Corcovado National Park

Searching for the Silky Sifaka

bradleyjtsmith — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 12:22:05 GMT

I want to make a difference in this world. Humans continue to use the planets resources with little regard for the impacts on nature. For the last 2 years I travelled to some of the most isolated locations on earth in search of rare animals and wild landscapes. What I found is that there are very few places on earth that have not been impacted by man. Whether it's rosewood logging in Madagascar's national parks or the miles of fences in Patagonia, mans hand reaches to all places.

I have no formal photography skills. I picked up my first digital DSLR less than 4 years ago and I am completely self taught. What I do have is the desire to learn and a passion for nature and photography. Photography is the best tool that I have to open peoples eyes to beauty of nature that exists all around them. A photography scholarship in the Peruvian jungle with Jason Edwards would give me the chance to learn from a professional photographer in a unique natural environment. I would gain invaluable insight into taking nature photographs and I would use this to show people the world they live in. Nature can't stand up for itself, it takes passionate people like Jason and myself to help protect it.

Photos: My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

bradleyjtsmith — Thu, 4 Jul 2013 05:48:00 GMT

My life currently revolves around travel and photography. Last year I quit my job of 5 years to travel the world for 18 months. Why? I believe photography plays an important role in society, opening people’s eyes to the world they live in and I want to contribute to this understanding. Photography became an important part of my life when I travelled to Europe in 2010 with my point and shoot digital camera. I loved the landscapes, culture and food and having a camera allowed me to capture these memories. In 2011/12 I travelled through much of SE Asia with my new DSLR. I was able to further develop my photography skills on these trips and reinforced my love for travel photography. Now, I am 8 months into my trip travelling through north and Central America. This trip has opened my eyes to nature and wildlife photography, a genre I had not previously encountered on my travels. With no formal photography training I know there are a lot of things I can still learn about photography. This is where I believe the scholarship will help me most. With Jason’s guidance I hope to improve my photography skills as well as gain a better understanding of the world of travel photography.