Creating their own survival

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Monday, November 7, 2011 | 5 photos

I have always known that my passions lie in travel, nature and photography, and in order to avoid crushing disappointment, I must pursue these passions during my lifetime. My adventurous family have instilled a love of exploration and experience in me, and I find the beauty of our natural environment overwhelming. My photographic goal would be to see my images making a difference to the conservation of these places.

Born and raised in South Africa, this assignment is of particular interest to me because it will be a showcase of my home and some of the aspects of it that I love. It would be absolutely incredible to be a part of depicting the vibrancy of South Africa's people and cultures as well as its vast, wild environment.

I am a self-taught photographer and am always striving to improve. Being mentored by Jason Edwards would be an unreal opportunity and one that I would apply my all to.

The series of photos that I chose tell the story of a typical day in a sand artists' life. These artists work, live and depend on the beaches of Durban. Their hands are their most important tool, and without them these artists would be left with almost nothing. As such, I focussed largely on their hands in my images.

Amongst many of their hardships, they also face the brutalities of weather and vandalism. They are exposed to a difficult life, yet the people that I met were friendly and optimistic. I have a great admiration for the work that they do, their will to make an honest living and their innovative imaginations in the face of their obstacles.