Solitude

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Thursday, October 7, 2010 | 5 photos

Ni Sa Bula (Hello),

My name is Lauretta and I was born and raised in the Fiji Islands. I moved to New Zealand in early 2007 to study and work.

My passion for photography developed out of my interest in the visual arts - painting in particular where I learnt how to gather elements and combine them into pleasing compositions.

So what first drew me into photography was the challenge of working with an ephemeral and dynamic set of elements. I had hours, days and weeks to create a painting, whereas it took a split second decision to capture elements in a photographic frame...I had to learn more!

This set of photographs was taken in Hyderabad, India in February 2009. What amazed me about the places I visited in Hyderabad was that there was so much colour and energy from constant crowds of people in the towns and cities.

Yet I still saw solitary figures sitting alone and apart from the crowds. In temples, resting on the steps of a shop - lost in their thoughts. As I squinted through my view finder and pressed the shutter, I wondered what was in their minds at that precise moment and was intrigued by the expressions that I had captured.

There are so many things about my photography that I would like to learn and improve on and I feel that this opportunity would be - quite simply - once in a lifetime.

One of my goals is to return to Fiji to take photographs documenting the grassroot life - scenes that you don't find in the idyllic travel magazines. The sequence of coups has damaged Fiji's reputation as a democratic nation and safe tourist destination. Quality of life for its people has eroded considerably. I hope that one day my photography may help people to see Fiji differently - as a place that still has passion and hope.

Vinaka (Thank you)
Lauretta