Floating Village on Tonlé Sap river in Cambodia

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Cambodia | Tuesday, October 25, 2011 | 5 photos

My name is Julie Litrov, I’ve two passions/hobbies—travel & photography. After moving to New York from Ukraine, I became a Graphic Designer; have been working as such for over 12 years. My dad’s hobby—photography—was a big part of my life, spending time in the darkroom with him made me understand and appreciate photography early on—what a powerful communication tool it is. 10 years ago I began to travel extensively, realizing that it enriches one’s life immensely through things/places experienced & makes people relate to one another through acceptance of diversity. Seeing how people persevere around the World while coping with adverse conditions makes you realize own potential, puts life in to a perspective, inspires to work harder & appreciate things that are taken for granted. I strive to be a storyteller that evokes thoughts/feelings/emotions, using photography as means. I want to be able to show things people don’t see in their everyday lives, shock & entice them, widen their horizons but in a way that it’ll educate them about the World/themselves. I want to be a savvy photojournalist who can surprise by showing unexpected/unfamiliar. Thus far I’ve been shooting on a gut feeling, based on knowledge gathered by watching photographers work & asking questions; by exposing myself to accomplished photojournalists’ work. My goal is to keep developing my technical/creative skills, to learn from a professional with hands-on experience. Submitted photos were taken in Cambodia, in a Vietnamese village. People fled their war-stricken country to seek refuge in Cambodia 90 years ago, temporarily settling on Tonlé Sap river, awaiting Cambodian government to grant them a legal refuge. They’re one of the poorest communities living in Cambodia, without rights or monetary abilities.