embracing the unknown

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, October 12, 2010 | flickr photos

Barcelona is a city that exudes life, and a passion for its heritage. While on a week-long family vacation to Spain, I took several photographs that capture moments I felt embodied these two essential elements of the city. Each image illustrates the spirit of a place whose people strive to respect it's extensive history, while continually celebrating life.

The first image in the set, was taken at Monserrat Monastery in the mountains north of Barcelona, This contemplative visitor reflects the solemn nature of the sacred space, and the reverence demanded by the christian infulenced gothic architecture in the city and surrounding areas.

The second image of traditional flamenco dancers, shows the strong social culture of music, dance, and performance that pervade in modern day Barcelona.

The final image is of a family among thousands of Barcelonans celbrating the new year on the central street of La Rambla.

My name is Kevin Ziechmann and I am an aspiring photojournalist and from Charlotte, NC. I study journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and will graduate this May. In the past 6 years, photography has given me a course to explore other cultures and share the unusual, interesting,and socially significant aspects of the the human experience with a wider audience.

I am perpetually fascinated by experiences and people unlike those I know, and even more so in Asian cultures. I know little about my heritage, though I am half Filipino, and I would relish the chance to explore the physical and cultural landscape of Bhutan. This scholarship is a rare chance to absorb an abundance of knowledge from a veteran photographer and to challenge myself as a storyteller in a unique and visually rich environment.