An AFI Scholarship Essay

I'm happy to report that I was accepted to the American Film Institute Conservatory (AFI) for the 2026 fall semester! It's a two year MFA program where I'll continue honing my craft as a cinematographer. Part of my preparation in my move to LA is applying for scholarships for the program. Here is one essay I wrote for a recent scholarship application. I've included some photos I submitted as well.  

“At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are… Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known.” — Robert Adams

I carry the spirit of this quote with me every time I look through a camera. There is humility in photographing another person, and a kind of bravery from the subject in allowing themselves to be seen. As image makers, we have a responsibility to honor that exchange. For the past decade, I’ve worked professionally as a cinematographer and photographer. That work has taken me across the world and into spaces I never would have otherwise accessed. My camera has been my passport—whether documenting motorcycles in India, a Catholic priest’s mission in Ireland, small business development in Nepal, geothermal power plants in Iceland, ice road construction in the Arctic Circle, or working alongside a photojournalist in Iraq. Throughout it all, I’ve been committed to creating work that I’m proud of while sustaining a career doing it.

I was recently accepted to the American Film Institute Conservatory to continue my education in cinematography. As I look ahead, I feel a growing responsibility to use my craft with intention. We are living in a time of deep division, and too often media and technology amplify that separation rather than bridge it. I want my work—both in photography and film—to create connection, to invite empathy, and to reflect a more honest and compassionate view of who we are. Photography has always been the foundation of my work. It sharpens how I see, how I listen, and how I engage with the world. I believe deeply in its ability to place us, even briefly, in someone else’s experience. This scholarship would support not just my education, but my commitment to using photography as a tool for connection, understanding, and care. 

Nepalese brick makers, 2013