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GIVE: Hope For the Children of Haiti

A of couple years ago around this time, I was thinking and dreaming, and making plans for my business.  I went through an extensive branding project, which is how I ended up with the Krista Photography you see today.  Part of that process led me to make a pretty significant change in how I price my packages.  I call it GIVE.  I believe it’s my responsibility and privilege to give back from the abundance which I’ve been given.  Not that I’m some extravagant lifestyle, but compared to rest of the world, I live in absolute luxury.  Part of how I have tried to give back as a photographer over the last few years is through documentary missions photography.  I’ve been able to help some wonderful non-profit organizations tell their story by providing images of the work they’re doing throughout the world.  I am passionate about this kind of work, would love to do more!  But I wanted my wedding photography to GIVE back as well.  So, I began a program to GIVE 10% of every wedding package to charity.  My couples can choose from a number of great organizations that I’m passionate about and it’s been a blessing to me to see how much we’ve been able to GIVE back together.

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

This week, one of the organizations dear to my heart has been especially on my mind and in my prayers.  In June of 2008, I was commissioned by Hope For The Children Of Haiti to document their work in Port-au-Prince.  It was a wonderful experience and am I’m so glad that they have been able to use my images to tell their story.  While perusing Facebook the other day, I discovered that a massive and deadly earthquake had hit Port-au-Prince.  As the hours passed, friends more intimately connected to the organization began posting news.  Almost everyone from the organization is alive and accounted for, praise God, but their home and school have been destroyed.  They are sleeping outside on a basketball court.  And I can’t even begin to imagine how much death and destruction is all around them.

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

If you’ve seen the photographs coming out of Haiti, you may have some idea of the enormity of the damage.  We can almost imagine it because here in the States, we saw Hurricane Katrina’s destruction.  But we’re not talking about the wealthiest nation on Earth – we’re talking about one of the poorest.  We’re talking about a country that has been devastated by hurricanes, mud slides, poverty, and cruel dictatorship… and now this.

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

This image is from my trip in June 2008, after a rain shower.

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

Imagine all of these homes, flattened.  What are these people going to do now?  In a country where you don’t always have power, sanitation is questionable, and infrastructure lacking – how are they going to rebuild?

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

Image taken the morning after the earthquake, from The Big Picture

Even the President of Haiti is without a home…

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

Image taken from The Big Picture.  I just keep imagining what it would do to our morale in a time like this, if the White House was damaged so badly.

Please pray for this city, and for these people.  Pray for the 50,000+ who have died.  Pray for the tens of thousands left at risk for death by disease and starvation.  Pray for the hundreds of thousands left homeless.  Pray for the children left orphaned, and the parents left childless.  Pray for HFCH as they care for their children, and as more children will surely come.

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

This was the boys’ home

Hope For The Children Of Haiti

If you would like to do something to help, please consider giving to Hope for the Children of Haiti.  HFCH has set a goal to raise $250,000 to provide for the immediate needs of the children in their care, to rebuild their homes and school, and to minister to those who are suffering in their community.   With your help, they’ll be able to reach that goal.  As for the GIVE program – all weddings booked within the next 30 days will have only one option for their 10% donation… It will be going to Haiti.

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 8 Comments

Haiti

Ok, this is my last post on Haiti, and then I’ll have it all out of my system. Well, I may never really have Haiti out of my system, but at least I’ll stop blogging about it every day :) I just wanted to share with you some of my images from the rest of Haiti – outside the pension. The parts of Haiti that aren’t supported by foreign donations…

As I mentioned a couple posts ago, HFC is situated in a rough neighborhood – Bolosse. The school and the pension are closed off from the neighborhood with guarded gates.


Even the kids who live directly next door, only get to peer in from over the barbed wire. This kid’s house is actually above the fence, and I often found him looking over the wall watching the children playing. It made me sad. He can see these kids having fun, eating food, going to school – and he is kept at a distance. Maybe his family can’t afford to send him to the school? Who knows? But I wonder what goes on in this kid’s heart. Is he jealous? bitter? angry? Does he even care? Only God knows… but I know he watches these kids, a lot…


A few more scenes of the neighborhood, taken from inside the walls of the pension.



oh, I love how she’s standing. her stance is so full of attitude.


this. is. haiti.


We wanted to go for a walk around the neighborhood to get a better picture of what it’s like, but we had to wait until one of the men from the pension could escort us. (there’s a very real danger of kidnapping in Haiti). So, we walked up this hill, and at the top was a garbage dump, of sorts. It was also a soccer field where the local kids play… The garbage is everywhere though. Everywhere.

This kid was playing up there, riding his bike around the dump. And he did NOT like me taking his picture…


We also got to tour one of the high-schools nearby. The school is on the property of a seminary that is loosely affiliated with the pension. This was one of the few places we could walk freely. It was a beautiful campus.


We found some boys in an empty classroom singing and playing instruments. They were happy to let us sit down and listen as they rehearsed for graduation. They were such sweet guys and they drilled us with questions about the US, and how it might be possible for them to get there. For each of them, and for many people in Haiti, the dream is to get to America. That’s the only way they can see their life improving.



This school is also where the kids go for Sunday School before church. There are a bunch of other kids there, and a ton of people at the main church as well. It was cool going to church with them, but I did almost fall asleep ;) When you can’t understand creole, it’s a lot harder to pay attention! So, to stay awake, I took pictures of the cute kids…




But, there’s more to Port-au-Prince than just Bolosse! Here are a few shots from our travels around the city…

The President’s house. It was kind of crazy to see this in the middle of everything else…


local markets line many of the streets


And as I said, there’s garbage everywhere. One of the big problems with this is that when it rains areas can flood because drains are filled with garbage. But one of the reasons flooding in Haiti can be so horrible is because there isn’t good infrastructure to allow for drainage. There is just water everywhere, rushing in torrents down the street, and just everywhere. You can easily see why hurricanes that hit Haiti can be so devastating.


Yeah, this is a street we’re trying to drive on. It gives new meaning to the idea of a traffic jam.


And the lovely tap-taps. The tap-taps are like a cross between a taxi and a bus – but the guys who drive them go all-out to make them unique. Each one seems to have a different theme, and often the music blaring out of them will go along with the theme. It was totally entertaining, but I never did get to ride in one…


A view of Port-au-Prince from the hilltop in Bolosse. You can see the President’s mansion, and the football stadium, and the giant section of blue-ish concrete near the bottom is the cemetery – it’s enormous.


This kid approached our car as we were stopped at the light and asked us for money. This kills me when I’m traveling because I know I can’t give it to them without the car being mobbed, and so I can’t give it to them at all. I apologized, but he was a little annoyed with me…


And this is one of my favorite shots. It is exactly what I think of when I think of Port-au-Prince. Miles and miles of concrete dwellings squished together, taking over every inch of space. The reality that I didn’t get to see is that outside the city, where there’s fewer people living in such tight space, it’s very green and lush and beautiful. Maybe on my next trip to Haiti, I’ll get to experience more of that…


And this last shot is one I took on the plane as we left.


Thank you to Hope For The Children for bringing me down to see and experience Haiti and the work you’re doing there. I hope and pray that the images we captured will help you tell the story of your efforts, and of the children – and that God would use them to bless and increase your ministry.

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 5 Comments

HFC – The School

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I went to Haiti to document the work of Hope For The Children of Haiti. Their Mission is this: Hope for the Children of Haiti is called by God to give Haitian children, particularly orphans, the opportunity to become well rounded adults who are self sufficient in Christ. One of the keys to fulfilling this mission is giving these children a quality education. And so HFC has started a school that teaches not only the orphans who are part of the Pension, but many other local children as well. Here are some images from my time at the school…

When we first arrived at the school that morning, the kids were in the middle of recess, and were playing all over the place. And MAN do the they love the camera!!! I was instantly mobbed! Since I’m supposed to be documenting life at the school, I was getting a little frustrated because this was not a day in the life of the school – this was mob the photographer day :) But, come on, look at how cute they are! Who can stay frustrated for long?



Of course, not all the kids were interested…


Finally, recess was over and everyone went back to class.
This teacher was totally embarrassed that I was taking his picture (in fact, they all were), so I had to crouch outside the door and try to be incognito. Not too easy with my 80-200mm f/2.8 lens on, but it worked somehow :)


The girls taking rigorous notes on the Haitian Revolution


And one of the boys listening attentively


The little ones couldn’t concentrate that hard. Nor could they see very well. We happened to show up the week the generator died, and there was no power at all during the day. Many of the classrooms, like this one, didn’t have any windows and were almost pitch black. But, school continues…




These poor teachers! Every time I walked by the classroom, the kids went nuts trying to get me to take their picture. Kids were coming out into the hallway, getting out of their seats, and totally freaking out. It was a little funny, but the disciplinarian in me wanted to tell them to go sit back down and listen to their teachers! :)


A teacher going over homework in the light from the hallway since her classroom is windowless.


I love this shot of a teacher going through a book in class. There’s something about the way she’s holding the book and the pages that is just beautiful to me.


Lots of answering questions on the chalk board


even when there’s no light to read your work…



Thankfully, the generator has since been fixed the kids have light to read by again! Lack of power in Port-au-Prince and the cost of running a generator is one of the MANY reasons that HFC needs your support!! If you can, please think or pray about supporting this important ministry, so these kids can get a good education and grow up to be self-sufficient adults that make an impact on the future of Haiti!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 2 Comments

HFC – Life at the Pension

Here’s a little peak at life at the Pension (that’s what they call an orphanage in Haiti)…

They have two main buildings. The main building is the school, girls’ dorm, and space for another adoption agency. The other building is across the street – it’s the boys’ dorm, and it’s called Woodworth’s House (I can’t remember who Woodworth was and why they named the house after him…). Here’s a view of the boys’ house, from the main building. It was laundry day :)


I found this hanging on the wall in the girls’ room. It was incredibly humbling to think of how much this passage must mean to the girl who tacked it on her wall, and how much I have to learn about it’s meaning…


A regular ritual of braiding each other’s hair.


One of the most difficult parts of the trip for me was visiting the babies from the adoption agency. It’s comforting to know that almost all of them will get adopted, most by American or European families. But, seeing their life as it is now… was heartbreaking.


These babies sit in their cribs all day. all. day. There’s a woman in the corner of the room “watching” them, but mostly sitting around. These kids are sitting in wet diapers, stimulating themselves by banging their heads on the mattress, and some seem to have given up and just lay there. The teenage girls from HFC like to play mommy and come get some of the babies a couple times a day – but they don’t take all of them, just the ones they like. I got a few out of their crib and played with them, but I couldn’t take them all out, and it killed me. If you’re even thinking of adopting a child – please consider adopting a child from Haiti or another 3rd-world country. This is the alternative until a family comes along to care for them…


Some of the toddlers from the same agency. It cracks me up that a 3-year-old is braiding the younger one’s hair! Most 3-year-olds can’t tie their shoelaces, how are they gonna braid hair?!


This is one of the little ones from the agency. She followed me around all over the Pension. She wouldn’t let go of my leg, or stop touching my camera, and was just always there. She’s pretty cute, huh? I had to try really hard not to bring her with me…


One of the fabulous cooks at the girls’ dorm. I’m not exactly sure what she’s making there, but I do know that I had to eat it. If you know me at all – you know I’m very picky. A bowl full of mush is not my idea of dinner. But, it’s all they had, and they shared it with me. And I ate it, gratefully.


The view from the dorm. This is practically all these kids see of their community. They live in a really bad neighborhood – very dangerous and violent. They are fiercely protected, and therefore don’t get to play out in the streets or spend time with neighbors. But, they are safe…


This is what teenagers look like at Sunday School… a little bored, and trying not to get in trouble for talking :)


Dinner at the boys’ dorm


The boys’ house-mother


One of the beautiful things about the kids at HFC is that they really are a family. A gigantic family of 60 kids, but a family nonetheless! I love this picture of Wislandy, the youngest girl with her arm around one of her big brothers. It just tells you so much about these kids.


Next up, a look at the school at HFC!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 4 Comments

Hope For the Children of Haiti – the boys

So, you’ve met some of the girls from Hope For The Children of Haiti – now meet a few of the boys…

Mikenlove hanging out on the porch at the Boys’ House


stuck inside on a rainy day



oh, forget, let’s just go play in the rain! Boys don’t mind getting wet and dirty, right?



they sure love football!



I can’t get over their view from their football field!


Rejoicing over a goal :) This is back at the orphanage where they were playing football with a plastic bottle. It was rather impressive.


One of the things I love about boys in other cultures… They hold hands with each other! It’s precious.


Jefthe looking very serious


studying hard


Richecarde smiling for the camera


and this kid was laughing so hard he fell down :)


The boys were a totally different set of characters than the girls. Much less camera-shy. Some even went out of their way to pose for me – too much even. :)

They were also a really fun group of boys who laugh a lot – which is always a good thing, especially in a place like Haiti!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 6 Comments

Hope For the Children of Haiti – the girls

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I went to Haiti in May/June to document the work of Hope For The Children Of Haiti. I’ve held off on blogging about it because I wanted to focus on getting the first few weddings up first. That, and I’ve got like a zillion pictures I’d like to share, so I had to take the time to narrow it down a bit.

I’m finally ready and I thought I’d start with the girls at HFC. There are about 30 of them, ranging from 8 -17 years old. It took a while for them to warm up to me, and to stop running away from my camera, but it was really fun getting to know them. And it was a great reminder that teenagers are teenagers, no matter what country you’re in :)

Here are a few of my favorites of the girls!

waiting to be introduced to the visiting photographer …


hanging in their room – giggling and having fun



Aw, Debbie, she’s such a sweetheart. And would you get a load of those eyes!! Gorgeous!


Wislandy, the baby of the crew. Such a cutie!


Listening intently to a sex-ed talk. Their eyes aren’t glassed over or anything ;)


Chrystel… Little Miss Attitude and the woman in charge (if you ask her). But, I found her in this nice moment doing chores where she was all alone, and let her guard down a bit, and I almost got a smile.


Fabiola hanging out the back of the Tap Tap (it’s basically a pick-up truck with a metal cage on top to keep the passengers safe, or dry)


And, last but not least, Nerline. This girl ran and hid from my camera the ENTIRE time I was in Haiti! On the last day, I had had enough, and I stalked her relentlessly until I got a couple photos of her before she saw me. Somehow, this made her love me dearly. Go figure :) So, here we are, right before I left to go home. She couldn’t stop hugging me and even cried when I left. That’s what I love about teenagers… they’re totally unpredictable.


I wish I could share more with you all, and tell you stories about each and every one of the girls – but there just isn’t enough time in the day! :)

If you’re interested in supporting Hope For The Children of Haiti, and helping these girls get the care and education they need to make a difference for their country, please click here.

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 6 Comments

Back From Haiti!

Well, I’m officially back from Haiti and back to work! It was a great trip and I’m really excited to go through the 4,200 photos I shot! But, first things first – I’ve got engagement sessions waiting for me. So, I guess you’ll all have to wait a little while too…

To tide you over, here’s a shot of Bolosse – the area of Port-au-Prince where I spent most of my time.


More to come!!!

Posted on by Krista Guenin · 2 Comments

Hope For The Children of Haiti

One of my portrait clients is on the board for an organization called Hope For the Children of Haiti. Well, they’re not just on the board – but they’ve adopted 3 teenage boys through the ministry! To say that Hope For the Children of Haiti is a big part of their lives would be quite an understatement.

A few weeks ago we started talking about the possibility of me going down to Port-Au-Prince to document the ministry’s orphanage & school – and of course, the kids. Well, yesterday we bought our tickets and it’s official! I am so excited about the opportunity to work with HFC, and for the chance to visit Haiti for the first time! I have many friends who have visited Haiti, and this orphanage in particular, so I’m really looking forward to seeing it with my own eyes, and bringing that back to all of you. I’ll be heading down there at the end of the month, so stay tuned for photos and stories from Port-Au-Prince this summer!!