Jumping out of my SKIN excited!

This past summer took me all over China. You may wonder why I chose such a destination, as certain parts of the country are known as "the furnace" for the intense heat and humidity that time of year. But it wasn't an oversight - I actually did intend to spend three months on one of the hottest places on the planet.

Over the years I've taken jet planes to one of my favorite places on earth, and I've been blessed to get to know some of the fantastic youth at the Nanchang SOS Orphanage.

I've had a dream since the beginning of 2010 to spend time showing some of the kids the ropes of photography. They seemed to really take to the hobby when I was with them, so a desire grew to really work with them on it.

This summer my first class consisted of the following wonderful girls:

Kate, Yang Li Ping, 22
Jade, Ling Hui, 16
Sarah, Zhan Xiao Fen, 14
Cherry, Zhou Qin, 14
Shelly, Yang Zhen Ping, 14
Claire, Zhan Xiao Qing, 10

Together, along with my good friend Rose and our Chinese friends Lucia, Echo, Joyce, and Vanka and Chinese photographer "Laoshi Zhang" - we created a bubbly entourage that traipsed all around Nanchang with cameras.

Each day the girls and I would talk about some technicalities of working with cameras, then we would review their photos from the previous day. It was the coolest things to see the girls gathered around my laptop, encouraging each other on their work.





Then, the kids would be out of their minds happy to grab a taxi or bus to a destination for the day. Even the rain couldn't stop us. And the girls excelled in their photography.

Upon leaving, I presented them with a CD of all their photos and an album of their favorite images.

They have given their permission that I share their work with you. I hope you are inspired as you see the world through Chinese Orphan's eyes...

A selection of their photography can be viewed and purchased here: My Zenfolio
All proceeds go towards funding next year's class.

Greeting cards will be available soon! Please pass the word about the girl's work - I'm so very proud of them!

~Kristen Chase