Charleston: Beautifully Balanced

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Saturday, October 16, 2010 | flickr photos

I should win this scholarship because it has been my dream since the day I picked up my first SLR camera to one day work for National Geographic Magazine. Since that time I have nurtured my talents and honed my skills as a photographer out of a reverent love for the natural world. Nature is a refuge for me. It offers innumerable gifts to those willing to slow down and assume its pace. There are lessons that parallel my life and truths that fit so inspiringly into place that my words are insufficient to describe them. Photography is my humble attempt to reduce the infinite to a scale that conveys my emotions and experiences to the viewer. It is my aim to inspire the viewer to search deeply into the natural word and challenge their place in it.
Since the introduction of digital photography, the pool of quality images has swelled dramatically. It only takes an Internet search to see the overwhelming number of images available. With more and more companies relying on stock photography and freelance submissions, I sometimes wonder if I will have the opportunity to become a professional nature photographer. I am searching for that opportunity. I am hopeful that despite the odds against me, I will someday realize my dream. I have a gift and I know that if I never have the courage to pursue it, these aspirations will remain unfulfilled. I am writing this letter because I believe I deserve to win this scholarship. But I know that I cannot do it alone. National Geographic has always been the apex of my dreams. Experience has shown me that if I desire to be my best, it benefits me to ask the source directly. So with that, I ask for your help.