Travel Through a Viewfinder

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Japan | Sunday, August 29, 2010 | 5 photos

Upon returning from my first overseas trip to Europe, I realised I’d taken over 2000 photos. Fours years and many travels later, photography has become a passion, a creative outlet amongst the academia of my media and communications degree. For me, photography is more than just an illustration to a story. Through its beauty and content, it is an education tool, dispelling ignorance by bringing human stories and images of the world to the smallest of communities.

This set of photos documents some of the religious celebrations I witnessed while living in Japan for six months with various families. While the Japanese are often seen as at the forefront of technological and economic advancements, few are aware of the daily and seasonal religious traditions that continue in rural and urban areas. From the middle of Tokyo amongst strangers, to community parades and individual moments of devotion, the scale of spirituality transcends Japan’s demographics and regions in a unique mixture of Buddhist and Shinto beliefs. In these photos I hope to have portrayed the deep, albeit diverse, notions of faith and celebration that are entrenched in Japanese family tradition.

My hope in the future is to pursue a career in photojournalism, allowing people from all walks of life to experience unique moments across from foreign places in a way that fosters greater communication and understanding amongst humanity. While I try to capture moments artistically, considering contrast, colours, lighting and angles, my technical abilities are still fairly amateur. This scholarship would be an invaluable experience to gain essential photographic skills in an amazing environment, allowing me to begin sharing the enlightening stories of the world with those around me.