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Aerial Imaging
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Advocacy in Action – Washington, DC

Portfolio: Agriculture & Sustainable Sources

Portfolio: Industrial & Commercial

Portfolio: Education, Livelihoods & Global Health

Just a Minute: video shorts for social media

Nepal in Recovery

Breaking Gender Barriers in Jordan

From Burden to Blessing – Malawi

Experienced and Respectful

For the past 20 years, I’ve filmed and photographed in more than 65 countries worldwide. My passion is for people and for bringing their triumphs and challenges to light.

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jake@jakelyell.com

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My latest is on Instagram:

@lyell_shoots

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Unlike many places in Africa, Mali has just one farming season each year. Families relying on subsistence farming must make the most of the season to ensure their granaries are filled for the coming year. Any shortfall in fall in harvest must somehow be supplemented by working odd jobs for income, which, if available, often involve migrant labor. In recent years, climate change has caused irregularities in the farming cycle, as steady, seasonal downpours give way to droughts and floods. In a country reliant on food imports, the war in Ukraine has also led to a sustained spike in food prices.

I visited Mali's Ségou Region in what should be the season of plenty, where storehouses are normally full of grain from the recent harvest. Yet most families were eating just one or two meals a day, consisting of couscous or millet porridge/paste and a baobab leaf sauce. In the most dire situations, children without enough nutrients have begun to experience malnutrition and are admitted to hospitals where they receive therapeutic foods and formulas.

Yet in the midst of this hardship I saw smiles and laughter. Most of the communal meals I photographed I also took part in, due to the insistent generosity of the hosts. "Today everything is in God’s hands," a farmer named Mamadou reminded me. "Even if what you’re eating is not what you were hoping for, you shall live anyway."
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#mali #sahel #humanitarianphotographer #millet #subsistenceliving #foodcrisis #inflation #africa #africanfarmers #world #worldcolours_people #canonr5 #canonshot #humanity #humanity_shots_ #people_infinity #people_and_world #peopleoftheworld #eyecontact #portraitphotography #africanamazing #ngophotography #facesoftheearth#faces #humanity_shots_ #childrenoftheworld

@lyell_shoots

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Unlike many places in Africa, Mali has just one farming season each year. Families relying on subsistence farming must make the most of the season to ensure their granaries are filled for the coming year. Any shortfall in fall in harvest must somehow be supplemented by working odd jobs for income, which, if available, often involve migrant labor. In recent years, climate change has caused irregularities in the farming cycle, as steady, seasonal downpours give way to droughts and floods. In a country reliant on food imports, the war in Ukraine has also led to a sustained spike in food prices. I visited Mali's Ségou Region in what should be the season of plenty, where storehouses are normally full of grain from the recent harvest. Yet most families were eating just one or two meals a day, consisting of couscous or millet porridge/paste and a baobab leaf sauce. In the most dire situations, children without enough nutrients have begun to experience malnutrition and are admitted to hospitals where they receive therapeutic foods and formulas. Yet in the midst of this hardship I saw smiles and laughter. Most of the communal meals I photographed I also took part in, due to the insistent generosity of the hosts. "Today everything is in God’s hands," a farmer named Mamadou reminded me. "Even if what you’re eating is not what you were hoping for, you shall live anyway." . . . . . . . . #mali #sahel #humanitarianphotographer #millet #subsistenceliving #foodcrisis #inflation #africa #africanfarmers #world #worldcolours_people #canonr5 #canonshot #humanity #humanity_shots_ #people_infinity #people_and_world #peopleoftheworld #eyecontact #portraitphotography #africanamazing #ngophotography #facesoftheearth#faces #humanity_shots_ #childrenoftheworld

2 days ago

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1/9

@lyell_shoots

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Unlike many places in Africa, Mali has just one farming season each year. Families relying on subsistence farming must make the most of the season to ensure their granaries are filled for the coming year. Any shortfall in fall in harvest must somehow be supplemented by working odd jobs for income, which, if available, often involve migrant labor. In recent years, climate change has caused irregularities in the farming cycle, as steady, seasonal downpours give way to droughts and floods. In a country reliant on food imports, the war in Ukraine has also led to a sustained spike in food prices. I visited Mali's Ségou Region in what should be the season of plenty, where storehouses are normally full of grain from the recent harvest. Yet most families were eating just one or two meals a day, consisting of couscous or millet porridge/paste and a baobab leaf sauce. In the most dire situations, children without enough nutrients have begun to experience malnutrition and are admitted to hospitals where they receive therapeutic foods and formulas. Yet in the midst of this hardship I saw smiles and laughter. Most of the communal meals I photographed I also took part in, due to the insistent generosity of the hosts. "Today everything is in God’s hands," a farmer named Mamadou reminded me. "Even if what you’re eating is not what you were hoping for, you shall live anyway." . . . . . . . . #mali #sahel #humanitarianphotographer #millet #subsistenceliving #foodcrisis #inflation #africa #africanfarmers #world #worldcolours_people #canonr5 #canonshot #humanity #humanity_shots_ #people_infinity #people_and_world #peopleoftheworld #eyecontact #portraitphotography #africanamazing #ngophotography #facesoftheearth #faces #humanity_shots_ #childrenoftheworld

1 week ago

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2/9

@lyell_shoots

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Unlike many places in Africa, Mali has just one farming season each year. Families relying on subsistence farming must make the most of the season to ensure their granaries are filled for the coming year. Any shortfall in fall in harvest must somehow be supplemented by working odd jobs for income, which, if available, often involve migrant labor. In recent years, climate change has caused irregularities in the farming cycle, as steady, seasonal downpours give way to droughts and floods. In a country reliant on food imports, the war in Ukraine has also led to a sustained spike in food prices. I visited Mali's Ségou Region in what should be the season of plenty, where storehouses are normally full of grain from the recent harvest. Yet most families were eating just one or two meals a day, consisting of millet porridge/paste and a baobab leaf sauce. In the most dire situations, children without enough nutrients have begun to experience malnutrition and are admitted to hospitals where they receive therapeutic foods and formulas. Yet in the midst of this hardship I saw smiles and laughter. Most of the communal meals I photographed I also took part in, due to the insistent generosity of the hosts. "Today everything is in God’s hands," a farmer named Mamadou reminded me. "Even if what you’re eating is not what you were hoping for, you shall live anyway." #africanportraits #mali #sahel #humanitarianphotographer #humanitarianphotography #subsistenceliving #foodcrisis #inflation #africa #world #worldcolours_people #canonr5 #canonshot #humanity #humanity_shots_ #people_infinity #people_and_world #peopleoftheworld #eyecontact #africanamazing #ngophotography

2 weeks ago

View on Instagram |

3/9

Over the coming week I'll be sharing a few of my photographs from last month's assignment in Mali, where I documented the impact of the current food crisis on some of its most vulnerable families. Unlike many places in Africa, Mali has just one farming season each year. Families relying on subsistence farming must make the most of the season to ensure their granaries are filled for the coming year. Any shortfall in harvest must somehow be supplemented by working odd jobs for income, which, if available, often involve migrant labor. In recent years, climate change has caused irregularities in the farming cycle, as steady seasonal downpours give way to droughts and floods. In a country reliant on food imports, the war in Ukraine has also led to a sustained spike in food prices.

I visited Mali's Ségou Region in what should be the season of plenty, where storehouses are normally full of grain from the recent harvest. Yet most families were eating just one or two meals a day, consisting of millet porridge/paste and a baobab leaf sauce. In the most dire situations, children without enough nutrients have begun to experience malnutrition and are admitted to hospitals where they receive therapeutic foods and formulas.

Yet in the midst of this hardship I saw smiles and laughter. Most of the communal meals I photographed I also took part in, due to the insistent generosity of the hosts. "Today everything is in God’s hands," a farmer named Mamadou reminded me. "Even if what you’re eating is not what you were hoping for, you shall live anyway."
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#mali #sahel #humanitarianphotographer #millet #subsistenceliving #foodcrisis #inflation #africa #africanfarmers #world #worldcolours_people #canonr5 #canonshot #humanity #humanity_shots_ #people_infinity #people_and_world #peopleoftheworld #eyecontact #africanamazing #ngophotography #hunger

@lyell_shoots

•

Follow

Over the coming week I'll be sharing a few of my photographs from last month's assignment in Mali, where I documented the impact of the current food crisis on some of its most vulnerable families. Unlike many places in Africa, Mali has just one farming season each year. Families relying on subsistence farming must make the most of the season to ensure their granaries are filled for the coming year. Any shortfall in harvest must somehow be supplemented by working odd jobs for income, which, if available, often involve migrant labor. In recent years, climate change has caused irregularities in the farming cycle, as steady seasonal downpours give way to droughts and floods. In a country reliant on food imports, the war in Ukraine has also led to a sustained spike in food prices. I visited Mali's Ségou Region in what should be the season of plenty, where storehouses are normally full of grain from the recent harvest. Yet most families were eating just one or two meals a day, consisting of millet porridge/paste and a baobab leaf sauce. In the most dire situations, children without enough nutrients have begun to experience malnutrition and are admitted to hospitals where they receive therapeutic foods and formulas. Yet in the midst of this hardship I saw smiles and laughter. Most of the communal meals I photographed I also took part in, due to the insistent generosity of the hosts. "Today everything is in God’s hands," a farmer named Mamadou reminded me. "Even if what you’re eating is not what you were hoping for, you shall live anyway." . . . . #mali #sahel #humanitarianphotographer #millet #subsistenceliving #foodcrisis #inflation #africa #africanfarmers #world #worldcolours_people #canonr5 #canonshot #humanity #humanity_shots_ #people_infinity #people_and_world #peopleoftheworld #eyecontact #africanamazing #ngophotography #hunger

2 weeks ago

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4/9

Hand made in #indonesia
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#weaving #loom #loomweaving #loomknitting #carpentry #manuallabor #handmade #livelihood #sumba #worldcolors #world #passport

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Hand made in #indonesia . . . . . . #weaving #loom #loomweaving #loomknitting #carpentry #manuallabor #handmade #livelihood #sumba #worldcolors #world #passport

3 weeks ago

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5/9

Isn't it great when Google reminds you of these things? (Actually, it probably isn't.)
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#worldtraveler #jetsetter #jetset #humanitarianphotographer #rvaphotographer #acreativedc #humanitarianaid #google #internetprivacy #aroundtheworld

@lyell_shoots

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Isn't it great when Google reminds you of these things? (Actually, it probably isn't.) . . . . #worldtraveler #jetsetter #jetset #humanitarianphotographer #rvaphotographer #acreativedc #humanitarianaid #google #internetprivacy #aroundtheworld

4 weeks ago

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6/9

Working en vogue: harvest time in #Mali.
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#africa #africanamazing #sahel #agriculture #africanfarmers #millet #humanitarianphotographer #agriculture #hardworkpaysoffs #winnow #harvest #acreativedc #rvaphotographer #onassignment #canonr5 #africanfashion

@lyell_shoots

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Working en vogue: harvest time in #Mali. . . . . . #africa #africanamazing #sahel #agriculture #africanfarmers #millet #humanitarianphotographer #agriculture #hardworkpaysoffs #winnow #harvest #acreativedc #rvaphotographer #onassignment #canonr5 #africanfashion

2 months ago

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7/9

Leaving ✈️ today for Mali. Some of my favorite images I've ever captured are from this corner of the world. Hoping to add a few more.
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#mali #onassignment #sahel #colorsofafrica #africancolors #africapics #facesoftheearth #humanitarianphotographer #portrait #faces_of_our_world #world #worldcolours_people #acreativedc #rvaphotographer

@lyell_shoots

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Leaving ✈️ today for Mali. Some of my favorite images I've ever captured are from this corner of the world. Hoping to add a few more. . . . . #mali #onassignment #sahel #colorsofafrica #africancolors #africapics #facesoftheearth #humanitarianphotographer #portrait #faces_of_our_world #world #worldcolours_people #acreativedc #rvaphotographer

2 months ago

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8/9

Growing up as a sponsored child, Ferina Futboi (2nd picture) learned the power of advocacy and community building at her regular ChildFund-supported Youth Circle meetings. Since children and youth were the ones responsible for making the dangerous hour's journey through the rainforest to collect water, they're the very ones who successfully lobbied their local government to build a well in their village.

“I used to think that I was just a child and didn't have to play a role in our community’s development, in changes in society," says Ferina, who now works as one of ChildFund's local patners in Indonesia. "The impact of the Youth Circle for me personally was that I am even more daring to take a role in positive changes in my village. In the past I considered my duty only as a child and followed all the policies and provisions prescribed by the government, the village, and the community. But at the Youth Circle I realized I needed to take part in that change by getting involved as well.”
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#socialimpact #socialchange #Indonesia #internationaldevelopment #humanitarianphotography #onassignment #ngo #visualstoryteller #waterislife #advocacy #community #childrights #nonprofit #water #childrenoftheworld @childfund

@lyell_shoots

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Growing up as a sponsored child, Ferina Futboi (2nd picture) learned the power of advocacy and community building at her regular ChildFund-supported Youth Circle meetings. Since children and youth were the ones responsible for making the dangerous hour's journey through the rainforest to collect water, they're the very ones who successfully lobbied their local government to build a well in their village. “I used to think that I was just a child and didn't have to play a role in our community’s development, in changes in society," says Ferina, who now works as one of ChildFund's local patners in Indonesia. "The impact of the Youth Circle for me personally was that I am even more daring to take a role in positive changes in my village. In the past I considered my duty only as a child and followed all the policies and provisions prescribed by the government, the village, and the community. But at the Youth Circle I realized I needed to take part in that change by getting involved as well.” . . . #socialimpact #socialchange #Indonesia #internationaldevelopment #humanitarianphotography #onassignment #ngo #visualstoryteller #waterislife #advocacy #community #childrights #nonprofit #water #childrenoftheworld @childfund

2 months ago

View on Instagram |

9/9

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