I haven’t been able to shake the idea that I need to be at Story Chicago next month, but financially it’s just wasn’t going to happen for me. Then God confirmed in some pretty obvious ways that I need to be there, so I’m taking a leap of faith and committing to going.

I feel so pulled to this idea of ‘story’. There’s this idea that we’re supposed to stop loving stories when we grow up, but that’s not true. Why do you think the film industry is booming? We love being transported into another world, we love story.

Our hearts crave story.

Take this photograph, as an example. I took it at a school last summer when I was working out in Uganda. There are lots of statistics I could tell you about child mortality in Uganda, about access to education, about gender equality, and so on. But the photograph tells the story in a different way.

Without clear and compelling stories, are lives are poorer.

And what about Jesus? He was a master storyteller. He sat around telling stories for days on end, forgetting about food, so caught up in the cadence and rhythm of a great story.

My dream of taking photographs that change the world is crazy, I know that. But they called Jesus crazy too. I’m desperate to be as good as I can be at storytelling, visually and verbally. I love being able to share stories on this blog, and my job lets me tell the stories of what Christian Aid is doing too. Being at Story Chicago is a way to give my heart and head some space to dream again about what storytelling means, about what it means to take photographs that change the world. It doesn’t hurt that it’s in a city that I love, that inspires me so much.

I’ve already been blown away by the generosity of friends & strangers in helping me make it to Story…. but I still need a little help. I need around £350 to book flights and then a bit more to hire a car.

Hire me?

I’m offering you a special deal over the next few weeks…. You can get an hour-long session with me, at your home or on location, and 5 high-resolution images, for £50/ $80.
It’s time-limited: I’ll be in Glasgow until Oct 23rd, or in Chicago 25 Oct – 1 Nov, or LA on 3 – 7 Nov. Dates are all a little flexible until I firm up flight details. Anyone interested? It’s a great chance to have some new portraits taken, get some family photographs, or whatever else you fancy! If you’re interested drop me an email on emma@emmaboyd.co.uk.

There are, of course, other ways to help: Maybe you have a ton of airmiles you’d like to donate to buy my flight? Or you can just donate via Paypal. Or buy a print of a photograph from my website or flickr account. If you need anymore information on those again, drop me an email at the address above.

I’m so excited to see how God’s going to provide for this, and to be at Story!