Faces of Vietnam

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Friday, November 4, 2011 | 6 photos

It all began back in 2007 when I fell head over heels in love with travel during my first trip overseas to Australia. I was experiencing the most incredible places that were indescribable to my friends and family in the United States. I used my camera lens to document the world as I was viewing it through my eyes. I wanted nothing more than my family to be there experiencing these marvels with me.

Travelling opens my eyes to a new frame or way of viewing things. I will look at my subject and frame it in the way in which I deem important to me, what I am feeling that exact moment. I long in that moment to capture exactly how I feel and permanently document the view that deeply grabbed my full attention.

There is nothing more rewarding than taking a solo trip to a foreign land, as I did through Vietnam this year, with just my camera as my companion. Photography to me is exploration and the discovery of people and places, an experience separate from travel itself. It is a time capsule, allowing me to record the most intimate moments. Travel and photography are my passion. They are what inspires me and drives me to become who I am today.

My photos are kept as authentic as possible. I do not use too much manipulation, just the basics when needed. After all, I am recording the world as I see it in a particular space and time. Photography makes me feel at one with the beauty of the world that I discovered.

My dream is to use my skills and become a travel photographer or photojournalist along with working for a humanitarian organisation. I hope that my skills can connect the subject that I document to the world, allowing them to experience what I experienced at the time of taking the photo. I am searching for every opportunity that will help me accomplish this dream.