Valimont Photography

Hi everyone!

My Photography is now available for sale at Starbucks in Atlanta on 14th street with all sales going back to the Children Need Love Organization, which helps children in India.

I’m so excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to return to India in August!

There is such a need for help there… I’m just so glad I get to be a very small part of what the country of India  needs.

Someone  asked me- “Why are you selling your photography for India? ”

Well.. a smart man once told me,  “If you want to serve and find a greater purpose… then you must first find a great need… and fill it.”

That has been my journey since returning from India last summer. I’ve wanted to find out how I can help the children I met and still be involved while here. When I could not give my time by personally being there.. I gave my gifts. Which is how the Photography at Starbucks came around.

In December I was with my friend, Jantzen, in downtown Atlanta. We had just seen the Atlanta Opera, which his brother sang in. It was amazing. The most wonderful sound that I’ve ever heard.

We stopped by this Starbucks on the way back home and I saw beautiful photography hanging on the walls.

I was amazed… and  said, “How amazing would that be if we came here one day and my photography was on the walls?”

That was the beginning of this dream.

Jantzen had a little bit more faith in me than I had in myself, and told me it would be on the walls… and soon.

Through a series of events, I was the “artist” chosen for the Month of May. (That sounds so crazy!)

I feel so blessed and honored that I can do this for the children I met this past summer.

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing the canvases for a donation!

“Photographers take pictures of nouns (people, places and things). Photojournalists shoot action verbs (“kicks,” “explodes,” “cries,” etc.). Photojournalists do shoot some nouns. These nouns can be standard photos of people,  places (proposed zoning areas or construction sites) and things (name it). However, the nouns we seek still must tell a story.”*Photo taken by Danielle Valimont*
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Imagine flowers, nature, a clear sky and four students from Southeastern University, ready to be models for the next two hours. That was the scene a few weeks ago when we were inspired by the Gucci ad seen above.

The girls wore boho/hippie style clothing, heavy makeup and LOTS of accessories. The colors I tried to capture weren’t in the scene- it was in their makeup and their clothing.

We shot at a small place in Lakeland, Florida called the “Dunes.” The Dunes was a quiet place that had a woodsy  feel and places that had not been explored. It was perfect place for a rugged, natural look. ”It was less structured than a studio shoot. It felt incredibly natural and organic, ” said Elizabeth Stoutimore, who was a model at shoot. (more…)

Using a natural environment and outdoor setting is a great way to get those “carefree” and candid photos. Here, in Lakeland, we were able to get some great photos of Kamie Martin on a sunny day in Florida.

“Light is one of a photographer’s most important considerations. In fact, any photograph captures the effect of light on objects, whether taken in natural light or the warm glow of incandescent light. A photographer who understands how the eye and lens perceive the color spectrum can make full use of light in photography.” (more…)

How do you live in city for a summer and possibly capture everything there is? Is it even possible? I was completely overwhelmed by the city of Calcutta: the beauty, the colors, the culture. Everything about it was intriguing. A sense of adventure surrounded me and other photographers as we explored the city, homes and even the rivers where normal people carried out their  day to day tasks.

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Well… it’s three days until I leave for India. I’m going over my equipment and things that I need for my photography. I’m not taking my flash… I want to capture all the natural light and colors. I plan to do a little “backpack journalism.” Below you will see a video about backpack journalism. It can really enhance your photos and your story.

 Abhay pictured above

India is the seventh largest country in the world and second most populated country. Consistingof 28 different states and founding 5 major religions, India is known for its bright colors, textures and beautiful people, which is why India is a perfect place for photography. Getting off the plane in India was an event in itself. The sights, sounds and smells were overwhelming, and thankfully I had my Nikon by my side.

Wandering through the city and back alley ways, capturing every moment I could on film, my favorite memory of photography always goes back to visiting a school in Calcutta, India, sponsored by www.childrenneedlove.org. I don’t know what I expected, but when I arrived at the school I was overwhelmed by all the beautiful bright colors, the animals, and the nature.

Walking into the school’s courtyard, I heard singing. I asked, through a translator, who was singing so beautifully. She directed me over to a balcony where a 7 year old boy was standing. He was leaning over the balcony hanging clothes one-by-one after he washed them. He reached into the bucket, getting more clothes out, seeming so adamant about scrubbing each spot out of the dirty laundry.  I was fascinated with his persistency and kept snapping shots of the soap splashing on the ground.

The sun was setting when this little boy finished his laundry. He turned to approach the steps and was bracing himself on the way down.

He was blind.  

The young Indian woman began explaining to me how he lost his sight..

In India there is a festival that is held once every year called the Holi Festival.(The Festival of Colors)This festival is celebrated by Hindu’s and traditionally welcomes in the spring season by people on the streets throwing colored power on each other.You can see children and adults running to each other to trying to get someone in the face, and usually this is not a problem.
Once the people have the powder on them, their skin is stained for days.

This little boy, whom I later renamed Abhay, was welcoming the spring in like any other little child at the Holi Festival when some “bad” powder was thrown in his eyes …and that was the last time he saw color. The powder blinded him and he was left on the street alone, confused, and helpless.
In India, when you cannot work or bring in income, you become a burden.  Abhay became a burden out of his blindness and that is when Children Need Love found him. They brought him to the school they had built specifically for blind children where they teach them how to create things and live a normal life without sight. They teach them important things like Echolocation, how to wash their clothes, sweeping, mopping… etc.

I was able to follow the children around for an entire day and talk with them, watch how they live, and take pictures for the people who live in the States that send support to them. It was amazing. When I was there, no one knew of Abhay’s story, so I volunteered to write it.I took many pictures of him and wrote about how adventurous he was.

In order to protect the children, we change their names when writing their stories. That is why I changed his name to “Abhay.” It means fearless. Never before have I seen such an adventurous, strong, determined, fearless little boy as Abhay was. There were times he did fall, since he had not been blind for long, but the important thing was, he got back up and never stayed down. Being strong doesn’t mean we never feel weak. It just means we don’t give up in those weak times.

*** All pictures in this blog were taken by Danielle Valimont***