Dwayne & Margaret's Photo Gallery

• Natasha Schmale, our newest photographer, takes photos at a literacy materials production session. These folks are Wycliffe staff serving with the Evangelical Church of Guinea-Bissau's translation project, featured in our Fall 2012 issue.

• Our photographers' work doesn't end once they have taken pictures for Word Alive magazine. They must sort, edit and colour correct photos for including in Word Alive. Here, Natasha Schmale and Alan Hood review colour printer proofs to decide what final touches are necessary before the magazine goes to press.

• Word Alive excursions can be a hard work, but we have a lot of laughs, too. Here, photographer Alan Hood and I pose with a street performer in Barcelona, Spain, where we gathered stories and photos about Bible translation into sign language for the Deaf.

• Every Word Alive trips seems to have its surprises. In Guinea-Bissau, this young woman, who we met by accident one day, escorted us to a place in the capital city where animistic rituals are practiced. The visit became fodder for my Foreword column in our Fall 2012 issue.

• This little Creole school in Guinea-Bissau was a sobering reminder about how blessed we are with our education system in Canada.

• I make many new friends on Word Alive trips, some of whom we work very closely with over the days we are there. This is Jacob, who was a huge help as a translator during our magazine interviews in Guinea-Bissau for the Fall 2012 issue.

• Not knowing the language of the groups we visit can be a huge barrier. But we try everything to connect with them, like this high-five session with children during a school recess in Guinea-Bissau. I can imagine what they are thinking: "Who is this crazy man?"

• Word Alive trips involve a lot of travelling--by plane, car, train, etc. This trip in Guinea-Bissau over (fortunately) dry roads rattled our bones most of the way!

• In Arame, Guinea-Bissau, we visited a pre-school literacy class. They went outside of their schoolroom to practise drawing/writing in the dirt. This little event became the subject of our cover photo for the Fall 2012 issue.

• In Guinea-Bissau, I peppered the vice-president of the Evangelical Church with lot's of questions. Speaking of questions, I remember this little poem I read somewhere for journalists: I have six honest working men; They taught me all I know. Their names are Who, and What and Where and When and Why--and How. Well, something like that....

• My other crucial tool is my handy digital recorder--better than a notebook to capture everything someone says during an interview. Here, Pastor Bria, a Bible translator in Timor, talks about his other life as a farmer.

• Here I'm interviewing Barbara Grimes in Timor. I ask a lot of questions and our Wycliffe colleagues overseas are always patience with me. Having someone visit who is curious about what they do is often an encouragement to them.

• On all our Word Alive story-gathering visits, our most important tools are cameras and notepads.

• On a Word Alive assignment in Australia with photographer Alan Hood.