5 Beauties of Cape Town

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | flickr photos

My name is Emma Ford. I am 21 years old and I am currently studying for a degree in photographic media.
I began taking photos of flowers and wildlife in my back garden. However, my real passion for photography grew after volunteering with African Impact in St Lucia, South Africa. The project was wildlife conservation through photography. The main objective of this project was to teach the local people to look after the animals in their environment. Whilst I was there I realised how poaching was still prevalent and how much animals were in decline due to human activity. After this trip, I realised how much influence a photograph can have, as I showed people my photos, they could see the poverty and the effects of poaching. I then knew that photography was what I wanted to do. I am particularly passionate about wildlife photography and I hope to use my wildlife images for conservation. I would love to further my photographic knowledge to be able to educate people and prevent animal species being lost forever.
One of my favourite photographs I have taken is of elephants at a waterhole. During my trip I followed one elephant which then lead me to a herd of elephants. A few of them went with their young to a waterhole where they started drinking. On this one photo, all the elephants are pouring water into their mouths from their trunks at the same time. On one of the elephants you can see the water running from its mouth. The elephants look satisfied set against a background of greenery.
Although I realise I have had the opportunity of experiencing South Africa before, it has made me hungry to experience more and develop my techniques in this wonderful country.