I never thought photography would give me a different perspective on experiencing life when I first started 6 years ago. A 16-year-old Indonesian girl, holding a DSLR of her own and was not sure with where to begin, I had not the slightest idea what photography had for me in store. Slowly but surely I started to explore this new hobby of mine and after 6 years, it has taught me so much more than how to work a manual mode on a DSLR. Continuously intrigued by countless objects to capture and unexpected moments to snap, I cannot imagine myself will ever stop taking photos.
My passion in what to photograph ranges widely, be it still life, human interest, cityscape, landscape, urban, travel, and so on. The reason being is not only because they require different skills and challenge me every time to think creatively, but they also give me different experience and lessons. They act as a reminder that there is always beauty in everything and anything can be an object to photograph. I believe photography is an art of seeing; seeing differently from others, seeing the invisible, seeing the unimaginable, seeing in your head, and seeing in perspectives.
During my journey in photography, I have only taken two short basic lessons in the first two years and have been learning by doing since. Given I’m the youngest of three raised in a somewhat conservative family, this opportunity to travel sounds too good to be true, but not impossible to be a reality. I hope to not only gain experience and skills but also share passion with other photographers. I want to learn what got them started, what keeps them going and what they intend to say through their photographs.
I have seen many travel photos that make me yearn for travelling the globe and I hope the photos from this scholarship will have the same effects to those who see them. If it is not possible to bring people around the world, then sure it is possible to bring the world closer to them.
