The Hard Way

My Scholarship entry - Paddling the shores of BC's Broughton Archipelago

Canada | Tuesday, October 28, 2014 | flickr photos

Since finding my dad's old 35mm at 12 years old, taking photos has been a part of who I am and how I express myself.

I learned photography on a manual camera, the hard way: ruining a half dozen roll of film. Then roll by roll, with an obsessive drive to improve. On a mission trip to Tibet (my first experience abroad). An obligatory solo-backpacking through Europe, then three months through Central America. Two months spent driving around New Zealand in a camper van. In the Backcountry of Alaska, on Mexican Beaches, the deserts of Utah and in the Australian Outback — I've been honing my craft. Today, I’ve reached a point that I’m proud of, yet my drive to improve only grows.

Most of my extra income from my day job as a motion graphics artist goes toward my two biggest passions in life: travel and photography. I’ve backpacked, hiked, driven, or paddled through 32 countries so far, with no plans to stop. If selected, I expect this experience would be an unforgettable step in my journey as a photographer, a storyteller and an artist.