Climbing Aconcagua

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

Argentina | Friday, January 11, 2013 | 5 photos

Creative expression and self-discovery are my greatest passions in life. I sum up my aspirations in life with this line: I am a traveler and storyteller.

I vowed when I was a kid that I would see the whole world. I took up photography when I was working as a marine biologist in central Philippines. I did not have any formal training; I just bought books and a second-hand camera and started learning by myself. I wanted to tell people my story, the story of the places I’ve visited, the story of the people I’ve met. Needless to say, I have always been a huge fan of National Geographic magazine. More than its eloquence with images and words, it is the magazine’s compelling ethos of storytelling that truly moves me.

The lesson that I truly want to learn from this scholarship is knowing how a National Geographic photographer thinks. I want to know for myself the stories behind the stories that I read in the magazines. Hopefully, I would be able to do more assignments with National Geographic even after the scholarship. I also want to do my own photo-documentaries about the Philippines. It is my way of preserving my country’s heritage for others to appreciate and cherish.