Travel is Good for the Soul (and the portfolio)...

 

 

Saturday Ambassador

Travel is a remarkable teacher that enriches our lives by introducing new experiences and precipitating interaction with people, cultures and conditions that differ from what we encounter every day.

 

In 2008, I embarked upon a month-long excursion throughout China and Japan. The experience influenced my life in a number of ways: First, Asian cultures are very different from life in the United States. Rather than being a "rude American", I endeavored to learn some of the customs and even some of the language of the places to which I would travel, and respected that which is considered proper in those regions; I tried new foods and visited places where tourists rarely go in order to immerse myself in the culture; I photographed relentlessly and, subsequently, decided to pursue photography professionally.

 

Xi'an Dance-2, Deva Mayorga-Malone, 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yangshuo, Deva Mayorga-Malone, 2008 (left); Guilin (Li Jiang),

Deva Mayorga-Malone  2008 (right)

 

While travel abroad is exciting and exotic, it is also expensive. Domestic travel can be every bit as interesting and educational, and it is far more convenient.

 

As a photographer, regardless of your chosen genre, it is imperative that step outside your comfortable living space so that you might better understand the people with whom you will be conducting business. Experience does not come from a book or a website, and certainly not from television. Rather, it comes from acting, doing, being and interacting within an unfamiliar environment.

 

As I have previously mentioned, I am an OTR truck driver; travel is my job. This country is home to some truly remarkable and unusual places, and I explore them at every opportunity.
 

South Rim Grand Canyon, Deva Mayorga-Malone, 2011

Lower LaBarge Box Trail (Arizona), Deva Mayorga-Malone, 2009

Take the time to travel to make your assignment submissions unique, to broaden your horizons and to achieve enlightenment. It will make you a more knowledgeable, creditable person, as well as a better photographer.

 

~Saturday Ambassador