Haik Kocharian, Photographer
7 photos
<p>This was taken on the road, because I had to travel to three different clinics, from the capital Addis Ababa all the way north near northern part of the country. And this on the way we stopped by a Church being built, as you know Ethiopians are a very religious people, and I was just kind of walking around and I noticed this girl who was there, and it was one of those moments when everything came together perfectly, the light and the energy, and I was very lucky to get the shot.</p>
<p>This is one of the clients of African Services Committee. I did a series of images when I visited peoples homes, because I wanted to see people in their environment. Lovely lady. I took several photographs of her, and then she showed me several images from her past, where we could see her young, her husband, her child, and I thought it was very interesting to see the contrast that life has brought, since obviously some of these women have suffered and been abused. I was very touched that she gave me the opportunity to take this picture.</p>
<p>During one very intense religious festival, the people are very solemn, they're very connected with themselves, everybody dressed in their traditional dresses. And in the crowd, I saw this kid in very funny red sunglasses, and it's such a beautiful combination of authenticity, religion and culture, and yet there's this child who completely stands out, and it was just a wonderful magical moment that happens in photography, and I'm very very pleased to have this image in the show.</p>
<p>This is also an example of another client of African Services Committee, mother and child. And in this image, you can see what I meant by love, and a sense of strong emotional relationship between women and their children. You can see this image, the child is happy, the child undoubtedly has a bright future with our help. There is a beautiful sense of harmony between mother and daughter.</p>
<p>As I mentioned, the region plays a very large part in Ethiopia and its culture. I was lucky to participate in a major religious festival, and part of the festival was baptizing with the water. I found myself smack in the middle of this very emotional ceremony. People were praying, and they were very connected with their own internal emotional base. And this woman was standing not too far from me, and she was so spiritual, so connected with the higher power, she was so involved I thought it was fascinating, and I was incredibly lucky to get an image like this.</p>
<p>As you know, HIV and AIDS is a horrific disease, its very difficult to see with these young children suffering from this disease. But the reason Laurie Harrison and I chose this picture is that it does show the illness, but at the same time it shows the optimism that we should all share about this illness, because while we can see the unfortunate traces this illness leaves, childhood is childhood, and this boy is as playful, as happy and as energetic as any kid here in NY. And we really wanted to share this with our audience, because we can help these children, we can improve their lives, and make sure they stay lively and energetic and live a productive life for many years to come.</p>