College Admissions Essay: My Passion For Photography

“Oh, the joy of being jet lagged,” I think to myself sarcastically as I stare at the bright, neon green numbers from the overhead clock that read 4:30 A.M. After five minutes of aimlessly flipping through Indian channels on my grandparents’ T.V., I sluggishly stand and walk towards the front door; catching a glimpse of my unfamiliar, tanned reflection staring back at me in a mirror—my skin’s olive tone remains untouched by the usual layer of pale foundation I pile on. I stumble upon my dad’s camera, take its bulky frame in my hands, and walk through to the front door. I sit silently on the porch, enveloped by the tranquility of dawn; the only noise comes from my camera's mechanical sound as I modify each setting. Oblivious to the time I had expended fiddling with the camera, the sunrise’s orange-hued rays begin to seep through the thick gray clouds, and the village slowly comes to life. An old woman draws my attention as she
Through my passion for photography, I realized beauty is not based on what I do not have, rather it is what I do and what I experience that truly makes me beautiful. Even though the woman I captured in my image had no home and had exposed her life full of struggle, the intensity of her bravery was forever scorched in my mind through the intensity in her eyes which tell her story of inherent beauty. Moments, captured by the bright, blinding light of a single flash, encompass all aspects of our lives; each moment embodies our existence and everything we have experienced. Pictures of myself define me, but these moments I have captured reflect my experiences and shape who I am, a gratifying compilation of all I have experienced—these moments compose my identity, an identity that makes me an individual who is inherently