I believe that we all have a responsibility to leave a place in better condition than we found it.
When I began leading tours to the Monument Valley Park in the Navajo Nation I hired a guide by the name of Harry Nez, he works for Dineh Monument Valley Tours. Harry was and is an excellent photographer, however, I soon learned that he shot all of his images in Jpeg and knew nothing about post processing. I encouraged Harry to get a computer so he could capture in camera raw and take advantage of the post processing aspects of photography.
After a few years Harry bought a laptop and we discussed when I would come to train him in post processing. Well one thing lead to another and what started as a private tutorial turned into a community education opportunity. Harry introduced me to the Tsé Bii’ Ndzisgaii Community Center and through this organization I began teaching photography courses to adult Navajos who wanted to learn photography.
I now volunteer teaching photography at two communities on the Navajo Nation; the the Tsé Bii’ Ndzisgaii Community Center at Monument Valley and the Tse’ii’ahi’ Community Center at Standing Rock.
The Navajo Nation has the highest poverty rate of any Native American reservation in the United States, with a median household income of just $25,000 per year. Over 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, while unemployment rates are at 50%. The education system on the reservation also struggles, with a high dropout rate and schools lacking adequate funding. Access to healthcare is limited, with the Navajo Nation having some of the highest rates of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer in the United States. Many people have to travel long distances to get care, and there is a lack of infrastructure such as paved roads and electricity – approximately 45% of Navajo households lack running water, while about 30% do not have electricity.
It is against this backdrop that I set out to teach photography classes. I knew that one of the first challenges was get cameras for the participants. I went to my clients and social media followers. I put out the word that I needed camera equipment. The response has been incredible. Camera systems that are a few years out of date but still perfectly functional began coming in. To date I’ve received and passed along scores of cameras and camera systems. The next challenge was computers and software. The community centers have computers and with a generous donation from Adobe we had the post processing capabilities.
So far I’ve taught several classes including two 10 week courses that resulted in exhibitions at the community centers. What started as an offer to help a friend learn more about photography has turned into a passion to give back to a community that has had so much taken from it. In the process I’ve learned a lot about the Navajo Nation and made several friends. My work has just begun and I plan to continue these courses, offering tutorials on subjects like; photography for small businesses, photographing high school senior portraits, photographing family and familiar people, photography for social media, and basic photographic skills.
If you are interested in supporting my work on the Navajo Nation send me an email at john@coldsnapphotography.com. This project would not be possible without the generous support of many people. Thank you.