This is one of the two essays I had to write for my grad school application for Columbia University's journalism program. I struggled with this and was reduced to tears as I tried to properly convey why I love photography. I think I was hung up on the 700 word requirement. This essay is only about 500 words long. I thought that if I can't expound on why I love photography in 700 carefully crafted words, I was a failure. But Helen pointed out that maybe all you need is 500 words. Sometimes you need even less. Passion and love shouldn't be measured by how much you say, but by how you feel.
Writing this essay was probably the most challenging task out of my entire application process. It was the last step in my application package. I was in the homestretch and was feeling completely burned out when I wrote this. Also, Columbia didn't like it enough to accept me into their program. But despite this setback, this piece has become one of my personal favorites. Maybe it's the way in which I conveyed my message. Maybe it's the sweat and tears I poured into it. And maybe it's because I took a sincere and honest look at myself without regard for what other people thought and without regard for word requirements or the opinions of an admissions committee. I was honest and I was completely myself. I hope to maintain this kind of integrity as I train to become a professional writer in journalism school.
I look forward to seeing how my graduate school experience will shape the way I perceive this essay a few years from now.
My love for photography took shape on my first international trip to the city of Hanoi. With a digital camera I had on loan, I snapped over 500 photographs that would tell the story of my first overseas experience. I was by no means talented, but still, the mediocre images I produced provided countless hours of conversation with my parents about my family history and culture. Knowing that a few photos can inspire such dialogue, I began to hone my skills to become a better photographer.
For formal training, I took photography classes at a nearby university. To supplement my education, I studied the technical and aesthetic aspects of photography by looking at images produced by artists and photojournalists. I practiced what I learned by bringing my camera with me everywhere I went. I collected images of my family, my friends, and even my meals. Every social event was an opportunity to refine my skills and capture special moments and artifacts that we would otherwise miss.
Since my trip to Vietnam, I've traveled to other domestic and international cities. I learned to marry the art of photography with my passion for travel, as I noticed that my most prized images are the ones generated from faraway places. While taking photos of interesting things in exotic locations is enjoyable, my love for travel photography actually stems from its ability to evoke and sense of wonder and humanity in those who view them. By comparing my photographs of Cairo with those of Delhi taken by a friend, we learned that the face of poverty looks the same in different countries. Whether it be cherubic children eating gelato in Cinque Terre or loving couples embracing on the streets of Venice, photos can bring a smile to people's faces. Images of the Sichuan earthquake can convey the pain and agony of those who have lost loved ones. Pictures of dismembered American solders in Iraq and passionate young people protesting in the streets of Iran are forever emblazoned in my mind because passion and sacrifice are concepts to which we can all relate.
Whether I am the photographer or the audience, photography is amazing for its ability to help me engage with the world in a whole new way. When I cannot be there because it is too dangerous, or when I do not have the resources to travel to foreign lands, I need photographers to bring home images that will move me into action and help me relate to people who seem very different from me. A powerful image can bring me to tears or motivate me to affect change in this world. When pictures generate important conversations or touch me in a profound way, I am further inspired to be a better photographer. Photography has also played an important role in my decision to pursue graduate school in a metropolis like New York City. The spectrum of resources and cultures available to me will ultimately challenge me to capture images that I hope will inspire and move people the way I have been moved by photography.
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