"I gaze at the sunset with the woman I love and think, F8 at 1/2"; personal stateme

Plz be harsh D:

"I gaze at the sunset with the woman I love and think, F8 at 1/250." - Canon Print Advertisement.

Funny words, but it is true. Photographers truly look at things from different aspects. They are calculating the aperture sizes and shutter speeds even in the most romantic atmosphere, trying to seek the best combinations of these elements. Yet beyond the principles photography fans should memorize, I have learned more.

At first I took great pleasure in photography as a tyro with neither professional equipments nor exquisite skills. Once I participated in a photography competition which required me to take pictures every day. With my small Sony camera, I recorded every single element of my daily life. Sometimes a blooming rose, sometimes the clouds in eccentric shapes, or just the smiling face of my friends.

Yet gradually things changed.

I began feeling stressful to be judged by others due to the presence of my schoolmates who were able to create works of profound message. Therefore I struggled to dig out deeper nature of my images. That was a period I took lots of pictures and later deleted them all merely because they seemed superficial to me. Like stuck in the middle of the bottleneck, I didn't know how to solve the predicament. I could not help considering taking photos as a burden for I have not experienced the innocent merriness since then.

Fortunately, I had the chance to be a volunteer in Nepal this summer holiday. I worked in a local orphanage, mainly looking after the homeless kids. One day, Olegan, the youngest boy in the house, asked me shyly to take photos of him. I accepted his request without hesitation. He stood in front of me and suddenly jumped up. In a muddle, I snapped several shots of him. Then he ran up to me to check the photos and laughed excitedly. Curiosity drove me to find out what was going on. To my surprise, Olegan browsed the photos in sequence so quickly that made them seem like a short film! Even a little boy could find the pleasure in the photography while I failed to, why?

Maybe it's time to change my attitude toward photography. I suddenly realized that this art can have quite simple meaning. I deviated from my original way because I put too much focus on meaningless connotation. Just as an ostentatiously designed vase, so my photos lost the soul inside. Bottomline, it is the feeling contained in the picture that makes it vivid and alive.

Peter Adams once said, "Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field". After all, it is the photography that helps me remember the landscapes I have seen, the things I have been through, and the people I love.

I want to take photos of the friendly regards from strangers when I travel abroad.

I want to record the kiss and exchange of rings in my friends' wedding ceremony.

I want to film my dear son playing football with his peers on the lawn.

I want to make the happiness eternal and share the emotion with all the people.

They are calculating the aperture sizes and shutter speeds even in the most romantic atmosphere, trying to seek the best combinations of these elements.
I'm not sure if "romantic" is the best word here, can you find another word that portrays this idea?

Yet beyond the basic principles that photography fans should memorize, I have learned more.

At first, I took great pleasure in photography as antyroamateur with neither professional equipment nor exquisite skills.

One time, I participated in a photography competition which required me to take pictures every day.

I began feeling stressful to be judged by others due to the presence of my schoolmates who were able to create works of profound message.

This might sound better: "There was an atmosphere of competitiveness between my schoolmates, who intimidated me with their profound works of art."

Even a little boy could find the pleasure in the photography while I failed to, why?
Here is another way you could say this: "By watching the boy's pleasure, I pondered why I had failed to see the significance of those photos."

I actually really like the sentence


However, I think you may need to add a little separation. For example, "Even a little boy could find the pleasure in photography while I failed to; why?"

or "Even a little boy could find the pleasure in photography while I failed to-- why?"

Also,


Are you sure you want the present tense here? I don't know exactly what you are trying to say, but it could be more effective to put that in the past tense and then describe how your attitude has changed since then.

Other than that, I think there may be a few small grammar errors/places it feels awkward. You might want to try reading it out loud to yourself; often that will help turn up small mistakes. I don't think they detract too much from the essay as is, though.

Overall, great essay! I love the quote at the beginning.

I have a love for photography as well & i loved reading your essay (:
few corrections:

"Yet beyond the principles photography fans should memorize, I have learned so much more."

"Once I participated in a photography competition which required me to take pictures every day." --> I once participated...

"With my small Sony camera, I recorded every single element of my daily life insert a colon sometimes a blooming rose, delete sometimes eccentric shapes, or just the smiling face of my friends."

"I began feeling stressful to be judged by others due to the presence of my schoolmates who were able to create works of profound message [change to plural, messages

Other than that, it's good (:

Thanks guys I have corrected my mistakes!
I have been worried about my theme...I think it isn't very critical ...any advice?

you dont have to be deep. i would say. its nice to not be deep for once. while admission officers are in depression after reading all the deep essays, yours will come as a refreshment to them. so i think you should stick with it. and i loved the essay. its great. it really shows me your passion for photography and lets me now how you have improved the way you viewed things. make the grammatical changes suggested above and you will do great.

Thanks for your encouragement!! <3