On Worldfund's 6th anniversary, December 9, 2008, a photographer who was inspired by his experience at Worldfund's June 2008 gala published his first photo book. Class of Contrast, by Matthew Carasella, takes readers inside the classrooms and homes of disadvantaged children attending Worldfund's partner school Escola Estrela do Mar (the "Starfish School") in Alagoas, Brazil. The contrast between the school and home environments provides a vivid image of how the Starfish School is working to break the vicious cycle of poverty in the community it serves.
"Although most of my time was spent teaching and
photographing within the clean, secure walls of the school, I knew a world of
contrast existed beyond the classroom. Stories recounted told of the horrors of
murder, drugs, poverty, unemployment and generations of illiteracy. These words
were hard to visualize because the images within the school were quite different.
Perhaps it was denial until I stepped into the neighborhood on that final day."– Matthew Carasella
Proceeds from book sales will benefit Worldfund and Little Shutterbugs.
About the Photographer
Matthew Carasella
began his photography career at Popular Photography Magazine in 2003 where he
produced Digital Days, a digital
photography-training workshop across the United States. After leaving
the magazine, he worked as a photographer for Patrick McMullan Company
from 2005-2008. Matthew currently owns and
operates Social Shutterbug. In addition to his event photography
business, he started a photography workshop series for children called Little
Shutterbugs.
To view Matthew's work, please visit www.matthewcarasella.com.
