It is often said every picture tells a story, a picture is worth a thousand words. When looking at the pictures we are using on the homepage I often find myself drawn to the stories behind them.  Learning about the story behind the pictures adds another dimension of life to them.

Each picture we use on our homepage includes the story provided. Sometimes the story is just a sentence about where it was taken and other times it describes what was happen when the photograph was taken. Each story provides a little bit of insight. This week there was a theme developing in a few of the stories. The photographers took the pictures on their travels of local kids.

Typically, when I am on vacation or visiting another place I take so many pictures of the scenery, architecture and the people I am traveling with. Very rarely do I take pictures of the local people, yet those are the photographs that provide such fascinating stories. Reflecting back on the pictures from my travels where I had taken pictures of the local people I remember so many details about what they were doing, why they were doing it - much more then I do with just the scenery pictures.  

As you are viewing the pictures below, read their stories. I hope they inspire you, as they have me, to take more pictures of the people I see and meet on my future travels. Of course, I will need to remember to write things down in a journal too!!

- Paulette Brandes



 
Going Home
Photographer: Johnathan M. Thomas

This little girl was returning home after a visit to a local mission in Uganda, Africa. Her parents wanted to give her to the church to care for, because they didn't have the resources to do so.  I will never forget her little eyes -- I just wanted to bring her home to my family. I will always remember that day, and her eyes.

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Look what I see....
Photographer: Dave Horton

My wife and I were in Guangdong China, April 2005, adopting our daughter Olivia. We were visiting a country side village and these two girls were following our group.  Our guide said that it may have been the first time that they had seen Americans.

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Alphabet Drill
Photographer: Wally Orlowsky

This is a Samburu school in Kenya. It was a small masonry building with virtually no supplies. The children were showing off their knowledge of the English alphabet.  Their enthusiasm was inspiring.

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Dreaming of Stars
Photographer: Anna Ventura

This photo was taken in Panglao Island, Bohol, Philippines

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Little Rocker
Photographer: Becky Shadowens

This is my son with his Christmas present. Taken with natural light through a large window. He forgot I was there and I just kept snapping.
 

To start the New Year off we launched a redesign of our homepage in the US. This week is another milestone for us; we are starting to launch the new design internationally! With this launch we wanted to showcase images that captured landmarks from around the world. Kodak is a global country with web sites in more than 30 countries. As we continue to expand our new design into theses countries we really want our homepage imagery to represent the pictures from around the global.

Have you ever wondered how we select the pictures for the homepage? It is very exciting and so much fun! There are many sources for pictures, but one of the key resources actually comes from you - our customers - through Picture of the Day. It starts with a team of people who swift through hundreds of images looking for pictures that represent a technical, artistic and aesthetic quality. As the pictures that meet the criteria are pulled together themes start to emerge.  

Can you identify the theme represented in the pictures?


 
Photographer: Engchoon Lee

Auspicious Red Lanterns
The picture was taken using my Kodak LS443 in Jan 2004, during the Chinese New Year at the Tien Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I like the colour of this photo.


 
Photographer: Luke Merdsoy

Ancient Roads
This photograph was taken in Rome, Italy during the summer of 2004, during my travels through Europe. I wanted to capture the essence of how a city like Rome acts like a living museum. I was impressed by the way modern infrastructures weave delicately around the ancient treasures, preserving the landmarks of centuries past.


 
Photographer: Nora Drew Josephs

Venice at Night
I took this photo when my two best friends and I went to Italy after graduation. I think it captures the excitement of the time, the energy I had and the beauty of the city.


 
Photographer: Vijay Varanasi

Hyderabad vs London
This picture was taken in Leicester Square, London. It was a quite an experience to see rickshaws in such a city. The fast moving bus in the background of a relaxed rickshaw puller makes it special.


The pictures selected this week have an element of movement - representing our movement forward. 

Did you guess the theme?