Life with Elliott
@lifewithelliott
Best of the week 10 at #nomadict 2020
I owe my love for photography and travel to my parents. Growing up, my family and I would travel every summer. I would take my little point and shoot that my parents got me and capture what I thought looked cool and that I wanted to remember. I was quite a hyperactive child and travelling amazed me as everything was constantly a new adventure. I was also a creative kid; I grew up on puzzles, painting, music, and photography. It gave me the ability to express myself in ways that mathematics and science couldn’t.
"After graduating from Bible college, I decided to backpack around Asia with my camera. I think photography and travelling go hand in hand."
When humans experience something important or favourable, it’s instinctive for us to want to remember that experience. Photography gives us the ability to capture moments forever. On top of that, it provides us with the ability to capture that moment the way we want to remember it. Through composition, lighting, subject matter, and editing, we can express how we felt at that moment.
I have so many memories from all my adventures; I’ve been travelling non-stop for the past two, almost three years now, and I’ve been to over 40 countries. So you can imagine how many photos I have been taking! The memory that sticks out the most would be my time in Mozambique. I was on assignment working with an NGO, and I spent a week photographing at their children centre in Maputo, the capital.
"The centre houses over 200 children, providing shelter and basic needs for orphans and vulnerable children."
Before my trip, my contact had said to me that most of the kids have never seen a printed photograph of themselves. Hearing that, I decided to bring a polaroid camera with me. I wish you could see for yourself the joy the kids had when they saw their polaroids. They were grinning ear to ear, showing off their polaroid to each other. They held onto them next to their heart, and wouldn’t let them go for the whole week. They carried them everywhere they went.
To this day, that fabric hangs on my wall at home. This memory has stuck with me for years. It makes me so happy to know that I was able to bless those kids with photos. At the same time, it made me realize that most, if not all of us, including myself, take everything for granted. Basic needs like water and food. Having a roof over our heads. The ability to take a selfie with our phones. We get mad when the server gets our order wrong. Yet those kids are happy if they have food on their plate.
"Traveling has changed my perspective on life, and I truly believe that gratitude, for even the simple things in life, brings fruition to contentment."
The photo the that won the weekly contest was taken on a travel in Thailand and is very special to me too. Last August, my friend Julian (@Care4art) and I were in Thailand when we saw on Instagram a photograph of Phang Nga bay. We only had a day left in the country, so we booked it there for sunrise right before our flight. Unfortunately, we realized we wouldn’t have enough time to shoot and get our flight, so we ended up shooting another location. Then, a few weeks ago, my friend Jonas (@TheFreedomComplex) texted me out of the blue, and it just so happens that we were going to be in Thailand at the same time for a day! I thought about places to shoot, and I remembered the spot that Julian and I tried to get to. To get to this specific spot, we had to start our day off at 5:00 in the morning to make it there on time. We drove through the darkness on our scooter bikes, and when we got to the pier, we sent our drones up and saw this magnificent view.
"By the time we got there, the light was just perfect as the sunlight filled the valley."
The river curves throughout the photo, creating a beautiful composition with the s-curve. After droning for a bit, we took a private longtail boat and went to visit Ko Panyi and nearby floating fishing village. We spent the morning exploring the village, talking with locals, and photographing the area.
What makes this shot special for me is that I got to do it with my friend Jonas. I met Jonas about two years ago in Thailand. Since then, we only saw each other once in Singapore, and it was only for a couple of hours. So, after two years of not seeing each other, we finally got to reunite in the country where our friendship started. Adventures like this remind me why I love photography. Photography has the ability to bring people together; Jonas and I met because of our love for the art.
"I’ve met some of the most incredible people during my travels, and I am able to travel so much because of photography."
It’s not just travel that makes photography so great and powerful, teaching important lessons in life. One of the most important things that photography has taught me is that comparison is the thief of joy. As a creative, it’s easy to compare yourself with others, measuring your worth against other people’s success and work. I’ve learnt that the only person you can compare yourself with is your past self. Everyone’s journey looks different. Everyone is a different root that grows at different rates. I’ve learnt that there will always be someone better than you, and if you keep that mindset, you will never be content. My next step in my photography career is to teach others what I’ve learnt. Because photography has opened up so many doors for me, I want others to have the same opportunity to experience things they wouldn’t be able to without photography.
"I firmly believe that if we know something that can help others, we must share that knowledge."
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