Preservation of an ancient way of life

My Scholarship entry - On The Verge of Extinction

Myanmar | Saturday, November 22, 2014 | 5 photos

These images represent the extraordinary women of Chin State Myanmar whose traditions have been out lawed during the 60s. Now they are the last among their kind. My name is Nerriza Ballee and as a child in Guyana nosing in old boxes, I stumbled upon an old newspaper clipping of an eclipse. My dad told me; with a basic box camera he captured a near perfect image and made the news. Impressed! My passion was born. I longed for adventures of different cultures, historic sights and faces of all walks of life. I’ve been chasing this dream for as long as I can remember and in 2005 I left corporate world amongst other things I photographed for London fashion week and had a well received exhibition in Jakarta. Since then I’ve travelled, lived and photographed in several countries. In 2011 my images brought awareness to the rest of the world through BBC and CNN of a tragic flood in Thailand. Being self taught and trying to make a name for myself is a challenge. If given this opportunity to be mentored by Jason Edwards and acknowledged by National Geographic it will not only open doors but will give my passion of documenting unchartered and forgotten cultures around the world a possibility.