David Johnson was tired of the Western media exploiting Africa with scenes of death and destruction while giving back little in return.

And every time he traveled overseas on summer breaks during the eight years he taught English at Providence Day School, he became more convinced that new and different stories were waiting to be told.

Three years ago, Johnson, 34, dropped his correcting pen and picked up his long-lens camera full-time to document those stories in two picture books spotlighting Africa.

His giveback – all profits go to dig wells in Sudan and provide micro-business loans to African women. His first book raised $50,000.

“I’m just kind of looking for stories that I feel aren’t being told well,” says the Charlotte Catholic High and UNC-Chapel Hill grad.

As president of the Charlotte-based nonprofit, Silent Images, Johnson has turned his lens on street children in Kenya, sex trafficking in Cambodia and homeless youth in Charlotte. His latest book, “Voice of Beauty,” spotlights African women, young and old.

“The thing I began to see through the lens of my camera was the strength, beauty and resilience the women had held on to, in spite of their conditions,” says Johnson. “No one really shows off their beauty. Of course, if you have been to Africa, you see their beauty everywhere. I want to help people come to a fresh perspective on the African woman.”

So how does a soft-spoken, Southern male gain entry to the inner reflections of another gender, let alone multiple cultures?

The answer is a combination of networking, respect and old-fashioned chutzpah.

Johnson honed many of his cross-cultural skills while serving as lead photographer for mission trips. He’s a member of Steele Creek Church in southwest Charlotte. For “Voice of Beauty,” he got a grant from the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia that paid his expenses.

He also hitched a plane ride with country music group Big and Rich after lead singer Big Kenny saw his first book, “Voices of Sudan,” and e-mailed him. And each time he went to a different African country, Johnson tagged along with local nonprofit workers and got them to make introductions. The results: pictures that mirror the intimacy of everyday life in Africa.

“You can’t go to Africa and just take pictures,” notes Johnson. “I would explain to people that I didn’t want to steal their dignity but to tell their story and to bring aid.”

“Voice of Beauty” portrays women and children from Darfur, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda, among other countries. It’s interspersed with inspirational quotes, scripture, stories of some of the women and a call to action. It includes a CD by a young African-American performer who was discovered while living on the streets of Nashville and a tribute to a 13-year-old Charlotte girl who died of cancer.

If the book seems to travel from person to person and topic to topic, Johnson is quite all right with that. “Really, photography is not my passion,” he notes. “My passion is talking to people.”

Voice of Beauty is available locally at area bookstores, through Amazon.com and the Silent Images Web site www.silentimages.org.

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