Rural Roots in Southern India

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 5 photos

The Lofoten Islands in northern Norway make up a remote and hauntingly beautiful area. Despite their location north of the Arctic Circle, they are in no way inhospitable, and instead encapsulate a hardy group of people and animals. The people are more in touch with the nature that surrounds them and work with the changing seasons to make a living out at sea. Through my pictures, I tried to capture some of the unique beauty of the islands and the story of the culture and daily life of the people who call it home.

Despite my schooling as a mechanical engineer, my real passions are with travel and photography. I love animals, being out in nature, experiencing other cultures, and meeting people and hearing their stories. I also really enjoy trying to preserve all of those in photography. Photography has an incredible power to capture stories and events, promote understanding, and even inspire people to care just a little bit more about the world we live in. I have been experimenting and learning about photography for a number of years now, but I know there is so much more to learn – how to really capture the mood and break out of my own barriers to see things from a different mindset and perspective. I would love, more than anything, to use this opportunity to grow and develop my skill set and hopefully prepare myself for an eventual career in the field. Perhaps odd sounding coming from an engineering student, but we’re all allowed to dream. And even if my career path doesn’t lead me directly to field photography (at least at first), I know that the things I would learn would be invaluable in letting me better capture the beauty and intricacies around me, both at home and abroad. I want to share my story and help show what a fascinating world we live in.