Funding Kesler Pierre Photography

Hi folks, I'm Kesler Pierre, and I've been a professional stained glass craftsman/conservator for more than 40 years.  

 While I'm Haitian born, I've been living and working in NYC since 1983.  
 As the number of opportunities to work in the realm of stained glass continues to shrink in our modern world, we in the field need to find new ways to make a living, but this is only part of what brought me to photography.  

 I'm interested in people, their lives, culture, joys, and struggles. I’m fascinated by history, and I find I love documenting life, knowing these moments I capture may endure, perhaps becoming part of an historical record themselves.

 I have no formal training in photography, but have been teaching myself for the past 15 years or so.  

 I read everything I can, and then practice and experiment in the field.  I push my equipment to its fullest capacity, but I'm at a point now where I've been bumping up against various limitations, such as the need for faster lenses, which will make it possible to take better images when shooting scenes lit only by fire or candlelight.  

 These ambient light settings are a frequent situation for me as one of my favorite things to shoot are Vodou ceremonies.  

 These rituals are frenetic, crazy, wonderful, and pretty well always dimly lit.  The challenge is to convey all that motion and frenzy in a still image, which manages to preserve the mystical atmosphere of the event.  

 My work has been well received so far.  My images have been used in books, and newspaper articles, and as backdrops, and advertising for cultural performances.  

For several years I've maintained a website (www.keslerpierre.com) largely focused on Haitian culture and concerns.

With better equipment I could work on bringing my photography to the next level. 

I also need backup equipment - for when something fails in the field.  Unfortunately I've found myself stuck more than once, because either my camera, or my computer stopped working.   

 I frequent the repair shop so much, the guys there know me by name, and call out, "Hi Kesler" when I walk in.

 Thus far, the expenses for everything I've done have all come out of my own pocket, and I frequently donate my images, and services to worthwhile causes.  

 I could use some help at this point. 

 I'm hoping to raise $11,263.00 for the following items:

Canon 5D Mark IV -             $3,499.00

Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L -      $1,449.00

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 -        $1,749.00 

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS - $1,249.00

MacBookPro 15 inch -          $2,399.00
 
I've put together a slide show of some of my images.  It's a mix of scenes from life in Haiti, the United States, and Canada.  It shows the beautiful, and the not so beautiful together, because that’s what life is.  

 I take a little heat sometimes from people because I photograph what's there - and not everyone wants to see what's there. But I try never to turn away from the reality of a situation.  

In fact, I think sometimes reality deserves a good long look, and to show only pretty scenes, is to tell only part of the story. 

So I take you from the aftermath of the Haitian quake to a Canadian winter, from a slaughtered pig to a cityscape, from Vodou ceremonies to Washington DC, and so on.

It is a small segment of life as I've seen it, and I hope you enjoy the show.

If you are moved to contribute, that would be great, or if you like the slideshow, and simply share it with others you think will enjoy it as well, that would be wonderful too.

Thank you for the time and attention you've given me!

All best,

Kesler
www.keslerpierre.com