New Mexico: Farming the Desert

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

USA | Friday, July 5, 2013 | 5 photos

My name is Dana Felthauser and I'm a photographer. In my heart anyway.

I first became a photographer when I was 13. I spent a day taking pictures with a friend and his dad's old camera. We went places we had never been, looked at everything more carefully than before, that day we savored where we were and what we were doing more deeply. The next day we looked at our pictures, they were awful, but it was too late. I was hooked.

I soon become inspired by National Geographic Magazine. After telling everyone about my new profession, a thoughtful uncle bought me a subscription.

Now I know being successful as a photographer is a ton of work but for me the experiences will make it all worth while. You can be invited into strangers lives, or explore unique parts of the world and I want to use that opportunity to give back. Using my pictures to facilitate change, even if just changing someone's mind, is incredibly motivating for me to shoot better.

Since I became a photographer I've been many other things, but every job quickly feels like a step in the wrong direction. A step away from my dream to savor and explore life with a camera.

I'm ready to start walking in the right direction.