Tibetan nomads and Alison Wright

I came across this photojournalism report today- "Tibetan Nomads, Remote in a Remote Land" by Alison Wright, and I'm quite blown away. The photos are amazing (I especially love slide 10- 'Yak Herder'), of nomadic Tibetans in remote areas of Tibet, where sadly, their culture is coming to an end as Chinese rule is forcing them into concrete living and out of the plains. The more you read about Tibetans, it's hard not to feel a tragic sense of hopelessness for them. They're culture, religion, identity was taken away and for the older Tibetans, they're dying wish to see the Dalai Lama and gain some sense of compassion back is practically impossible. Worse off, for parts of Tibet, as Wright put it, "These people are just going to be put into a museum, which is really sad. There are these little “Tibet Museums.” They’re like Tibetans in a home. It’s so creepy. People pay money. It’s like, “Look at the Tibetan, sitting there with the yak, get your picture taken with him.” I mean, it’s a human zoo." " Sigh..

It was inspiring to learn of a photojournalist with purpose, too. Alison Wright is a fantastic photographer for National Geographic, but has also set up an international aid fund, Faces for Hope, for communities that she has passed through while documenting. What's quite great is that photography can hold a filter through which you see the world, no matter how 'real' you want a shot to come out, there's always a lens, a separation from you and that moment. But Alison Wright has found a way to connect with the world, the people, the compassion she has found through her lens; she hasn't let the simple beauty of the world and her photographs become her aim.