A Year In Migration

My Scholarship entry - Diwali: The Festival of Lights

India | Sunday, November 23, 2014 | 5 photos

I started taking photography lessons at the age of seven, by 13 it had become a passion. I was bestowed the position of family photographer on vacations, and through this the world of photojournalism immerged. When we traveled I was troubled by the use of photography by other tourists. It was if they believed it was their right to take the photograph, even if it meant objectifying the subject. My goal quickly became to blend in, to create meaning behind the photo, to build stories rather than collect snapshots. It is the responsibility of a photographer to portray a scene as honestly as possible. The balance of emotion with technology is what makes photography itself a beautiful puzzle. As the photographer, it is my job to translate a sensory experience into a single image; to make the camera an extension of my brain, to give my fingers the power to adjust the focus and shoot an idea into a tangible image. This past year I went in search of stories. I have spent more nights on airport floors than in my own bed and have traveled through Scotland, Jordan, Morocco, China, and currently India, all in search of connection through my lens. I hope to promote awareness around the globe.