My earliest memories of photography are my father's (broken) Yashica rangefinder camera and the images on the front pages of the Houston Post and Houston Chronicle, respectively.
I took photojournalism and photography as electives at my high school in Houston, Texas. My teachers had a strong influence on me.
My first assignment was in a photojournalism class at age 15; I was told I could step outside of class to take pictures. I soon learnt I knew nothing about photography, but the camera gave me freedom to explore places and subjects I normally would not.
The Indian Ocean tsunami left a big mark on me because all my senses were overwhelmed by my surroundings. My sense of vision, smell and hearing were maxed out. I remember not only having to deal with the subject in front of me, but also learning to deal with myself at the same time.
I enjoy covering breaking news that attracts a lot of human interest. I feel a sense of responsibility to tell the world through my own experience what happened. Reporting these events also allows me to inform and influence people.
I go from culture to culture and when you do that, you learn lessons all the time. You perceive a lesson from your perspective and all of a sudden you're humbled by another point of view.
The biggest mistake journalists can make is walking into an assignment with a preconceived idea of what the assignment is about and not covering the developing story around them.
I respect my parents the most, for their incredible determination in making their dreams a reality.
The art and science of photography is such that a moment captured in less than a second can last for a lifetime.
