The World As It Is

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Sunday, October 10, 2010 | 4 photos

Signs of aging were on her face: lines, pigmentations, her sagging cheeks. Her eyebrows were barely there, and grayish in color. The sides of her eyes were wrinkled, while her eyelids barely exposed her eyes. Even the color of the lips she has worn for decades has faded.

Yet, at that moment, I remember the most delightful smile I have seen since I’ve known her as my Grandmother. It was gleeful, yet serene. Child-like. Heartwarming. It was tattered by old age, but the sincerest of all the smiles I have ever come across with.

The memory of her smile gave me a momentary solitude, incapable of sharing such moment to anybody I knew. Nevertheless, it has inspired me to capture images that will bring smiles to other people, and motivate them to share their own stories through the photos I have taken. Photography makes me relive that moment I have had with my Grandma as she presented such divine gift. Among all the categories of photography, those involving landscapes moved me the most. Nature never ceased to give me the very same tranquil feeling, while bliss surges into my heart. For every natural composition unfolding right before my eyes, it felt like she was smiling for me once more. Finally, she was giving me the opportunity to shoot her happiness.

I remember her looking at me. “Do what makes you happy,” she said. Thus, I shoot on while searching for means to improve my photography skills. I want to show the world how beautiful life can be, just like what she did for me. My search led me to World Nomads’ Photography Travel Scholarship. As I wait for possibilities in my Scholarship Application, I remain to grip onto my lens, catching moments of nature’s fascinating splendor.