A peacefull journey

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

USA | Monday, October 11, 2010 | 5 photos

My name is Claudia Acerra. I was born in Salzburg, Austria and have been residing in the USA for about 19 years. Presently, I am a photography and graphic design major at Brookdale Community College located in Shrewsbury, NJ, USA.

It was about five years ago when I realized, through the artistic influence of my photo-journalist friend, that photography is truly my passion! Although I am still trying to find myself in the photography world, I feel my passion lies in travel, photo-journalistic, and documentary photography. I enjoy interacting with people, traveling, and getting to know different cultures; I am not only eager to learn but also willing to try new techniques and see the world with new and fascinated eyes.

These photographs, where taken two years ago in Golling (Salzburg), Austria, I am telling a story about the time when my beloved Grandmom had passed away and I was looking to find some peace from my loss. Grieving, I drove through the Austrian countryside and came upon this picturesque town. I had no idea that it housed a treasure that would remain a part of me forever. As I walked sadly along this woodsy path, I noticed a tiny lavender flower nestled between a grassy patch and a large rock. And there it was! My Grand-mom’s favorite flower, its fragrance beckoning me closer and closer! I continued on until I first heard, and then saw, this magnificent waterfall. My eyes (and camera lens) were drawn to the woman standing in front of the waterfall; it seemed as if she was captured in the light of Heaven. At that moment I felt so much peace within me! As I turned to leave, I saw in the distance the beauty of the majestic mountains, framed by the rustic rocks of nature’s artistry. Golling had truly become for me my magical, sacred sanctuary, where I could drink in the solitude of Nature mixed with the Divine and know with a child’s faith that my Grand-mom was now a part of that Great Peace.

My desire to win this travel scholarship is not only because I am a diligent learner and know this would be a great opportunity to develop my photography skills, but also because I heartily welcome every opportunity to interact with nature, animals, and people of different cultures. I have always loved to create images from tile into mosaic designs, I have knitted intricate paterns from wool. As a graphic designer your eye is trained to put words or pictures in the right place. My passion for graphic design and photography has led me to this point in my life, and to work side by side on assignment with Jason Edwards would be this amateur photographer’s dream come true!

I believe I am a worthy candidate for this travel scholarship, and I thank you in advance for considering me during your review process.