A scene from London's Big Ben. Photo Credit: Carlos A. Moreno / GMIIt is said that opportunities like these don't always come true every day in our lives. So when they happen you should take a chance and go for them - and that is what I have done...
...yet again.
After long hours of what seemed endless work before my departure to London, I felt that maybe this trip was not going to be worth it and was not going to secure me some much needed rest.
So far, the last stands true, as for the first, I could not have been any more wrong.
I found my departure to London to be a sweet breeze of fresh air and one where work and play were possible, if you managed your time effectively. It is the first time I have traveled to Europe or for that matter across the Atlantic Ocean. It is still surreal to me that I am here in jolly old England. The feelings and emotions of this trip have not yet sunk completely.
I've seen so many places. London is now my temporary home and can't wait to see what will happen tomorrow as I venture out to London for a second time for a story that will satisfy my needs as a young journalist and as a curious traveler.
My experiences so far have been a mix of accomplishment and doubt on my part. This has definitely made me think about my expectations and readiness in the field. It seems amazing that even after spending so much time in the journalism world that the strange and unusual scare me, yet still entice me as a photojournalist.
Today was one of those days.
Having the chance to speak to the people of London was challenging. It seemed like they were at times uninterested and just dismissive about taking me serious - maybe because I'm not English, I don't know.
I felt like a true foreigner, distant and fascinated with my surroundings. I will admit that it hasn't been easy for me to handle the culture differences here in London. Usually I never have problems talking and explaining to people what my objectives are in the United States. This was expected of course. I will just have to get over these complications and get to it because there is no take two here.
Even after all this time, I still care and still believe in the power of journalism, even when the task at hand seems difficult or unnerving. It might seem like gloom and doom for the print journalism industry but I still see the press playing a very important role in all world communities - London included. This is the time to show people what we are made of.
To be able to cover so dynamic a topic as the global recession for both London and Paris is not only amazing, but astonishing to see how much we all must pitch-in to make this Global Media Initiative project a success for us and for the people back home in San Jose, Calif.
If anything, I can say that this trip so far has given me the right to say that 'I was there' and that I was a journalist, even when times seemed hard for not just journalists everywhere but for all of us economically.
London has called my name and made an impossible dream a reality.
Carlos A. Moreno
Photographer
Photojournalism
No comments:
Post a Comment