Enriching Photography Project

Hi, My name is Mason.  I am a girl born and raised in Washington State, USA, but always have found myself itching to travel, to experience culture, and to appreciate the importance and beauty of diversity.  I am currently attending the Running Start Program at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham and will finsih there with my High School Diploma and Associates Degree at the end of summer quarter.  After that I will be living my dream, and embark on an adventure to Europe for about 7 months.  I will be visiting many countries, but most definitely spend the majority of my time in France and England.  I have always thought that these would be incredible places to visit, and I can't believe it's all coming together.  I will be working as an au pair in both countries in exchange for room and board, wich I am very excited about, since I love working with kids.  Because I will be returing next year to attend University, part of my goal with this trip is to explore my passions and build my portfolio for college.  I am and have always been interested in and dedicated to art, especially with a focus on photography, and I plan  to persue these passions in my future education.  I have previously worked with point and shoot cameras in my photography, as well as with my smart phone.  These methods have been fun for experimenting, but for this trip I would love to upgrade to a more professional camera and be able to create a portfolio that I am proud of and that can really show my full potential as an artist. My plan is to create a thematic photo series, with a focus on families and food (mainly artisanal), and how growing and preparing food brings families, communities, and the world together.  I am an avid cook and foodie, and combining these two passions of mine into a project is so thrilling. I am looking around for the financial aid to get a quality DSLR camera.  My family is low-income and they are helping my with this trip as much as they can, but we have a tight budget.  I am mainly paying for the travels myself, and just don't see how I would be able to afford the kind of camera I am looking for without other support.  Creating this compilation of art and my travels, and also working towards getting into a college that will be a good creative match for me, is so exciting. Getting this camera will allow me to be fully immersed in the countries I visit as I view them through an artistic and appreciative lens.

 

 Thank you so much for your time!