A day at the dump

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Cambodia | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 5 photos

When I was eight I joined a London youth circus which performed all over and allowed me to experience cities like Paris, Ljubljana and Adelaide during festival times. By my final trip to Beijing at the age of nineteen I'd had enough of seeing everything through the festival promoter's eyes; the glitzy celebrations and international mingling. I just wanted to make my own way around at a human pace and interact with everyday people in an honest setting.

These photos were taken at a Phnom Penh dump where families made their homes out of scraps and worked the mountains of festering rubbish scrambling for recyclables. They could sell these to recycling plants for a small fee.

The scene was literally intoxicating; the sights; the smells; the barefoot children wading in the sludge; the Korean news crew who shot the kids then left without leaving anything for them to eat. It was both nauseating and humbling. Needless to say the day at the dump has stuck with me ever since and that is why I have chosen to share this place for my entry.

I've since moved to Spain. I hoped that if I could move from country to country teaching English I would be able to take photographs, travel and be satisfied. My country hopping started and ended with Madrid. I have really fallen for this underrated city and am still discovering its underbelly two years later.

I have photographed live music, circus, theatre but it all pales in comparision to travel photography. People tell me I have "an eye" and that's all I need but I feel it's not enough.

I am sitting here looking at the banner "Be mentored by a National Geographic Photographer" and it's unreal. This opportunity to learn is invaluable, epic even. I would do it in a heartbeat if the location were Wapping, but South Africa...