The Water Hole

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Wednesday, September 8, 2010 | flickr photos

My images were captured in Wakiso, Uganda this August near a rural village. A dirty pond and a clean water shallow well existed almost side by side and hundreds of children were accessing both; some recognising the cleanliness of the well and some returning to the pond out of habit and convenience. I chose this place and the detail of life there because most of the places that mean something to us are mundane and routine, just part of life. I am interested in presenting the poor in a dignified way that shows life in all its guises; not just in celebrations and festivals full of colour or when they are beaten down by life’s knocks, but when they are carrying on with normality. To me photography is catching the small details and it is about relationships. The way people interact with each other, their environment and other animals and wildlife around them. This place was full of the life of childhood and yet also had a silence that was caused by the weight of the responsibility these young shoulders carry.

I love photography and I love travelling and meeting new people and seeing new places. I lack any real formal training though and everything I learn at the moment is from pouring through books and podcasts, and being very self-critical of my own practice! I would love the opportunity to learn more from Jason, especially to help me sharpen my technical skills. I hope I am chosen to win this scholarship as I am starting to see how travel photography could not only be my passion and a career but also the way we can give the voiceless a voice. I want my photography to help change the way people see places and others and would love this opportunity to see a professional at work and to soak up as much knowledge and inspiration as is possible in seven days!