HUMANITARIAN PHOTOGRAPHY

When I went to Malawi, Africa to make a documentary film on global water issues called Water First, I also brought my still camera. Several of these photos were included in a coffee table book entitled Water Voices from Around The World featuring letters from Kofi Annan, Leonardo DiCaprio and other leaders and prominent figures who believe water should be a protected human right for everyone worldwide. - AH

In Malawi, like many developing nations around the world, women and girls were charged with hauling water from distant sources - a low running river, or sometimes just a muddy pit in the ground. They would get up before dawn and often make their last trip at sunset - carrying babies on their backs and water buckets on their heads. These tasks often interrupted school hours - forcing many girls to miss classes and fall behind. If water wasn't a big enough obstacle to studying, when the girls reached puberty, many young girls end up dropping out when they begin menstruating because of the lack of latrines. Water and sanitation is key to empowering girls and women in developing nations.  

One summer day in 2014, I got up before dawn and went up to the very tip of Manhattan and walked from the top of Broadway all the way down to the end at the Battery - and took a picture of at least one person on every block along the way. 14 miles was a lot of ground to cover, so for most of the shots I took just one or two frames. I spotted someone interesting, took a picture, and kept moving. It was an amazing time in New York - no masks, no iphones in everyone's hands - it just felt open and transparent. People were just exactly who they were. It was magical, colorful and captivating - but not all of it was pretty.  

- Amy Hart