Ecuadorian Amazon

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Sunday, October 17, 2010 | flickr photos

I am an adventurous writer blessed with a gift for photography; it would be very fulfilling to see it bloom into a full professional skill under Jason Edwards' guidance. If I went on a hands-on training to Bhutan, a mountainous heaven I'd love to visit, I would be equipped with the two most complementary skills for a travel “documentarist” (combining writing and photography). I started shooting four years ago, thanks to my friends who got together to buy me a compact camera when I had to travel for work. I eventually invested in a digital SLR, and kept on learning the hard, self-taught way. As Cartier-Bresson said, your first ten thousand photos are your worst – I have passed the mark, but could still use some mentoring! As you can tell from my set, I have an eye for what makes a good picture, know how to compose my shots, and most importantly, am not afraid to go up to people and get them to agree to pose – usually happily so, because I have a gift for putting people at ease with an easy smile and sincere respect. I like photographing people, and telling the story of a place (here, the Ecuadorian Amazon) via its people (a shaman's family). It is extremely rewarding, both for my subjects and for those who later look at the pics. And for myself too, of course! The encounter with the family of a shaman in the jungle, was a wonderful experience. But to bring back more (and better) shots like those, I still need to learn lots, for example technique for low-light situations, and organisation in the field. Then I will truly possess the necessary tools to go on seeking strong images of traditional cultures and distant places, and get them published.