Medical Mission to Ormoc City

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Friday, October 8, 2010 | flickr photos

In 2008, I traveled alone to the Philippines to volunteer with a group called Volunteer for the Visayans. This photo series is from our trip to Ormoc City on a medical mission to circumcise boys from the surrounding areas.

I really started to get into photography in college, and I think that before I picked up a camera, I sometimes felt a bit on the outside of situations. When I am shooting, it gives me the freedom to put myself on the inside, to be an active participant in the scene unfolding and that is what I love about it. On this particular day, to be given the role I was given, and for these kids and their families to feel comfortable enough to open up their emotions to me and to show me what they were feeling was such an incredible gift.

I’ve worked for several years now as a graphic designer and it’s something that I enjoy immensely. But being a travel photographer is an idea that has been flickering around the corners of my mind for some time now. It’s like a heartbeat growing stronger, and is a part of me that I just can’t ignore. I want to use my photography to tell stories that inspire, and I want to share those stories with the world.

This trip would be a chance for me to have real and honest conversations with my mentor about photography, about people, and about what it truly takes to succeed.

I live my life believing that if you do what you love, amazing things will follow. I would take full advantage of every moment of this trip, because I feel it has the potential to be an entry point into a profession that has tremendous meaning for me.