Asante

And it begins… 

Like many photographers out there, I've had a camera by my side since my early teens. It went from hobby, to requirement, to passion to freelance which mixes a bit of everything. I pay for my gear with my photography but it is not where I earn my salary. By trade, I'm an IB Biology teacher at the International School of Tanganyika. Teaching is a career I chose because I've always enjoyed guiding young people through challenges while doing everything I can to help them find success in school and in life. The, "oh, I get it" moments and the students that come back from university to share a laugh and tell their story, these are the some of the most rewarding experiences I could imagine and they keep me in the world of education. 

That said, it is because of my teaching career that my photographic life has been confined to pretty much every bit of free time I have outside of school, including evenings, weekends and holidays. Even on my commute, I often play a photography podcast called "The Candid Frame" by Ibarionex Parello to get inspiration from the pro's. For the past 10 years, photography has consumed me and it's been a brilliant ride and I feel that it is long overdue that I step up my work with more focus and purpose. 

It is with great excitement (and a little insecurity) that I diving into this course in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography through the University of the Arts London. It will be a challenge because I definitely find this field in photography to be extremely challenging yet incredibly powerful when it is done well. Some of my pictures have had success in this area yet I haven't really had the chance to let my images lead the story. Instead the story was there and editors selected my pictures to fit their needs. For example: One of my photograph that I didn't even intend to upload, of children playing at a concert, was used by The Guardian for a story on religious conflict. Another image that criticized the high level of security in American airports was used in a patriotic magazine that argued for more spending on airport security.  After these experiences, I knew that I had a closer connection to the real story behind the image and it made my want to share my vision more directly through full photo essays and documentary pieces.

I'm thrilled to join this course and learn and practice and receive honest feedback. I'm not sure what will come next in my photographic life but I'm very excited for the journey ahead.