visual story telling & education
‘The River Gambia Expedition – 1044km source-sea African odyssey‘
Tales from a mighty West African river…
To read (and see) more about our River Gambia journey, please visit rivergambiaexpedition.com
The Florios – Helen & Jason
Rewind to: 11th Sept 2001 – I remember being on the #52 bus on the way home, from Nottinghill Gate to Kensal Rise, in London,UK, when I received a phone call from a friend to tell me the staggering news of what was unfolding in New York City – the first tower had just gone down. Little did we know as we watched the news back to back well into the night – until a mutual friend told us the next day – that Jason had been down at the World Trade Center as the towers fell. Thankfully, he is still around to tell the story. His recounting of the hours he spent down there, and seeing his photos, still make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Some years later…
… Jason and I walked out of our apartment building, off 6th Avenue, NYC, and retraced his route downtown… following the exact path he took, as he ran towards the World Trade Center (as most people were running away from it) on a truly tragic, seminal, day: September 11th, 2001.
Jason photographed, ‘9/11 Redux‘, the same locations that he had shot on ‘9/11/2001‘ – a confluence of two contrasting periods in time… yet, not altogether dissimilar…
All images © Jason Florio
June 2012: ‘Captain Patricia (Patty) Mack – pictured above – is a retired New York Courts Officer. In 2001, her being a first sponsor – along with her husband Tim – comes with special meaning. I photographed her on September 11th 2001, just a few minutes after she appeared from the rubble of the collapse of the World Trade Center’s south tower. We had not communicated since that life changing time, but we were recently re-acquainted when she kindly agreed to be in the documentary I have been working on with my colleague, Neville Elder about our experiences photographing that tragic day‘ Jason Florio – See more on Vimeo: ‘Return to Ground Zero’ (currently in post-production).
To view then and now: ‘New York City 09.11.2001‘ & ‘9.11 Redux‘
In remembrance to all those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001.
Earlier in March, along with friend and writer, Matthew Power (we miss you dearly, Matt), Jason spent a few days with Levison Wood on the Uganda section of his historic walk.
Now, explorer, Lev, has just completed his incredible journey. The first person to walk almost the entire length of the River Nile, in Africa, from it’s source to the sea – fighting in South Sudan meant he had to abandon a 450-mile section. But still, come on, credit where credit is due…he covered a whopping 3750miles! When Jason and I made a mere 930km walk around The Gambia, in 2009, we met people along the way who frequently announced that ‘your donkeys will be dead in two days!‘ and/or ‘it is not possible for someone to walk that far‘! We can’t wait to hear what incredulous comments Lev would most definitely have heard along the way.
We are looking forward the forthcoming documentary about the journey. In the meantime, you can read all about Lev’s epic adventure here: ‘Walking the Nile‘.
The Florios – Helen & Jason
Bonjour, ça va?
Tomorrow, we head down deep into southern France, the Languedoc-Roussillon region, for our first foray into what is the 26th year of ‘Visa pour l’image’ – ‘…the premier International Festival of Photojournalism held in Perpignan, France. This festival is a unique event where you can join thousands of kindred spirits who share a love and passion for photography. View the greatest photojournalist work from around the world in exhibitions across the city… . ‘ Nous sommes trés excité!
We have our new calling cards, printed and ready to hand out…
Peut-être nous vous y voir?
à bien tôt!
The Florios – Helen et Jason
