China: The Other side of the world

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Sunday, November 6, 2011 | flickr photos

I grew up in Florida, but most recently traded Colorado snowmen and hiking for the fast-paced adventure of Shanghai. I taught music in US public schools four years before hopping on a plane over the Pacific to add some blonde-haired diversity to China. I stepped out of the pressurized cabin, into censorship and communism with my eyes open and camera in hand.

I want my home to be everywhere. I want to see the unknown and I want everyone else to see the unknown, too. If I can take a picture that gets someone off his couch and out of his comfort zone, then I have done something good. How long do you have to spend out of your comfort zone until you are accustomed and ready to go farther?

I’ve only just started my travels, but how can I go back to dreaming when I’ve been living the dream? I’ve climbed the tree and seen the view from up here. I want to go higher and see more. There’s a whole world out there!

Are these people who inhabit the world really happy? What are their regrets? What are their sorrows? What decisions did they make that changed their lives? What opportunities did they pass up to remain the same?

Photography has brought me to look differently at the places and people I meet. I see frames of light and composition. I see people whose faces tell a story. I see lives that change from one minute to the next. And I snap the shutter.