Picture This...

About the Photographer

Stephen J. Edgar, a Waterloo-based professional photographer and new media specialist, has been taking photos of people in their environments for many years. In 2001 he was thrilled to accompany FIDA on a dream assignment with a unique challenge: to visually capture a people with a complicated past and a deep reservoir of intangible characteristics. Haiti, after all, had long been stigmatized… indeed, “vodou-ized” by the media and by Hollywood. However, through FIDA, he was inspired to look deeper, to listen, to respect, and to see the depth of the beauty that is Haiti. A favourite Haitian proverb, “Abitan pa janm konnen”, (“He pretends he knows nothing even when he knows”), is a fitting statement of Haiti’s scarred history.

Through numerous visits since, Stephen has developed a portfolio of intimate vignettes that capture the resolve of a people to rise above inescapable adversity and shame. It is his hope that his portraits will inspire the viewer to look a little deeper, to listen, to respect, and perhaps to venture forth to personally experience what Haiti has to offer! To see more of Stephen’s work, check out stephenjedgar.com