four weeks living in a very local area of Gianyar, close to Ubud, I noticed myself becoming somewhat desensitised to the state of the dogs. I rationalised that clearly The Dogs of Bali are different to our domestic dogs in Australia, wilder pack animals that are rarely tamed. This all changed when I met with Janice Girardi, the founder of BAWA (The Bali Animal Welfare Association).
As a photographer, I capture images to explore and understand my relationship with the world around me. I began on foot exploring new areas and documenting the dogs and their environments and soon realised I needed to learn more about a situation that is clearly a prominent experience of the Balinese culture.
I befriended a talented journalist named Marina Pliatsikas and together we scheduled an interview with Janice, during our final week in Bali. We were waiting in the front office not quite sure what to expect, and I will never forget the surprise when a beautiful white 4 month old puppy ran into the room, demanding love and kisses just like a dog back home. It was the first time I had actually seen a dog give affection during my stay, something I thought was simply not a trait of the Bali Dog.
The two and a half hour conversation that followed with emotional activist, Janice Girardi, I will never forget. It was not nearly enough time for her to share everything she truly wanted us to learn about the story of the dogs and the many layers of challenges they currently face, including issues surrounding rabies, the dog meat trade, planned fights, introduced breeds, and cultural beliefs including animal sacrifice, abuse, and teachings that greatly degrade the value of dogs as a living creature.
Organisations like BAWA are in critical need of assistance to improve the welfare of these animals, however, with approximately 350,000 dogs on the island, BAWA and other groups can only do so much with the small amount of resources and support available. Emergency situations and welfare issues are the main priority, and while many education programs are being implemented it becomes extremely difficult to focus on the big picture when there are so many significant hardships to endure on the ground level.
For example, in only the last few years scientists have just discovered how valuable The Dogs of Bali truly are, with genetic research that proves the Balinese street dog and the Highland Kintamani have been living on the island virtually unaltered for at least five thousand years! Our ‘breed’ dogs, by comparison, are only a couple of centuries old. This ancestry traces a lineage ancient as wolves. As more introduced breeds are allowed to be brought onto the island, this truly unique genetic pool is fading, not to mention the cruelty of puppy mills created for sale of ‘breed’ dogs.
This experience has made me realise how important it is to educate not only the local culture, but also the many foreigners that visit Bali. I believe education and collaboration are the most powerful tools to create a sustainable change for the future. Raising awareness automatically paves a brighter future in which both humans and dogs benefit, the greater the level of understanding for this situation, the more people will be willing to work together and support the plight of these unique canines. In turn, this project will create an even more beautiful Bali for everyone to experience.
Photography is a universal language, and therefore can deliver a powerful message in an instant. With your help, stories featuring The Dogs of Bali and Janice Girardi will be one of the first projects I will be working on in Bali.
The Challenges
I am 100% committed to this project as it is not just a concept, it is what I plan to capture and share with the world. Content and updates will be released every week along the way, but the first finalised series of finished works from Bali will be completed by March 2013 and launched during this time. I research and network for Changing Spots every day and the project has great potential to evolve into an exhibition and more.
Living in a foreign culture isn't always easy but change and new experiences are driving factors that fuel inspiration. Obstacles for capturing the stories can involve variables such as:
- Working around other people's schedules (activists and visionaries are some of the busiest people you will ever meet, and in rare cases the only chance to meet with them is being at the right place at the right time!)
- Release forms (their willingness to sign a release which allows their images to be shared across different platforms - online/print etc)
- Weather. Bali is about to enter the wet season (Nov-Apr) which means lots of rain, and very humid conditions. This can have an impact on travel and equipment at times.
- Logistics. Being in a developing country like Bali there can always be set-backs; access to quality materials and services, religious holidays and ceremonies restricting access, theft and corruption.
My plan for overcoming these obstacles involves:
- Persistence. I have already been in contact and met with a few key subjects and I have always found with creative work (or any work for that matter) that in difficult situations success is always achieved when keeping the vision in mind and to just keep moving forward.
- The great thing about being in Bali is there are many inspiring stories I wish to cover and share with you, so any set-backs can always be rescheduled and there is always other work that can be organised for efficient use of time and resources
- Collaborating with like-minded people and working on projects that benefit everyone involved. Passionate people standing up for what they believe in are the first to welcome support and any initiative to help their causes. By thinking of creative ways to make something really special, more people will get involved and together we can generate an even bigger impact.
- Although the wet season isn't often comfortable, it makes for great moody photographs.
Living in a foreign culture isn't always easy but change and new experiences are driving factors that fuel inspiration. Obstacles for capturing the stories can involve variables such as:
- Working around other people's schedules (activists and visionaries are some of the busiest people you will ever meet, and in rare cases the only chance to meet with them is being at the right place at the right time!)
- Release forms (their willingness to sign a release which allows their images to be shared across different platforms - online/print etc)
- Weather. Bali is about to enter the wet season (Nov-Apr) which means lots of rain, and very humid conditions. This can have an impact on travel and equipment at times.
- Logistics. Being in a developing country like Bali there can always be set-backs; access to quality materials and services, religious holidays and ceremonies restricting access, theft and corruption.
My plan for overcoming these obstacles involves:
- Persistence. I have already been in contact and met with a few key subjects and I have always found with creative work (or any work for that matter) that in difficult situations success is always achieved when keeping the vision in mind and to just keep moving forward.
- The great thing about being in Bali is there are many inspiring stories I wish to cover and share with you, so any set-backs can always be rescheduled and there is always other work that can be organised for efficient use of time and resources
- Collaborating with like-minded people and working on projects that benefit everyone involved. Passionate people standing up for what they believe in are the first to welcome support and any initiative to help their causes. By thinking of creative ways to make something really special, more people will get involved and together we can generate an even bigger impact.
- Although the wet season isn't often comfortable, it makes for great moody photographs.
Good karma comes back around, thank-you!
2 chosen / 98 available
Est. delivery is Nov 13
Thank you for your support! You will receive the above and also: + A photographic e-card emailed to you which you can share on social media to show your support
3 chosen / 97 available
Est. delivery is Nov 13
Thank-you so much! You will receive the above and also: + Your name personally featured in a "thank-you" Changing Spots photograph for you to share on social media + A shout-out on the Changing Spots Facebook page
6 chosen / 94 available
Est. delivery is Jan 14
Terima Kasih! (Thank-you in Indonesian). Thank you for helping to share these stories with the world. You will receive all the above and also: + An original 8 x 12 print posted to you
11 chosen / 9 available
Est. delivery is Feb 14
Suksuma! (Thank you in Balinese) Your support really makes all the difference. You will receive the above and also: + Your name on the Changing Spots website + A personalized postcard from Bali (with love)
7 chosen / 8 available
Est. delivery is Feb 14
You're amazing. Your support means the world. A very heartfelt thank you <3 You will receive the above and also: + an original 8 x 12 print mailed to you and signed by Emma Caldwell + a Skype call to thank you face-to-face with all the updates from Bali!
0 chosen / 10 available
Est. delivery is Feb 14