When I was asked to accompany a group of aide workers to Haiti as their photojournalist, I jumped at the opportunity. I had never been outside of the United States, and as a student I knew it would be an invaluable learning experience. The trip, which was partially funded by APSU’s undergraduate research program, was a mere 5 days long. Besides the cultural and language differences, the fact that I had a very short window to capture images that would depict the daily lives of the Haitian people created its own challenges. While I learned immediately that I could never correctly portray the entire country in itself, I settled on trying to convey the experience of my time there. I knew that I would have a better grasp on what it meant to be a photojournalist in a foreign country, however, I underestimated the impact that the entire experience would have on me, not only as a student, but even more as a person.
In what was once a suburban neighborhood, a mother bathes her children outside of their make-shift house in the heart of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
Residents on their daily commute in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
On a hot day in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, children play in the dusty streets of what was once a suburban neighborhood. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
A “tap-tap”, or make-shift taxi, drives past a mound of garbage in downtown Port-au-Prince. Because of the many natural disasters throughout the years, sanitation has remained a difficult problem for the local community. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
A man sits at his shop on the side of the road where he sells sugar cane to passers-by in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
In one of the busy cross-sections in downtown Port-au-Prince residents go about their daily lives. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
1. Local drivers wait on the corner for their next fare. Motorcycles are one of the easiest ways to get around in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
1. A local tire repairman takes a break in the shade at his make-shift repair shop in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
A local man sifts through the garbage on the side of the road hoping to find something of use just outside of the international airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
At a local market on one the busiest roads in Port-au-Prince, local women sell homegrown vegetables to the passersby, (Feb. 24, 2017)The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
A local vendor transports his goods by wheelbarrow at the local roadside market in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
A man stands in the doorway of one of the thousands of make-shift houses along the side of the road in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
On a side road in a local neighborhood in Haiti, a woman rests her head in her hands after a long day in the sun selling home-grown vegetables. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
In a back alley in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a woman washes her hair with a bucket of water. Running water is scarce commodity in Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
A local Haitian Police Officer guards a gas station in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
A homeless man sleeps on the sidewalk in the heat of the day underneath newly hung election posters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
A stray dog looking for a meal on the side of the road in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As trash piles up on the side of the road, it provides stray animals a chance to find food. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
Two boys fly a homemade kite from the second story of a dilapidated building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
At a local orphanage, one of almost 200 in Haiti, a child poses for a picture while aid workers attend to the other children living there. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
At a local orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a young boy sits at the edge of the nearly empty well that is the only source of fresh drinking water for the children. (Feb. 24, 2017) The All State/ Lucas Ryan Chambers
