My Sapa, Viet Nam

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Vietnam | Saturday, November 5, 2011 | 4 photos

I love traveling, not really because of what I do while I'm away, but because of what I see - and can document with my camera. These photos of Sapa show the interactions of the locals with each other, the land and finally the tourists. It is tempting while traveling to take posed and staged photos, that look impressive but don't show the reality of the place.

In my photos I strive to achieve an image that allows the viewer to feel like they could have right been there, too. My aim is to tell stories, using the images together to really set a scene and mood.

I've given myself the next few years to be free to travel and pursue my love of photography. I would love to get to the point where I'm able to use my images to not only evoke emotions in people, but to arouse their thoughts: to make them question our world and their role in it. There are many social issues that can be tackled by powerful imagery, such as climate change, poverty and war, and I feel drawn to this type of photojournalism.

This scholarship would be an incredible experience. I feel that being mentored by Jason Edwards would allow me to take my photography to the next level. His images are beautiful and captivating and I feel his knowledge would be such a long term asset for me. I am entirely self taught and very open to new ideas or techniques. While Africa is an amazing location, and somewhere I've always dreamed of going since a little kid, for me the real value is what skills I can take away and use to improve my photography.

This world is ridiculously beautiful and I can't wait to see (and document) more!