Photography Showcase
Ami Vitale
“I use the camera to tell stories that connect people rather than simply emphasize our differences.”
As a young woman, I was painfully shy and introverted. I found when I picked up a camera, it took the attention away from me and allowed me to focus on others. In the beginning, it was empowering. Later, it became my passport to meeting people, learning, and experiencing new cultures. Now it is more than just a passport. It’s a tool for creating awareness and understanding across cultures, communities, and countries; a tool to make sense of our commonalities in the world we share.
Visual storytelling is the oldest form of communication. It began with cave paintings 40,000 years ago and today is still the most powerful way to communicate. Photography transcends language. It has this instant ability to connect people without language. You can look at an image and instantly feel something. I use the camera to tell stories that connect people rather than simply emphasize our differences.
There is a beautiful, universal truth everywhere, and if you peek under the veil, you’ll find a wondrous commonality between us. I hope that in our travels, we all use our cameras not just as an extension of our eyes but also as an extension of our heart.
