Earlier this year I learned of a project called 'The Other Hundred', a unique photographic, not-for-profit endeavour aimed as a counterpoint to the clichéd lists of the wealthy and powerful canonized in so much of our media today.

Conceived by Chandran Nair, Founder and CEO of the Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), a Hong Kong-based social venture think tank dedicated to trying to reshape the rules of global capitalism, the big idea behind 'The Other Hundred' was to share the stories of people around the world who are not rich or famous, but whose lives and achievements still deserve to be celebrated.

Explains Nair, “The implication [of those rich lists created by mainstream media] is that being rich is the only way to succeed or live a life of meaning.  The reality is that the majority of the people in the world are not rich and we wanted to tell their side of the story."

I was struck by the concept and mission and immediately decided to submit some of my photography for consideration.  Drawing inspiration from the work that I had done with The Chain Reaction Project in Timor-Leste, I decided to send a collection of imagery I made in the capital city of Dili a few years ago.

My photograph of a young, joyous Timorese woman was selected as one of the 100 featured photo stories (gathered from more than 11,000 images captured in 158 countries and submitted by nearly 1,500 photographers from around the world).  “We received thousands of submissions from photographers of beautiful photos...  But we didn’t want beauty.  We wanted people’s stories,’’ elaborated Nair, adding, ‘’We wanted to demonstrate what success should look like, what prosperity should look like -- this isn’t an anti-rich display by any means... The book is designed to challenge our perceptions of what prosperity really is.’’

Chandran Nair recently appeared on CNN where he spoke of (among other things) 'The Other Hundred' and encouraged people to "look at the world in a different way".

An exhibition of the 'The Other Hundred' photography recently premiered in Hong Kong and will be traveling around the world -- visiting Singapore, Mumbai, Beijing, Berlin, Istanbul, Dubai and New York -- in the months ahead.

'The Other Hundred' is available for purchase on Amazon and at fine booksellers worldwide.

Since 2009 I have worked alongside the inspiring women of The Chain Reaction Project (TCRP), a non-profit philanthropic organization based in Singapore.  United by a passion for adventure and a dedication to helping others, TCRP seeks physical challenges and local organizations that can benefit from their efforts in some of the world's least-developed nations.  TCRP's mission is to be catalysts for change, pushing themselves and inspiring others to tackle a physical or mental challenge for a good cause.

Over the past three years, the women of TCRP have raced in the Tour de Timor, a 5-day, 450-kilometre mountain bike race across Timor-Leste, run the Dili "City of Peace" Marathon and completed the grueling nine day KILI[Man] in Tanzania, summitting the highest peak in Africa over over six days, biking 250km around the mountain over two days and running a full marathon on the final day.  Along their journeys, TCRP has inspired many dozens of other catalysts for change and raised more than USD$100,000 for HIAM-Health, a Dili-based malnutrition rehabilitation and education centre and AmaniKids, a home for Tanzania’s street children and AIDS orphans.

TCRP recently launched their newly-designed website, www.thechainreactionproject.com, and I am very proud that a large selection of the photography I created for them on

their two trips to Timor-Leste is prominently featured there.

This collection of imagery was my personal donation to TCRP: a library of photographs that can be used for their marketing and public relations purposes, and as a way to help garner additional sponsorship and donations for their future philanthropic endeavors.

TCRP's passion, tenacity and dedication to helping others is admirable, and I am honoured to be both their partner and their friend.

See more of my imagery from the ruggedly beautiful nation of Timor-Leste captured on my TCRP documentary shoots in 2009 and 2010.

Last Thursday night, I attended the premier of filmmaker Grant Knisely's documentary The Chain Reaction Project at The Arts House in Singapore.

In August 2009 Grant and I traveled to Timor-Leste with the women of The Chain Reaction Project (TCRP) as they competed in the inaugural Tour de Timor, a five day, 450km adventure mountain bike race across nine of Timor's 13 districts.  Coined "The Ride For Peace", the mountain bike race presented the ladies with a grueling challenge on their way to raising USD$35,000 for HIAM-Health, a clinic dedicated to the rehabilitation of malnourished children in the capital city of Dili.

Grant's uses Timor-Leste's historical suffering as a backdrop for his film -- a result of a brutal 1975 Indonesian military invasion and a subsequent 24-year occupation that left over 100,000 Timorese dead -- while documenting the athletic achievements and selfless philanthropic work of the women of TCRP as well as the passion and dedication of the employees of HIAM-Health to help make a better life for the people of Timor-Leste.

As with many small, independent films, funding is often difficult to come by.  But The Chain Reaction Project was a labour of love for Grant and his small Code Red Films

production company, and he persevered in raising the human interest and the monetary capital necessary to complete his movie.

The end result is a short film that Grant should be very proud of.  Indeed, I am proud to have my photographs featured throughout his documentary, as well as gracing the film's DVD cases and movie posters that were on display Thursday night at The Arts House.

Click here to see a slideshow of my Tour de Timor photography.  More of my imagery of the ruggedly beautiful nation of Timor-Leste and her people can be found here and here.

Zhang Tingjun and the women of the The Chain Reaction Project (TCRP) get some well-deserved love in this month's Reader's Digest (Asia).

Rightfully so, these catalysts for change are named "Heroes" by Reader's Digest; indeed their passion, tenacity and dedication to helping others is valiant.

I feel privileged to have met these women and documented their philanthropic endeavours to Timor-Leste in both 2009 and 2010, including their recent participation in the Dili "City of Peace" Marathon -- as profiled in Reader's Digest -- where they delivered a SGD$28,000 Playpoint playground and more than SGD$10,000 to the children of HIAM-Health.

Next stop for these wonder women: competing in the KILI[Man] in Tanzania from 19-27 February 2011.  This entails summitting the highest peak in Africa over a period of six days, biking 250km around the mountain over two days and running a full marathon on the final day.  All funds that TCRP raises will benefit AmaniKids, a home for Tanzania’s street children and AIDS orphans.

Heroic, indeed.

It was inevitable, really.  Everyone's doing it.  The Year in Review, the Top 10 of 2010, the Best of This and the Best of That.  So why not jump on the bandwagon, I thought, and briefly look back at the year that was my own?

2010 was probably the most challenging year I've ever had as a professional photographer.  Ironically, in hindsight, it was also probably my most rewarding.

Slow business at the onset of 2010 encouraged me to take stock of my marketing communications strategy, which resulted in the launch of a completely redesigned website and this brand new blog, two of the best decisions I made all year.  I was also humbled by some amazing accolades, such as Luerzer Archive's nomination as one of "200 Best Advertising Photographers Worldwide" (2010/11).  And having my photography grace the virtual pages of Adobe's Photoshop.com website and the glossy pages of the Chinese edition of National Geographic Magazine count among my greatest personal achievements of the past year.

But there were many more smaller successes and exciting adventures that I was fortunate enough to experience during 2010 for which I am extremely grateful...

January - I was the best man in one of my closest friends' wedding in London, which gave me the added pleasure of visiting with other dear friends who called the UK home and shooting a personal body of work as part of my ongoing Diana Experiment.

February - I photographed the cover fashion feature for Solitaire, a Singapore luxury jewelry magazine, at the very stylish and inspirational Klapsons Hotel.  My father also came to visit me from Canada and we embarked on an amazing 5-day, 1,700km motorcycle journey throughout Malaysia together.  It was an epic adventure and a wonderful father-son experience.

March - I photographed the cover fashion feature for Inspire, a Singapore luxury travel and lifestyle magazine, aboard a beautiful yacht at the ONE°15 marina club.

April - An assignment for SilkAir's Silkwinds magazine took me to Cambodia for a week-long commission to shoot charitable organizations that specialize in helping homeless street children in the capital of Phnom Penh.  I also had the added fortune of visiting Siem Reap and the magnificent temples of Angkor while I was in Cambodia.  It was my third time touring the ancient city complex, but it only seems to grow more and more impressive to me.

May - My dear friends and frequent creative collaborators, Mike Rogers and Meghan Shea, returned to Singapore for a few months.  It is always a joy to partner with them, both personally and professionally. During their time in Singapore we worked on a personal project about the city-state's bird singing community, an esoteric and fading tradition in Singapore's heartlands.

June - This was my busiest travel month of the entire year.  I visited Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Canada and Timor-Leste in the course of 30 days, but the highlight was undoubtedly my time spent in Dili mid-month with Mike and the rest of The Chain Reaction Project.

July - My trip to Canada stretched from late-June into early-July.  It is always a pleasure to return home to my family in Ontario, and among the best moments of those visits are the times I get to spend playing with my young nieces, Paige and Brooke.

August - My close friend Peter owns a ridiculously beautiful Aston Martin DB9 in Australia.  And when he invited me to join him in Australia for a road trip from Sydney to Melbourne and then along the legendary Great Ocean Road and back to Sydney again, saying no was not an option.  Yet another great motoring adventure in 2010.

September - Way back in January I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of hours meeting and making portraits of Hollywood icon Oliver Stone.  Directing and photographing Mr. Stone was the most nervous and intimidated I've ever been during an assignment. Ironically, I shouldn't have felt either nervous or intimidated: he was among the most gracious and patient subjects with whom I've ever had the pleasure to work.  I had to keep the photos under wraps for nine long months until the commissioning magazine, The Rake, published them in September to coincide with the release of Stone's film, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps.

October - In October my commercial work started to grow, and I shot campaigns for GlaxoSmithKline and Meritus Mandarin Hotels, as well as went into pre-production for a Unilever campaign.  In late October we took a much-deserved long weekend to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Penang, Malaysia where we wined and dined at some of the city's most popular hawker stalls and best restaurants.

November - American Express Centurion Magazine published "A Tale of Two Cities", a feature I shot in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam a couple of months earlier. Having lived in Saigon in 1998/99, it was so

enjoyable to return and see old friends and how much the city had grown and developed in the past dozen years.

December - I write this retrospective from a lounge chair by the pool at the beautiful Rachamankha boutique hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand where we have come to celebrate New Year's Eve and enjoy a short holiday at the end of a long year.

Happy New Year, everyone, wherever you are on this last day of 2010.

I was recently invited to give the opening address at the 27th Annual Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS) Model United Nations Convention at Singapore American School (SAS).

There were nearly 200 students and teachers present at the conference from more than a dozen school across Asia.  It was a true privilege for me to speak to an auditorium filled with intelligent, creative and articulate young people.

The central theme of my presentation was You never know if you never go.  I try to live by this philosophy, and I highlighted many touchstones in my life where I took a leap of faith and chose my own adventure: my decision to travel to Asia, to accept an offer to work for Coca-Cola in Singapore, to leave the corporate world to pursue my photography passion and, laterally, the choices I made to work with both Mike Rogers in Bhutan and The Chain Reaction Project in Timor-Leste.

I explained a bit about what The Chain Reaction Project is all about, and how these women have made a difference in the world.  I then showed the audience the slideshow I created for The Chain Reaction Project on their most recent philanthropic endeavour in Dili.

I wrapped-up by explaining that, for me, my work with both Mike and women of The Chain Reaction Project has been a wonderful by-product of choosing my own adventure: meeting and working with inspiring people, having the ability and means to explore the corners of the world, and being given the creative freedom to make photographs that I am truly passionate about.

I suggested that just by being in the auditorium, each of those students had already chosen their own adventure, and I encouraged them to take the Model UN experience to meet others and share themselves and their passions -- whatever they may be -- with as many of their peers as possible, and to keep doing this as they continued to pursue their dreams in high school, in college, in their careers, and beyond.  If they did this, and if they opened themselves up to opportunity, I promised that the serendipity of life would take them amazing places.  But, they'll never know if they never go.

When the opening ceremony ended, I answered a few questions and then proceeded back to my studio in the city and a regular day at work.  With the exception of harping on a few technical difficulties that occurred during my presentation, I honestly gave my Model UN address very little further thought.

That was until a couple of nights ago, when there was a knock at the door to my home.

It was Mimi Molchan, the SAS teacher who organized, and invited me to speak at, the Model UN event.

I was very surprised to see Mimi standing there.

But I was even more surprised by what she had for me: in her hand was a bag, an envelope and a note, addressed to The Chain Reaction Project, which read:

Hi Ladies,

On Thursday, November 11th Mr. Scott Woodward came to Singapore American School and gave the opening address to 160 delegates and 33 advisors for the 27th Annual IASAS Model United Nations Convention.  Scott was very engaging and did an absolutely fantastic job.  He had everyone in the palm of his hand as he spoke about the importance of finding a cause and then giving to that cause.  He inspired everyone and I know everyone took something away with them from his message.

I appreciate very much the time, effort and care Scott put into his presentation.  It truly set a very positive, reflective

tone for the convention that continued on for the next three days.

In the bag you will find change that the International School of Manila [ISM] and International School of Bangkok [ISB] students handed me as they got on the bus heading to the airport on Sunday, November 14th.  I was talking to one of their advisors explaining we were thinking of making a donation to The Chain Reaction Project.  One of the kids heard us talking and they asked the rest of the kids to give me all their change as they got on the bus.

The ISM kids told the ISB kids, and then the ISB kids gave me all their change.  I had nothing to put it in, so I took the bottom of my t-shirt and held it out and the kids filled my shirt with their coins.  We collected S$96.71 in a matter of minutes.  That was cool.

In the envelope you will [also] find a contribution [of S$650.00] from IASAS that you may use in any way you feel is beneficial.  You are making a difference in this world.

Thank you.

Mimi Molchan

I am so touched by the students' and Mimi's caring, thoughtfulness and generousity; their kindness was so unexpected.

I met Ting and Alex, two of the founders of The Chain Reaction Project, for lunch the very next day.  I could hardly wait to share with them the story and present them with the (nearly) $750 donation for their next philanthropic adventure: competing in the Kiliman Adventure Challenge in Tanzania in February 2011 to benefit the children of Amani Children's Home.

Ting and Alex were as grateful, and as moved, by the gesture as I was.

The IASAS community, too, is making a difference in this world.

Yesterday we rolled out Issue #2 of the SCOTT eNewsletter, featuring some of my latest work, including photography of Hollywood icon Oliver Stone captured in Singapore, photo reportage from The Chain Reaction Project's latest philanthropic endeavour in Timor-Leste, and Karma Life Yoga's advertising campaign shot in Shanghai.

Inspired by the covers of the countless magazines scattered around my studio, this HTML-coded electronic direct marketing initiative is my way of sharing links to my latest and most exciting photographic adventures.

Issue #1 was distributed at the end of July.

If you would like to receive this eNewsletter in the future, then please subscribe to my mailing list.

Jasmine Wong, one of the founding members of The Chain Reaction Project (TCRP), wrote this article for September 2010 issue of Singapore's Shape Magazine about her experience running the Dili Marathon and TCRP's support of HIAM-Health in Timor-Leste.

A handful of the photographs that I made during TCRP's race, as well as at HIAM-Health, illustrate Jasmine's editorial.

It is fantastic to see the TCRP initiative -- as well as its founders and supporters -- getting this deserving recognition.

And, on a personal note, it is very rewarding to see my photography supporting TCRP's efforts.  My work with The Chain Reaction Project is a wonderful by-product of running my own photography business: meeting and working with inspiring people, having the ability and means to travel and explore the corners of the world, meet new and interesting people and being given the creative freedom to make photographs that tell a story.

See more photography from the ruggedly beautiful nation of Timor-Leste captured on my documentary shoots with TCRP in 2009 and 2010.

Last night was the official screening of the documentary film and photographic work that Mike Rogers and I created for The Chain Reaction Project (TCRP) in Timor-Leste two months ago.

More than 100 people attended the outdoor screening and fundraiser at Singapore's Mount Emily.  I always get a little anxious sharing my photography with a large group of people, but I am proud to say the work that both Mike and I produced for TCRP was warmly received.

As background, TCRP is a non-profit philanthropic organization born in 2009 when four extremely inspirational women in Singapore -- Ting, Alex, Jas and Anina -- committed to help change lives in some of the world's least-developed nations.

United by a love of adventure and a passion for philanthropy, TCRP seeks physical challenges and local organizations that can benefit from their efforts.

TCRP's journey began in August 2009 with the Tour de Timor, a 5-day, 450-kilometre mountain bike race across Timor-Leste.  Using the race as a platform and harnessing the power of social networking and media, TCRP successfully raised awareness for Timor and more than SGD$50,000 for HIAM-Health, a Dili-based malnutrition

rehabilitation and education centre for parents and children.

This past June, TCRP returned to Timor-Leste.  But this time a group of 22 "Catalysts for Change" joined them in running the Dili "City of Peace" Marathon to raise awareness for the poverty-stricken nation and its people, as well as to continue their support of HIAM-Health.

Together they delivered a SGD$28,000 Playpoint playground and more than SGD$10,000 for the children of HIAM-Health.

This is my personal donation to TCRP: a documentary slideshow of their journey and efforts that can be used as a marketing tool and a way to garner additional sponsorship and donations for their future endeavors.

See more photography from the ruggedly beautiful nation of Timor-Leste captured on my documentary shoots with TCRP in 2009 and 2010.

To view this video in HD, click here.

**If you are having trouble viewing the video, please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player here.**

Like the slideshow I produced for The Chain Reaction Project (TCRP) after last year's Tour de Timor, I am in the process of creating a new presentation that documents the work TCRP did on their most recent philanthropic adventure to Timor-Leste this past June.

It is a tedious task -- culling through the thousands of photographs I made in Timor, and choosing just the right images to tell TCRP's story -- but I do love it.  I was up last last night, editing and re-editing my selections and retouching the best pictures for inclusion in my slideshow, which will be completed and presented at TCRP's fund-raising event next Saturday night in Singapore.

As I worked away on my images last evening, I came across this trio of photographs I made at the river bed on the outskirts of Dili.  During Timor's dry season, the river bed is quarried for stone and gravel for the many construction projects in and around the capital city.  It is quite a sight to behold: dozens and dozens of men shoveling and throwing and sifting dirt and rock from sunrise to sunset.

From the bridge high above the river bed, the scene reminded me of armies of ants toiling away on their ant hills...

In August 2009 I visited the ruggedly beautiful country of Timor-Leste to document The Chain Reaction Project (TCRP) as they competed in the inaugural Tour de Timor adventure mountain bike race.

TCRP is a non-profit philanthopic organization comprised of four women from Singapore who search for unique sports- and adventure-themed opportunities to help change lives.  Their mantra is to be catalysts for social change through sport, and inspire others to take up a physical or mental challenge for a good cause.

The Tour de Timor was a personal initiative by Timor's President, Jose Ramos-Horta, to help raise awareness of the plight of this fledgling state on the 10th anniversary of it's independence from Indonesia.  More than 300 cyclists from across the globe raced for a grueling 5 days/450km across nine of Timor’s 13 districts.

The women of TCRP raised USD$35K in private donations and corporate sponsorship which, at the end of the race, was donated to HIAM-Health, a Dili-based malnutrition rehabilitation and education centre for parents and children.

My personal contribution to TCRP was to accompany them on this cycling adventure and document their journey; the result is the slideshow of my photography presented here.

In a few days, TCRP will once again be returning to Timor-Leste to participate in the inaugural Dili City of Peace Marathon, running 42 kilometers up mountains, through native villages and along pristine coastlines of this country that not long ago was ravaged by civil war.  Like last year, the four women of TCRP -- this time accompanied by a group of 50 "catalyst" runners -- will be competing to raise awareness for the poverty-stricken country of Timor-Leste and its people, as well as to once again help raise funds for HIAM-Health.

I will also be returning to Timor-Leste to photograph TCRP's adventure.  However, this time I will be accompanied by my close friend and documentary filmmaker, Mike Rogers, who will join me to film the journey, as well as HIAM-Health and the impact that TCRP's monetary donation is having on the facility.

More of my photographs of Timor-Leste and her people can be found here.

To view this video in HD, click here.

**If you are having trouble viewing the video, please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player here.**