Many people wonder how and why I
went from a Bachelors degree in anthropology and religion to pursue a Masters
of Fine Arts in photography. In fact, it was my interest in photography that
led me to study anthropology and religion.
I have always loved photography. I received my very first camera when I was in the first grade. It was bright yellow, made by Crayola, and purchased at Toys 'R Us. My favorite location to shoot was the C & O Canal, where I would walk with my mom and brother, camera in hand, hoping for a sighting of a great blue heron or turtles basking in the sun. In the seventh grade I had my first formal lessons in photography; black and white film photography was a mandatory part of the curriculum at my middle school. My mom let me use her old Minolta, and for the first time I was able to set my own exposures and manually focus. It was magical.
I continued to study photography in high school. I dreamed of someday working for National Geographic. Then one day I received a catalogue in the mail for National Geographic Student Expeditions. It felt like fate. I pored through the catalogue over and over again, researching every trip they offered. Finally, I decided that I wanted to go to India. It seemed so exotic, so unlike anything I had ever experienced, and so colorful and full of great subject matter. I applied and was accepted into the program, and the summer after my junior year of high school I was off to India.
Over the 3.5 weeks I spent in India with National Geographic I made hundreds (probably thousands) of pictures. I returned to the United States with images I was incredibly proud of, yet that I could not really explain to my friends and family. After 3.5 weeks I had photographed and experienced a new culture, but what had I truly learned about it? I felt guilty, like I had wasted this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wanted my pictures to be more than aesthetically pleasing: I wanted them to be moving, to be powerful, to be educational. I wanted to make sure I had been respectful and culturally appropriate in the making of my images. It was after this experience that I decided I wanted to major in anthropology and religion in college. I had studied photography for several years, but my next step was to learn about the people whose stories I wanted to share.
Now that I am once again studying photography, I know that I made the right decision in my undergraduate choices (though I do often feel behind from some of my peers who obtained their Bachelors of Fine Arts). When I look at the work of my peers at SCAD, I can tell that what makes their work so moving is how personal it is. I needed to become more familiar with other peoples, cultures, and religions so that my work can convey that same sense of intimacy.
I have always loved photography. I received my very first camera when I was in the first grade. It was bright yellow, made by Crayola, and purchased at Toys 'R Us. My favorite location to shoot was the C & O Canal, where I would walk with my mom and brother, camera in hand, hoping for a sighting of a great blue heron or turtles basking in the sun. In the seventh grade I had my first formal lessons in photography; black and white film photography was a mandatory part of the curriculum at my middle school. My mom let me use her old Minolta, and for the first time I was able to set my own exposures and manually focus. It was magical.
I continued to study photography in high school. I dreamed of someday working for National Geographic. Then one day I received a catalogue in the mail for National Geographic Student Expeditions. It felt like fate. I pored through the catalogue over and over again, researching every trip they offered. Finally, I decided that I wanted to go to India. It seemed so exotic, so unlike anything I had ever experienced, and so colorful and full of great subject matter. I applied and was accepted into the program, and the summer after my junior year of high school I was off to India.
Over the 3.5 weeks I spent in India with National Geographic I made hundreds (probably thousands) of pictures. I returned to the United States with images I was incredibly proud of, yet that I could not really explain to my friends and family. After 3.5 weeks I had photographed and experienced a new culture, but what had I truly learned about it? I felt guilty, like I had wasted this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wanted my pictures to be more than aesthetically pleasing: I wanted them to be moving, to be powerful, to be educational. I wanted to make sure I had been respectful and culturally appropriate in the making of my images. It was after this experience that I decided I wanted to major in anthropology and religion in college. I had studied photography for several years, but my next step was to learn about the people whose stories I wanted to share.
Now that I am once again studying photography, I know that I made the right decision in my undergraduate choices (though I do often feel behind from some of my peers who obtained their Bachelors of Fine Arts). When I look at the work of my peers at SCAD, I can tell that what makes their work so moving is how personal it is. I needed to become more familiar with other peoples, cultures, and religions so that my work can convey that same sense of intimacy.
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