Imagine never having the keepsake of a photograph as a memento of your family. This is a common reality for many in rural areas and third world countries and Portland-based photographer Joni Kabana aims to do something about it. She founded “Prints for Prints: A Global Rally for the Printed Photograph,” a non-profit that auctions photographic prints to raise money so that people in rural areas can have their own family portraits.
Kabana’s non-profit relies on donated fine art imagery that is then auctioned off to raise capital to facilitate purchasing the small printers, ink and paper necessary to output image captures on location. Funding will also support the establishment of makeshift studios as well as in-country translation services.
"The Prints For Prints project was created out of a desire to give photographic prints of elders to families in rural Ethiopia," Kabana told Lenscratch.com. "Most of these families have never had a photograph of their families, and when I am there photographing on assignment, I see in their faces how much they appreciate being 'recorded' on my camera. I always leave wishing I could leave behind a print for them."
For more information on the organization and how you can get involved and donate a print, follow them on Facebook or visit their web page. Upcoming projects in 2014 are scheduled to take place in Eastern Oregon, Darjeeling, India and Ethiopia.
