Island life

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Sunday, October 17, 2010 | flickr photos

Hi there! My name is Fabi Fliervoet and I’m from the tiny (34 sq. miles), cosmopolitan Caribbean island of St. Maarten. I’m currently 24 years old, studying my Masters in Environmental Resources in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, a place far away (and much colder) from my home. During my studies in The Netherlands I got the blues, picked up a camera from a friend and ever since felt revived. This small hobby quickly turned out to be a serious, passionate, but also very much fun thing to do every day. Now photography literally rules my everyday life and I can't imagine a day without my camera. This camera has become a part of my body and knowing the size of professional camera gear, it is a big part.

My heart tells me to document life with photography but my head tells me to pursue an academic career trying to solve a tiny bit of the world's problems. This is what I’m confronted with, the current personal conflict of academic knowledge & creative vision. I’ve had friends and family pushing me to follow my creative vision, being told that I have quiet some potential, and I believe so! I love telling a story through imagery and always been fascinated by the power of photographs in evoking strong emotions. Most of my free time is pursuing this goal of mine: “documenting the vivid touch of life”. After viewing the opportunities provided by this competition, I think this would be the perfect platform for me to get into the photojournalism industry and reach my personal goals.

Therefore, here I present you a vibrant and thrilling glimpse how island life could be experience in just one day in St. Maarten. A place filled with paradise immersion, friendships, daily struggles and always looking forward to the next day.