Photo Journal

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Vietnam | Friday, September 2, 2011 | 5 photos

The images I have selected represent the people of the Mekong Delta. This includes the locals, both adults and children and the tourists visiting this incredible expanse of waterways in Vietnam. Life is hard here, a life unknown to most Westeners. The images I capture are always an attempt at interesting composition. I believe my raw natural talent combined with limited training allows me to achieve this in most of my photographs. Desire, motivation and passion, I have. I need guidance, mentoring and instruction to improve my photography to a professional level. I find the more I learn, the more there is to learn. I compose photos constantly wherever I go, more often without a camera in hand. That image may never present itself again but another, different one, will. I enjoy capturing people in their natural environment. I like to use a longer lens so as not to impose on someone’s privacy. To me the best photo is the one taken without the subject knowing and whilst in their most natural state. I am inspired by photographic exhibitions, but always disappointed to find out how much computer enhancement has taken place after the photo was taken to achieve that image. I am proud of the quality of my photos at present but feel they cannot compete with all the digital enhancement used these days. This scholarship will allow me to learn from someone who believes as much in the raw image captured as I do. Although I love to travel and still have so much more to see in the world, I see opportunities every day to capture the heart of a subject, be it a person, animal or landscape, through my photos. The opportunity to share my images with the world would be a life long dream come true.