Documentary Photography - Proposals from Melissa Fargo Photography

I have submitted two proposals to "Name your Dream Assignment" project. I came across this opportunity fairly late and there are only a few days left for voting. I am hoping that you will vote for me and that you will ask your friends to take a look as well.

Both project proposals are close to my heart and I intend to work on them both. One is a project that has been ongoing as time allows and the other is one I have been thinking about for some time. To continue with either and especially the proposal for the ongoing project looking at rituals in faith, I need funding to properly execute. Please take a look and vote for one..or both! You can click on the buttons on this blog for "Name your Dream Assignment" and be taken to one of the specific proposals.

As many of you know, I have been a traveler and have a love of cultures and telling the stories of people all over the world. One of my submitted projects is something I have been working on off and on for quite some time is focused on the exploration of ritual as it is applied to faith. I would like to continue and expand on this project exploring rituals within faith and expand on the project to include the changing spiritual landscape, as the world becomes a more global village. One religion is often practiced quite differently if different regions. A mythological story may be practiced quite literally or a mystical approach of the same faith may be practiced. The practice of faith is ever changing and needs to continue to evolve to stay relevant in a modern, global world. Today rituals are often interchanged between faiths and fusion religions are emerging that incorporate theory and ritual from Eastern and Western faiths. . I would like to explore the ancient rituals and mysticism still practiced today and how the changing world is altering our spiritual landscape.

I would like to partner with an expert in religious customs and pair writing with images to create a coffee table book. I would also like to produce an educational documentary on the project.

The unity of man reaches beyond biology and into spiritual history. Religious practices and images originate from the same mythologies and stories that are interpreted using different imagery and practices. Rituals provide outward expressions of faith and are used in effort to reach a place transcendent of thought and words. The major faiths in both the East and the West seek a union or communion with a God or One and mythology offers clues of mankind’s long search for unity. With a potentiality to unite, man continues to destroy for the right to the claim of being the chosen people.

Joseph Campbell wrote that myths are the world’s dreams and rituals are the mythological rites that guide in the process of becoming. They teach how to live a human life under any circumstances. He made the argument that we are not seeking the meaning of life, but rather the experience of being alive. Mythology and ritual offer clues of mankind’s long and changing search for a God or One.

I am adding a few of the photos from this project here and you can see more on my site in the "World Faith" section.

My second proposal concerns Everyday Heroes and is intended to be a photo essay honoring some ordinary people living extraordinary lives. We don't hear about them nearly often enough, but have all come across them at times. These are the people you will never forget. They are those that step up and do extraordinary things while asking for nothing. I have been inspired by these people that quietly make the world a better place and I would like to be able to put that inspiration out there in the world for others.

This is a really special opportunity and I know that whichever project is chosen, it will be a deserving one!