Land of Buddha

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, August 17, 2010 | 5 photos

Photography has been my refuge since age five. From Kodak Brownie to Canon 40D I've clicked at anything that moves or doesn't. Each step along the way I've tried to push my art to the limit, striving to catch the "oh my God" feeling of the moment. But I am sad because I plateau so often. There are stretches of time and strings of images that I'd rather forget and trash - they are so barren. As fortune would have it, occasionally location, subjects, lighting, equipment and my own mood all line up and I capture a series of images I want to view again and again. These are a few of a group from Siem Reap, Cambodia taken in 2008. I was struck not only by the artistry of the place, but of the individuals, each in their own way. From the fine-line sketcher to the amputee-flutist to the newly shaven monk initiate, I loved how each one shouted at me in the viewfinder. The sketcher never looked up at me but her hands spoke volumes. The flutist hid in the shadows because he was missing a leg. The child-monk inductee held back tears as two big monks shaved his head. Orange robed monks, young and old, lived their lives - each according to their needs! And that's the reason for this scholarship application. I need and want help! To reduce the photographic droughts, to hone the eye, to capture the next slice of life.