New Blog is up!

the new blog link is: http://www.sethshimkonis.com/blog. Check it out now. This blog is no longer in use.

Thanks,

Seth

New Blog coming before Peru

If you plan to check here for updates and photos while I'm in Peru, please redirect your RSS feeds, your bookmarks and web browsers to my new blog coming soon. The blog link will no longer take you to this blog but to my new and improved blog with bigger photos (you know, because I'm a photographer). So if you have this page book marked, I will post the the blog link in a future post.

Thanks!

Seth

Only 18 days left until I leave for Peru!

Cameras, laptops, and equipment donations needed

Hello Everyone. Thanks for stopping to see what is going on. Please take a minute to read the brief statement about why I'm heading to New Hope Children's Home in November for six months to teach hands on photography lessons to the children at the home and how you might be able to help. Thanks!

In January of 2008, I was part of a mission team from Liberti Church located, in Philadelphia and visited an orphanage in Arequipa, Peru. The orphanage is named New Hope Children’s Home. During the trip, we spent time with children by hosting activities such as arts and crafts, playing soccer, and creating positive social environments for interaction. During the time we spent with them, the children became very curious about our digital camera equipment. They started taking photographs, and many took a liking to this profession of mine.

After returning home, the children’s enthusiasm for learning how to take pictures re-mained on my mind. As a professional photographer with a heart and general concern for these children, I feel called to return and offer a hands on education and to provide the necessary equipment they otherwise would not have the ability to use. The purpose of this next mission will focus on showing these children that there are many avenues of opportunity in the world and through exposure and education to this area of interest we have the ability to offer the idea of an alternative future to what they now know.

The kids at New Hope deserve an opportunity to further explore and develop their un-tapped talents in photography. They live at the orphanage on a full-time basis where they are provided for spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Many of the children have been abandoned, abused, and have no other home or family to rely on other than the other children at the orphan-age. All have heart breaking and compelling stories, some of which seem unimaginable. Michael, an 8 year old boy was found sleeping on the back of a city bus. Maria, who was found abandoned, had resorted to begging and searching through dumpsters to provide food for herself and her two younger brothers. These are only two brief stories of the many children who live at the orphanage.

On November 11th, 2008, I will be returning to New Hope Children’s Home for six months. My goal is to give these children the opportunity to learn about photography and the equipment necessary to do so. However, I am unable to do this alone and wish to ask you for your involvement in this mission to the New Hope children. I am asking you to kindly consider donating any digital point and shoot cameras, DSLR cameras, or old laptops that are collecting dust. In our present day society, outdated equipment can be often times seen as expendable or obsolete objects, however, to the children at New Hope, they are seen as the tools that could be used to find a better future.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please find a humble list of needed equipment below.

Equipment needed

4 Point and Shoot Cameras
- At least 5 mega pixels
-Canon, Nikon, Sony, Casio, etc.
-Media cards for cameras (compact flash , smart media, or proprietary media for specific
camera)
-Instruction Manuals for cameras
-Cables and battery chargers for the specific cameras

2 Digital SLR Cameras
-Canon 10D, 20D, 30D, Rebel, etc.
-Nikon D200, D100, D70, D50, Etc
-Any Lenses, 50mm, Any zoom lenses that comes with the camera
-Cables, battery chargers, and batteries

2 Laptops
-Dell or Apple
-Must be able to run photoshop
-AC power adaptor / Battery
-Instruction Manuals
-Media reader
-2 External USB Hard drives for Storage / 160GB or more

Camera bags and Laptop cases for Protection

Due to international shipping expenses and saftey concerns in Peru, all donations will be securely transported personally by myself or other members returning to the Home in October, November, or December of 2008. All donations are tax deductible and will be issued a receipt by the 501c3 organization Macedonia World Baptist Missions, which funds New Hope Children’s Home. If you would like to read more about New Home, our original missions trip, or Liberti Church, you can find more info on the websites listed below. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Seth’s phone: 267.471.657
Seth’s email: seth@sethshimkonis.com
Seth’s website: www.sethshimkonis.com
New Hope Children’s Home: www.peruhope.org
Original trip blog: www.liberti4peru.blogspot.com
Liberti Church: www.liberti.org

Sincerely,
Seth Shimkonis

Friday Evening Boredem

So, My friend Matt and I had just finished watching a movie on Friday evening, and we decided to have some fun with my two flashes. What you can't see is all the clutter in the room, but its there, with some lighting tricks and a bit of photoshop, here is the result of being bored on a friday evening.

My new book, Fishtown Passing Through, Now available!

Hello all Fishtowner's and those who love photographs. My new book, Fishtown Passing Through is now available for purchase in soft or hard cover. Just click on the image below and you can preview a few pages! Check it out!

Fishtown Passi...

By Seth Shimkonis

Book Preview

The Lutz Family!

Today was a bitter cold day but despite the weather and lack of leaves on the trees, we were able to get some great shots. This was my favorite from the photographs we came back with. The only tree with some yellow leaves left in the park dear to the families heart, and  in December, it made for a great background for some family portraits. Thanks guys!

Chris Melissa and Corban!

Since things have been settling down I have been able to post things I've been up to in recent weeks. So to start on my catch up, two weeks ago Chris, Melissa, their son Corban and I headed out to center city to shoot some family portraits. Here are two photographs which I love from a bunch captured on our day together.