Life through my viewfinder

Photos: My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

Vietnam | Friday, July 5, 2013 | 5 photos

At my 15th birthday, I got my 1st camera. It was my coolest toy.

When I went to my dad’s hometown, one of the most underdeveloped areas of Vietnam, people were so poor that when there were visitors the whole village came to greet. Under the eye of a teenager I found everything interesting and worth-documented. But when I took out my “toy” they seemed startled and embarrassed. I was puzzled but didn’t think much of it until an old woman shyly approached me and asked me to take her portrait. In our culture the descendants put the portraits of the deceased ancestors on the altar. The woman never had a picture taken in her life. She was afraid her children would forget how she looked like.

That was the moment I realized what I had on my hand was more than just a toy.

My camera could capture memories. This woman’s kids would forever see their mother the way she looked in front of me now.

After I took her portrait, other people started to come and ask to have their pictures taken. At the end, there was a line. The day I left the village I didn’t only carry with me lots of pictures to develop I also brought home a lesson: photography is not a game. It’s the power to record stories.