A longtime Magnolia resident, commercial photographer and a parent whose pictures of Magnolia Little League games have run in this newspaper, Michael Ramey recently returned from what sounds like the ultimate in location shoots.
Also a photography instructor on a mini-sabbatical from the Art Institute of Seattle, Ramey spent 17 days in India, China, Vietnam and Russia taking digital pictures and shooting digital video of orphans and foster children for the World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP), a Renton-based, non-profit adoption agency.
"The whole thing was very intense," Ramey said of spending long hours for only one or two days in each city he visited.
The photos and video will be used for a DVD that WACAP will send to potential donors, Ramey said of an organization that is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. "They paid for all my expenses, and I charged my fee," he said.
Ramey also came away with a wealth of experiences as someone whose only previous travel overseas had been to Bermuda and Hawaii. "There was a tremendous initial culture shock," he said.
"Initially, my opening foray was landing in Calcutta," Ramey said. He was met by around 150 desperate beggars at the airport, he added, and it didn't get much better from there. "I didn't see the beautiful places in India," he explained. "I was stunned, but it inspired me to be very, very functional."
He had to be. "I would say I shot 2,000 images," Ramey said, referring to both the stock shots of the countries he visited and his photos of orphaned kids. Of those, between 100 and 150 will be used in the DVD, Ramey added.
He took portraits of the orphans and photographs of the children in physical therapy, special-needs situations and in training sessions, Ramey said.
He prefers film photography because the quality is better, but digital was only way to tackle the WACAP project, Ramey said. That involved long days of taking pictures and transferring them to a laptop computer each night.
The images were then burned onto duplicate DVDs. Nonetheless, the thought of losing any of the photos because of computer or copying errors was constantly on his mind. "It was a sickening feeling every night to wipe those (flash memory) cards," he said.
Ramey couldn't provide a copy for this story of any photo of the orphans or foster children he photographed for WACAP because of proprietary considerations. "The number-one priority is to protect the identities of the children." He said 30 to 40 percent of the kids have physical or mental disabilities.
Ramey said he was moved by meeting so many children who could use a good home. "I will tell you, I fell in love with one little girl in an orphanage in Vietnam," he added. "But they were all adorable."
Adopting a child wasn't an option, said Ramey, who is married and has a 17-year-old son. But he can relate. "I am adopted, and so are my brother and sister."
Ramey said the WACAP project was the first time he's had a job that didn't involve trying to sell a product or promote a company or institution such as Seattle Pacific University, where he has also worked as a photographer. "I did it because it might do some good," he said.
There are, however, a couple of side benefits. Ramey figures he can use the material in his classes at the Art Institute, where he's taught for 12 years, but there is also a personal academic angle.
"I'm involved in a master's program in post-secondary education at Argosy University (in Seattle)," he said. "It's my thesis project essentially," Ramey said of the WACAP shoot.
The Art Institute is a great place to work, Ramey said, adding that he appreciates the school letting him go on such a novel sabbatical.
"I was really tired when I got back," Ramey said. And, he added, he would have no problem doing it again. "I would go anywhere."[[In-content Ad]]
