Surviving Guatemala

My Scholarship Entry - Surviving Guatemala

Guatemala | Sunday, November 18, 2012 | 5 photos

A fellow from Ireland was telling me about his love of music. He described the feeling of playing on a guitar, how much it meant to him and inspired him.He asked “What's comparable for you?” My answer was simple,“cameras, photography”.What started off as a vague interest has progressed to a passion, which can only be attributed to travel. These two things are so intertwined because this progression occurred during a trip to Asia, Australia and Guatemala. Asia and Australia were formative for me. I discovered my absolute love of photography. I learned that I was committed to it; I was willing to do early mornings and long trips to get the shot.Photography changed for me in Guatemala. It transformed from something that I enjoyed to something with a story.I went on a field school where we talked to survivors of genocide and rape. I photographed as usual but for the first time I wanted to tell their story. It was more than just a pretty picture, but something worth saying.For me photography has a transcendental quality. A person’s mother tongue doesn’t matter because a picture says not only a thousand words, but also speaks a thousand languages. I want to continue telling those stories