I would never have imagined that following my passion of photography,would have the ability to bring me around the world.
I grew up in Grande Valley Ontario, a very small town just outside Toronto. My three brothers and I were always given a lot of freedom.Together we used the town as our own personal movie set. I always felt the need to capture a bigger world than the one around me. My views of the world have always been a big part of my personality.Things like remembering the innocence that comes with being a child, or keeping an open mind in new surroundings, and most importantly having anability to embrace the unknown. Being only 23 now, I have been lucky enough to travelto five contents, and over 16 countries. Through all of my memorable experiences, I have found a drive for exploring new cultures and cities. I have gained so much experience from seeing and meetingnew people from all corners of the earth.
While attending grade twelve,I was given my first 35 mm camera.I loved studying the emotion that could be invoked from a single moment. I began exploring different ways in which to see my everyday life. Shooting fromunique angles, and how that relates to correct exposures, how aperture can make or break everything. Most importantly,an image is nothing without content. I have found that life has some great subjects in the most real moments.I also have realized how powerful imagery is to me.
After graduating college, I decided to travelto Australia for six months. I was interested in the adventure of exploring the South Pacific Islands. While there,I had the incredible opportunity to photograph and film a yearly ritual known as “Land Diving” on Pentecost Island. The ceremony was simply stunning. The local women were all decorated in their tribal wear and lined up beside the men. I arrived early, so I could set up and get some pre-shots. There was a little boy, no more than eight, standing on a post at the top of the hill. He was dressed in the traditional attire, which let me know he was one of the young men jumping that day. The ritual itself is only for the men of Pentecost, the women mustn’t even touch the tower from which the men jump from. I was submerged in this culture where the outside world seemed obsolete, technology and all knowledge of the progression of humankind was meaningless. I spoke with the young boy on the island, with the help of a translator, andhe enlightened me on his thoughts and feelings about the events of that day. It was an honor for me, to be able to photograph him and the others during their ceremony, and toexperienceit in person.
More recently I lived in Muizenburg, South Africa, helping children in townships through a nonprofit organization. I had always wanted to volunteer, and it was an amazing experience, I can’t wait to return. Living for two months in a foreign country I experienced breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable people. During my trip I discovered that photography had become more of a part of me then I ever imagined.
When I travel I always take two cameras with me, my Nikon and a TX10 cyber-shot. While out in public I only ever carried my cyber-shot. When residing in Muizenburg, you learn quickly tocarryas littleon youas possible.Like many places in the developing world, thecrime rate is very high, and I had the misfortune of experiencing it firsthand. After finishing volunteering for the day, my roommate and I were walking home.We were two houses away from our place when a car passed us as we crossed the street. A man jumped out of a car, I saw the car,but I didn’t see the knife. When it hit my stomach I instinctively stepped back, I backed off the curb giving a good distance between him and I. At that time I was carrying my purse that went over my head andrested on my hip. Inside were all my bank cards and visas,a bathing suit and my small camera. After a few seconds, as he continued to hold me so we couldn’t be far apart. I decided to look him in the eyes and tell him to “Just take it”. He understood and gently took my bag from around my neck. As the car took off my first thought was,as it was so quiet then, take a picture of the license plate. I reached for my camera, forgetting it was in my bag.I then realized he had taken everything.Then I simply just smiled, being robbed of my IDs, my bank cards and money, all I could think was how thankful I was I didn’t have my Nikon with me.
Photography has become my way of life. When you find something that fully changes who you are, every instinct in your body screams to push harder, learn more and be thankful. I’ve always known I wanted to travel the world, but it took me until this past year to know that I want to do it for the rest of my life. The thought of being able to incorporate both travel and photography cannot be expressed in words. Having a chance to learn and capture life’s amazing attributes, all the cultures that fill this world, the people that inspire it, and the places that have the ability to completely change a person,drives me even more to reach my full potential as a photographer.
