Barak Bruerd

Walk for Water

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Dusty Airstrip

Posted on January 01, 2011 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

You might want to watch out for donkey’s at the end of the airstrip.

Converse

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

She is HIV+.  She has no husband. She has 3 children, all of them are negative.  She lives in a mud house on the edge of Addis Ababa.  Her rent is 400 birr, or about $20.  She lives on less than a dollar a day.  You do the math.  There’s no way I can understand her life – it’s as blurry as her photo.  She speaks only Amharic.  There’s no way I can converse with her.  I look over my dusty, American shoes at the coffee she roasts, grinds and brews all by hand.  Her smile lights up the dusty walls as she hands me a cup of black, sugary Ethiopian coffee.  Amazing.  How is it that something so simple has such power to create common ground.

AIDS Club

Posted on May 06, 2010 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

This is not your normal club.  These are people living with AIDS that have joined together, both in support of one another and to stand up courageously in their community and demonstrate that, even in being HIV positive, there is life and joy.

Barren Winds

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Barak in Africa | 1 Comment

Buried

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Northern Kenya.  11pm.  No road.  No cell coverage.  No help.  A historic event with a full tale that can really only be captured by the imagination. I’d put words to it, but it wouldn’t do it justice.

Dormans

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

My favorite coffee in Kenya.  This was captured in two passes and processed in high dynamic range and several filters – all on my iphone.  Not bad.

Elephant Herds

Posted on September 12, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

The Chobe National Park, Botswana is one of the premier parks in Southern Africa.  Dry season, although not picturesque, affords incredible opportunities to see wildlife who flock to the Zambezi river to drink and cool off.  Today’s expedition brought us close to nearly 250 elephants along the water’s edge; among them new-borns and  adolescents.

I Was Here

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Another flag in the sand so I can say “I was here”.  Oh, and yes, that is a 360ft drop 18 inches to my right.

Time Lapse

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

In dry season, the flow volume over Victoria Falls recedes significantly, revealing pools of water carved out in the basalt river bottom.  In some cases, these pools are cut at the extreme edge of the falls, allowing swimmers to peer over the 300 ft + precipice to the gorge below [note: not for the faint of heart].  Here Codie launches off a 15 ft ledge into “Devil’s Pool” which I caught in a time-lapse shot.