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Karen O'Hern

@karen_ohern

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Photographer and world traveler.

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Jacob, a 10 year-old who received a life-saving heart transplant this past May, is adjusting to life’s “new normal”.
But what’s his quiet reality as he navigates the ordinary moments of childhood—family, school, sports, and playing with friends—through the lens of an extraordinary second chance?
Guided by unwavering faith and love for Jesus, Jacob and his family have emerged from a grueling nine-month emotional roller coaster. In less than a year, they went from raising a seemingly healthy boy to confronting a life-threatening illness, waiting for a transplant, and ultimately receiving a new chance at life.
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I had the privilege of photographing Jacob last week as part of the Missouri Photo Workshop in Maryville, MO, and documented a bit of that reality. Jacob and his family opened their home and graciously let me shadow their lives to capture this story in images. I'm incredibly grateful and profoundly touched to have met them.
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These photos were displayed at the Maryville Community Open House last Saturday, with the photo story still to come on the @mophotoworkshop website.
@jenwalter, #missouriphotoworkshop, #Maryville_Missouri, #photostory by @karen_ohern

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16 days ago

I'm pleased to see that @folkartmarket used my image in their call for master and traditional folk artisans to apply for participation next summer. The participants represent more than 50 countries and are chosen through a rigorous, competitive selection process. Good luck to all who applied!
This image was taken during the kick-off parade marking the start of the International Folk Art Market this past July. #SantaFe, #NewMexico, #InternationalFolkArtMarket, #TraditionalArtisans, #MasterArtisans, #SantaFeWorkshops, #CulturalPortraits by @karen_ohern

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a month ago

There's a special feeling early morning in the Siberut rainforest that nurtures the soul. #MentawaiPeople, #MentawaiShaman, #MentawaiSikerei, #SiberutRainforest, #Indonesia, #Rainforest, #IndonesiaRainforest, #WestSumatra, #IndigenousPeople, #Jimclinephototour by @karen_ohern

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a month ago

The indigenous Mentawai people have a deep knowledge of the fruits and leaves of the rainforest. It was amazing to walk through the forest with them – me in boots, they in bare feet! – as they selected leaves and fruits, instinctively knowing which to eat and which to save for ceremony. Here Aman Lary pauses for an opportunistic quick snack. #Indonesia, #MentawaiPeople, #MentawaiSikerei, #Rainforest, #IndigenousPeople, #WestSumatra, #SiberutIsland, #jimclinephototours by @karen_ohern

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a month ago

I think the cat had more interest in the bean sprouts than I! #Indonesia, #PadangMarket, #Market, #Padang, #WestSumatra by @karen_ohern

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a month ago

Shifting gears with this post...Padang Market, West Sumatra, Indonesia
#PadangMarket, #Market, #FoodVendors, #Indonesia, #WestSumatra, #Padang, by @karen_ohern

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a month ago

The female sikerei is dressed and ready for ceremony.
When a male declares his interest in becoming a sikerei, he doesn't do it as an individual - it's done jointly with his wife and they both undergo the intensive learning process. However, as in everyday life, the women's role is carried out with some differences. She does not lead major healing rituals nor perform trances. The offering of sacrificial pigs or chicken are also done solely by the male sikerei. #Indonesia, #WestSumatra, #MentawaiPeople, #MentawaiSikerei, #FemaleSikerei, #IndigenousPeople, #Ceremony, #JimClinePhotoTours by @karen_ohern

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a month ago

The Mentawai sikerei make their final touches before the ceremony. #Indonesia, #mentawai, #Mentawaisikerei, #shaman, #Mentawaiceremony, #Westsumatra, #Indigenouspeople by @karen_ohern

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a month ago

A Contemplative Moment.
Kolou, a Sikerei (shaman), sits quietly alone preparing for the upcoming ceremony. #Indonesia, #WestSumatra, #Mentawai, #Mentawaisikerei, #shaman, #Indigenouspeople, #jimclinephototours by @karen_ohern

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2 months ago

Living for thousands of years according to their own spiritual traditions and sustained way of life, deep in the rainforest and largely untouched by modern ways, the Mentawai community is slowly emerging from the shadows and becoming a people of interest to visitors from the Western world.
I feel incredibly privileged and honored to have witnessed and shared with them a small slice of their life. Yet, I’m left with a gnawing concern about the footprint even we may have left behind, despite our intention to “leave no trace” beyond our curiosity, friendship, and respect.
Can we truly visit with our cell phones, laptops, generators, and money without planting a seed that there are things beyond their world that might be acquired, desired, or useful? I don’t know.
I can only hope that, instead, what they felt from us was something deeper and more meaningful: our profound longing for the connection they still have to the land, the animals, the spirits, and to one another. Perhaps that recognition can help strengthen their resolve to preserve their culture, their practices, and their extraordinary way of life despite our presence.
#Indonesia, #Mentawai_people, #Mentawai, #Siberutisland, #Westsumatra, #changingwayoflife, #Indigenouspeople, #jimclinephototours by @karen_ohern

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2 months ago

I was ‘wowed’ by the Piring Plate Dance, a traditional Minangkabau cultural performance where the dancers in beautiful costumes held porcelain plates with lit candles in the palms of their hands and spun and danced to an ever-increasing beat and pace.
Towards the end of the performance, I lifted my camera to capture them dancing barefoot right atop of the broken plates when suddenly, two guys with fire torches entered my frame and then blew out large balls of flame from their mouths. I hit my shutter not knowing what I might have captured and was pleasantly surprised with what the image revealed after I got home. Exciting stuff!

Thanks to @misqul_firdaus for the invitation and for showing us around his spectacular, traditional family home that was over 200 years old.
#Indonesia, #Westsumatra, #Bukittinggi, #Minangkabaupeople, #Piring_plate_dance, #Traditional_cultural_performance, #jimclinephototours, #platedance by @karen_ohern

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2 months ago

I introduced you to Roza and her home in the previous post, but allow me to back up. As I entered her home, Roza led me to the back living area and pointed to some food on the table. Politely declining, I motion to the window behind her where there was better light. She nodded, walked to the window, angled her body, and very comfortably glanced out the window, everything about her body emanating ease.
She didn’t look to me for my approval nor for further direction, but she was instinctively just right! I took her portrait while wondering if she has been observing models get photographed in her home over many photo shoots and mimicked them, or was she at one time a model herself? #Indonesia, #Minangkabau_People, #Bukittinggi, #West_Sumatra, #Highlands_of_Sumatra, #jimclinephototours by @karen_ohern

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