Photographer Angela Conti captures the beauty of African people

The eyes of young and old South Africans shine bright and proud  in the photographs, filled with the hope of a new South Africa–a South  Africa where the future is full of possibilities.
The pictures were  snapped by Los Angeles resident and former educator Angela Conti, who  said she is on a God-given mission to assist South Africans in their  quest to build their country and to secure a bright future.
Conti is  currently on tour with an exhibition of her work that is traveling  through Atlanta and Washington, D. C. to raise funds for several  orphanages and schools in South Africa.
It was several years ago that  Conti picked up a camera for the first time, and according to the  former educator, it was love at first sight. I knew I had found my  calling, said Conti.
I decided to take a photography class, and the  teacher said that although my photos were good, I had just been lucky  to get the shots, recalls Conti.
The words deeply stung the budding  photographer.  Discouraged, Conti abandoned her dreams of photography.   There is so much power in the spoken word, that I put my camera down,  she recalls.
But during a trip to South Africa in 1992 with her  church, Conti once again dusted off her camera and began shooting.   Inspired by the sweeping regal landscape of South Africa and the beauty  and resiliency of its people, Conti experienced what she calls a  life-changing experience.
I was able to capture the spirit of  the people and give them a voice through my photographs, said Conti.
Capturing  the emotion of the moment is one of Contis joys, and aiming her lens  at a joyful young man several years ago resulted in one of her most  popular pictures, entitled Shout.  I was in Johannesburg during their  National Youth Day on June 16 several years ago, recalls Conti.  Its  the day that commemorates the day that African children demonstrated  because they did not want to be forced to learn the white African  language, Afrikaans.  During the demonstration which took place on June  16, 1976, the police shot 200 children.
Conti said that Shout  depicts a young man at the commemoration who was fervently praising God.  Shout has become one of her biggest fundraisers.
Returning from her  trip from South Africa, Conti said she wasnt sure what she should do  with the pictures.  I had just moved into a new house and I needed some  artwork for my home,  Conti recalls,  and I decided to blow up and  frame my South African photographs.  A friend of mine, Jay Brown, came  to my home and began staring at the photographs.  He said, Who took  these photos? When I told him I had, he immediately said, You need to  have an exhibit.
With the help of Brown, Conti held her first  exhibit of photographs at a private home in View Park.
Im not a  trained photographer, but Im a gifted photographer, disclosed Conti.   When God gives us a gift, we think nothing of it, it seems  insignificant.  But once we place it in his hands, it exceeds our  greatest expectations, and we can use that gift to help other people.
Contis  riveting photographs caught the eyes of Dr. David and Mamikie Molapo,  founders of the I CAN Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to  bringing about change in South Africa.  They were just blown away by  my photographs, recalls Conti.  The Molapos invited Conti to join the I  CAN Foundation family as a missionary.
Conti now lives in and  travels throughout South Africa eight months out of the year snapping  photos of its proud people.  The money earned from the photos is used to  fund various projects in South Africa. Not only does Conti snap  photographs, but she is deeply involved in several projects whose  purpose is to educate and empower South Africans.
I do staff  development, leadership training, and team building for the I CAN  Foundation, said Conti, who said she also works as a motivational  speaker.
The photographer is also involved in youth development in  South Africa, traveling to schools to help establish a curriculum for  at-risk youth and serving as an advocate for education.  I challenge  the students to be the new vision and the new voice of South Africa and  not use apartheid as an excuse, but to use that experience as a  foundation to build upon, said Conti.  If they always look to  apartheid as an oppressive organization or structure, then that holds  them there.  They need to go past apartheid and transform the country  into something new, and they can do that through education.
Conti  also serves as an advocate for HIV/AIDS orphans, providing training to  educate South Africans.  I use photographic art to bring awareness and  raise funds to combat this disease, said Conti, who said she is  diligently trying to raise funds for several orphanages established for  children orphaned by AIDS.
Conti also acts as a workshop and seminar  facilitator for womens empowerment, providing leadership training for  South African women.
If that wasnt enough to keep the photographer  and advocate busy, Conti, who served as the chairperson of the Magic  Johnson Foundation/Taylor Michael Group, is also deeply involved with  The Renaissance Group, a group of young people who established the  non-profit organization in June 2006 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
I  had six of the Taylor Michael scholars come to visit me in South  Africa, recalls Conti. From that visit, I showed them some of the  projects that I was involved in and they decided that they wanted to get  involved.
The Renaissance Groups mission is to provide faith-based  outreach through skill and social building initiatives to South African  youth. The Renaissance Group comes to South Africa every year to  conduct a leadership youth conference in Durban, said Conti.
The  international youth organization is also working with the SOS Childrens  Village, which provides homes to children who have been orphaned by  HIV/AIDS; the Sparrows Nest, an in-patient hospice facility offering  care for terminally ill adults and children with HIV/AIDS; Happy Day  Preschool, and Inanda High School where 85 percent of the 1,500 children  are orphans because of HIV/AIDS.
Conti hopes that her photos of  South Africa and its people will continue to educate, enlighten, and  inspire.  As a missionary, I feel blessed to be able to touch the lives  of others, said Conti.