Published in Afar Magazine

School lunches from around the world, May/June 2010 issue of Afar Magazine. My photo is the white plate on the red table cloth, bottom right.

If there is one thing I really love about the world of photography these days, it is this: it is easier than ever to connect with Photo Editors’ and for them to take advantage of where you may be travelling to.

Let me explain.

In late December 2009, an email popped up in my inbox asking for shots of school lunches from around the world. The PE at Afar Magazine wanted to assign the job to multiple photographers, in multiple countries. With my January/February trip to the Maldives already booked, I put my hand up for the Maldives and was assigned it.

Now to be honest, this wasn’t the most glamorous of assignments, but it was actually a lot of fun. In the Maldives I hooked up with my Maldivian friend and fellow photographer, Ahmed Zahid. Together we went to the boys school in Male’ and after explaining what I was after to two different people, we were given permission to do the shoot (well, take two photos – shoot is a bit of a stretch!).

The photo taking bit took about 8-minutes. The getting permission bit took about 22-minutes. That night I uploaded the hi-res images and sent them to my editor.

In June of this year I was killing some time at Bangkok airport waiting for my flight to Japan. What did I spot in the newsagency? None other than the May/June 2010 issue of Afar. Flicking through I found the double page spread and let me tell you, it looks great!

If you haven’t seen Afar magazine yet, then make sure you get a copy. One of the things I really like about it is the print quality and colour reproduction. I’m not sure what paper they use, but it has a great pearly type feel to it. As for the colour reproduction, it is fantastic. The content is great too. Grab a copy and have a read.

Thanks to Tara from Afar Magazine for assigning me the Maldives.

Afar Magazine

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