What an amazing week! This group of photographers is the best! I am having so much fun sharing with them in class and shooting with them on the beach! Here's a couple shots from today. Tomorrow, we're on a field trip to Hollywood with the models for another fun day of shooting! I'll post again when I can with more images. The images in this post were taken by the wonderful Kristin Shaparenko! Thanks Kristin! Also a BIG thanks to our models Sarah, Aaron, and Jasmine! I'll be posting shots of you guys very soon! And thank you Living Cinema for the awesome job of filming you are doing for the upcoming DVD!

Thanks to Garrett Nudd for the cool shots he took of me above! I will put them to good use :) And below are some great shots of our models from Nathan Holritz. There is so much amazing talent in this group. I can't wait to post more images from the others too!

The kids in Brazil are so adorable. We brought candy necklaces for them and it was so cute because they didn't know whether to eat them or keep them as jewelry.

If you would like to view more images from my trip to Brazil, I set up a portfolio piece on my website named "Amazon Thirst Project" with more images. I will be adding a few more to it soon.

I'm so excited because my Newport Beach 4-day intensive starts on Monday! I'll be spending the week with 20 awesome photographers coming from 14 different states! There will be 8 girls, 12 guys, 1 vegetarian, 19 meat eaters, 1 video team, 2 assistants, and one very enthusiastic instructor :)

Here's a shot of the guys transporting a filter to a family in need. With the clean water in place, I was actually quite jealous of their beach front property. What a beautiful place!

I'm back from Brazil! Wow, What an amazing experience! I'm a changed person in so many ways. I've always known that we live in a bubble here in the OC but I had no idea. After visiting so many families on the Xingu River and seeing how little they get by with, I have a new appreciation for the things I took for granted each day including clean water. I can't believe that so many people are dying every day (about 6,000 people every day) from waterborne diseases and the solution is so simple. It's ridiculous and it's unacceptable! Did you know that it costs roughly $50 to manufacture, transport, and install a filter that can solve this problem for an entire household? If you'd like to help you should contact Thirst Relief International. 100% of all donations go directly to the manufacturing and delivery of these water filters to families who can't afford or have no access to clean water.

Here is a young Brazilian boy who lives in a handmade hut on the Xingu River. We delivered a filter to his family and I remember there was a baby there with a severe case of diarrhea which comes from bacteria in the water they drink and is a primary cause of dehydration and death. I remember thinking that we were too late, but Doctor Tim (who was traveling with us) assured me that the child would be ok. What's interesting is that a lot of these people think that they are getting sick because "the gods" are angry with them. They don't know that the water is causing most of the illness and when Richie explains it to them it takes a lot for them to accept it. Thankfully, most of them are very open-minded and welcome the filters.

We were quite a spectacle pulling up in our fancy boat and pointing large cameras at them. I wonder if they even know the difference between a Nikon and a Canon. I tried to explain, but had no better luck than I do here in the U.S.A. :)

Just got back in to Altamira. Wow! What an experience! I must have taken 10,000 photographs. I'm going to wait until I get home to post the images because the connection here is pretty slow. Here's an image Jim took of me with some Brazilian kids. They love to chimp too! We have one day here in Altamira then its off for the long trip home. I hope I find my luggage somewhere along the way :) I love you Julie. Can't wait to see you and puppy (Aidan) soon!

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It's been a looong couple days of flying! OC to LA to DC to Sao Paulo to Brasilia to Belem to Santarem and finally to Altamira. 7 flights, 3 layovers, a lot of running through airports, not a lot of sleeping, 2 missing suitcases, and we made it! Tonight we're sleeping in the Xingu Mission guest house which is actually quite modern with showers, internet, and really nice people that fed us delicious Brazilian pizza. In the morning, it's off to buy some supplies and clothes (since United left our suitcases somewhere between LA and Soa Paulo). We leave immediately after shopping for a 10 hour boat ride up the Amazon river. We'll be staying the night on the boat in Porto de Moz then we'll head across the Xingu River to the Aqui qui river which we'll be on for two hours to the Jaraucu for another 8 hours to the river Una. We'll sleep in the boat on the Una and visit several villages in that region installing water filters the next day. We'll be fishing for our food each night and taking our baths in the river hoping to avoid the piranhas. They say that they won't attack as long as you're not bleeding anywhere :) Keep us in prayer! I'll post again when I get back to Altamira if the internet is up! God bless and someone go eat some In-n-Out Burger for me!

What a crazy week it's been! Whenever I have to leave town for more than a couple days, I find myself working ridiculously long hours trying to get loose ends tied up before my trip. This time it was even worse because I'm headed to the Brazilian Amazon where I will have no access to email or phone for about 10 days. I'll be there documenting the need for clean water in remote villages for Thirst Relief International. This is a project that has grown extremely close to my heart and I will be presenting some of my images at WPPI in hopes to rally support from photographers for Thirst.
Please keep us in your prayers over the next several days for a safe trip and safe return. We will be out in the middle of nowhere with limited supplies sleeping most nights on a small boat in the Amazon river while traveling into the villages during the days to install water filters. Please pray that God gives our group favor with the people and uses us to do His work there. Have a wonderful week and remember to appreciate the small things we take for granted each day like clean water and soft beds!