The Sydney University Gymnastics Club

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

Australia | Tuesday, January 8, 2013 | flickr photos

My name is Shu. I’m 25 years old and I love photography.

When I was growing up, all I wanted to do was tell stories. I could keep myself entertained for hours with some blank pages and a pencil. My friends also liked my stories, so my pleasure became theirs.

When I grew up, I stopped writing stories. I wore seriousness in a Windsor knot and a business shirt pressed straight.

I noticed new things when I started photography. Light, shadow, space, lines were more than just visual; they narrated. Stories emerged from everyday places. And new places had a sense of richness - even their most ordinary elements. I rediscovered storytelling.

I would like to be mentored by Jason Edwards as a National Geographic Scholar because I have a passion for photography that bugs me. It tugs on the corner of my mind for a solo; unsatisfied with being a supporting character to a corporate desk job. I find myself more and more often with a camera in my hand, unable to go back.

I want to make something valuable from my photography. Stories that evoke curiosity and opinion. The camera is now the pencil I used to hold growing up. And all I want to do is tell stories.

Yours faithfully,

Shu Yeung