Photography at the Service of Mission by Jadwiga Figula

I was born and raised in a small village named Pcim, in the mountainous region of southern Poland. I have six siblings, two brothers and four sisters. After I received my Master’s Degree in Krakow, I took the opportunity to move to Austin, Texas where I graduated from the department of photography. Shortly after, I went to Liberia, West Africa where I spent two years as an SMA Lay Missionary.

Photography became my mission—or I can say the mission became my photography. Here I learned to see life from a different perspective and to see beauty in it, learned how to wait and just “to be” in the moment with another person.

Through photography I like to embrace and celebrate a person, an aspiration, an idea, to show beauty in it and bring out the best of the spirit in every subject. I love exploring the world we live in and meeting people, seeing different cultures and different ways of doing things. To me, the camera is like a magical eye which captures aspects of life that are often overlooked. Photography unveils new perspectives and reveals new discoveries. It is my life’s passion. I am very grateful for the gifts which God has given me, for the opportunity to discover my life’s calling and for being able to grow and learn more about life through the images I shoot.