Monday I had the sincere privilege of photographing my third (and personal favorite) Charity Water Ball. Charity Water’s mission of clean water for every person on the planet and their artistic initiatives through photography and video have played a huge role in my photographic style not only from a color and documentary standpoint but from a mission standpoint. I want every image I make to matter. I want the subjects in my photos to matter.
To say the least I was excited to be there.
This year’s Charity Water Ball was a little different than years past. Usually there it was a huge group of attendees somewhere between 700-1000, and the room was always large, loud, and exhibits on clean water initiatives surrounded the main stage when no one was speaking or the auction wasn’t going on.
In 2015, Charity Water changed it up. The event was much smaller (about 400 guests), and it was held at the amazing Metropolitan Museum of Art in the heart of New York City. From photos by “The Great Hall” to the main meeting space being an Egyptian temple, this one was special.
The small intimate feel was very cool and made it seem more like a get-together to hear how everyone’s friend Scott Harrison and their favorite charity was doing.
The main thing I was excited about was something no one had ever done at this scale: Virtual Reality. My friend and super-filmmaker Jamie Leigh Pent spent 8 months creating an immersive VR film about a young Ethiopian girl and the lack of good drinking water affected her life. Every guest at the event was able to wear a VR headset and experience the film together. It was cool to watch and see everyone fully engaged in this piece of art.
It was great to take a few portraits of some folks I’ve looked up to in the Met’s Great Hall so I’ve included just a few.
*Meeting Tony Hawk, Rob Bell, Jeremy Cowart, Branden Harvey, Depeche Mode, and Cubby Graham were all bonus!
Find out more about Charity Water Ball
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