View allAll Photos Tagged StayFocused
Everglades National Park, Florida
© 2012 Kevin Barry, All Rights Reserved.
This photo may not be used in any form without written permission from the photographer.
To see more of my work, go to www.kevinbarryphotos.com
7/6/10
Today, I woke to the sound of raindrops hitting the rooftop. But, luckily, the skies cleared in time for the kids to catch a helicopter ride over Grand Cayman before we headed to the airport. While looking out over the ocean where turquoise waters meet the dark blues of the deep canyon, I had a chance to reflect on the experiences from the past two weeks. This is year seven of Stay-Focused and the organization has grown incredibly during this time under the leadership of Roger, the founder and president. Several dozen teenagers with disabilities have learned to SCUBA dive over these seven years and in the process have learned much about themselves. Just as it sometimes takes a bird-eye’s view of Cayman from a helicopter to realize that the island is so much more than a beautiful patch of sand or the yummy blended drinks at a resort, it takes a moment of introspection to realize that the Stay-Focused experience is so much more than the SCUBA diving. The kids in the program have accomplished so much against so many challenges just to make it down to the island. They traveled thousands of miles and lived up to a responsibility code that requires an adult level of responsibility and accountability. They have met all of these expectations while maintaining the optimism and energy of youth. Looking back at the experience thus far, I feel privileged and honored to have met these individuals and traveled part of this road with them.
“Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.”
W. Chicago Ave & Fairfield, Las Vegas Nevada.
I made this image as encouragement, based on the piñata song
the lyrics are something like this,
"Hit it, hit it. do not miss the target.
Because if you lose it, you lose your way
6/29/10
Though diving with the Stay-Focused (www.stay-focused.org) kids is one of the most rewarding things for me, I had a wonderful time cruising over the North Wall with Chris Brandson, an extremely talented diver, videographer, photographer, and all-around nice guy. Chris has been volunteering for Stay-Focused for several years. He started by documenting the underwater achievements on video for the kids. Over the past few years, he has spent more time contributing as an instructor as this need increased.
I remember several years back, I started bringing my little point-and-shoot camera underwater in a waterproof housing. At that time, photography in general had already been a passion for several years but I had very little experience taking a camera underwater. It was Chris’s beautiful creations (video and photo) as well as the control and proficiency he showed underwater maneuvering with so much photography/videography gear that inspired me to pursue this discipline. I remember the first time that Chris handed me his underwater camera rig on a dive. After one click, I was hooked. I’ve enjoyed so many years of fulfillment since then. Now, it’s just as natural for me to grab my camera for a dive as it is for me to put on my mask, fins, regulator, or tank.