My Scholarship entry - Giving back on the road

snapshotales — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:43:35 GMT

Laughter, Love and 1pm Goodbyes

Butterflies swarm in my stomach as the mini-van pulls around the corner, smoke the colour of charcoal bellowing from the back. Fellow nervous volunteers join me, waiting, waiting; in a bare concrete jungle, hotel car park. The lush green mountains of the Spring City, Kunming tower behind us, yet it seems we have the mountain to climb in front. Will this be a great week or an emotional disaster?

Eager faces press to the windows; some hide behind headrests, not keen to see the outside world. Others are anxious as us to see what waits behind the slowly opening bi-fold doors. The adventure begins, as some of China’s orphans walk gingerly off the bus. Remarkable college students act as translators reassuring the kids, the scary foreigners are not going to eat them, but here for a week of fun.

Not having children before. I now find myself face to face with two china dolls. Fingers, thumbs in mouth scared out of their minds. Argh! Ice-cream breaks the fingers free, and smiles begin to reach their cheeks as the sugar fix hits their tiny brains. With a crazy Australian at their side, and my wonderful translator doing her best to figure out ‘what’s going on and how to translate.’ We are on our way. Laughter.

Amidst the week of chaos, laughter, swimming, and games, we form a tight family group. New discoveries and firsts are imprinting, a different world from the orphanage. Here no one judges them because of disabilities, or they have no family; just laughter, lots of love, and hope.

The end comes too quickly, same smoky bus pulls up where we started. It is 1pm, time to say goodbye. Tears leak beyond my sunglasses, as they grip my hand and want let go. How could you grow to love someone so much in just a short week? Sometimes you have to give totally to receive, even though it breaks your heart, you give hope. Hope for something better.

Will I go with Bring Me Hope charity again, this summer, in a heartbeat.

Photos: My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

snapshotales — Tue, 8 Nov 2011 00:04:00 GMT

When travelling a sense of humour is the second thing I pack, after my camera gear. Sometimes things go pear shaped, be it, stuck in the mud, in a 4WD or charged by a rhino whilst on an elephant. It is handy to pull it out and look at the bigger picture. Making the most out of any situation is a big part of my photography and life. When looking through the view finder at a landscape, a person, or different combined elements everything takes on a new meaning. Emotion takes over, what I want out of a shot. My goal is to interpret to the viewer, not only the beauty or horror of a destination through vision, but spark the thirst of knowledge, to see it from a different view point. I see every day as a learning curve, life is short and you have to make the most of it. This travel scholarship would be an amazing opportunity to gain incredible knowledge in the world of field photography. Not only to improve my confidence, but also expand my technical background of the processes from camera to print. Experience wonders of South Africa and pass onto others is one that I would dearly love to achieve. In the future, I want my photography to take me to places where I can capture rare moments through the view finder. Additionally, I would like the ability to communicate, that the world we live in may not be perfect, but it is amazing. The shutter can cut a second in parts to capture a moment, that through real live time, we never get back. To produce a photograph giving the chance for others to reflect, admire and learn, long after I’m gone, would be a footprint worth leaving on the world.

Bhutan's Inner Peace

My Scholarship entry - Giving back on the road

Photos: My Photo scholarship 2011 entry