an interview with kamana of journalling through photos

and as we continue the interview series that's a result of this post...this time i'm pleased to introduce kamana, who blogs at the lovely journalling through photos sharing the beauty and bounty of the gorgeous island where she makes her home.

1. you're part of our BC365 photo group - what has been the best thing about taking a picture every day?

The best thing probably is learning more about how to take good photographs. I knew nothing about photography when I started blogging, and it has been a trial and error process. It has been - and still is, everyday - a learning experience, and I find that the more I play around with my camera, the more I try different things in terms of lighting, angles, composition, and so on, I learn.

2. and what's been the worst?

Trying to get a shot taken everyday. Most days, this is not a problem, especially now that I carry my camera around with me all the time. But on those days when life gets in the way of what you really want to be doing... those days when inspiration just hits rock bottom... those days are hard. I don't want to just point my camera at the first thing I see and upload it. I have to be reasonably happy with a shot, to upload it. So, the pressure to take a reasonably okay shot everyday can be difficult.

3. and what have you learned from doing the project?

I have learned so much about photography during these seven months. Much from my own attempts, but also so much from others - seeing their work and getting comments from others on mine.

4. i always feel envious that you have endless supplies of light and gorgeous fruit for the project...what's the best thing about living in an island paradise (aside from light and fruit)?

LOL. I should have expected this question! The best thing for a beach loving girl like me, is the proximity to the ocean. I just love to be near the sea and feel the sand under my feet. Instant relaxation, I think.

5. what impact of climate change do you see where you live?

• The weather being more volatile and less predictable.
• Shoreline erosion.
• Increased temperatures leading to coral bleaching and creating havoc for marine ecosystems.

And of course, rising sea levels, reported to be around 0.9cm a year... a significant amount, considering the majority of these islands are just 1m above sea level. When I meet people from other countries for the first time, many often laugh and say, "oh so have you decided where you will go when your country goes underwater in 50 years?"
This is so unfunny... just so you know. :)

6. what did you think you would be when you grew up?

You mean I am already grown up?! Because I am still figuring out what I want to be...

But seriously, I have always been passionate about language and about learning. Even as a little girl, I talked about wanting to be a teacher. I remember often teaching my toys and marking their work. I did teach in school for some years, and have continued to work in education.

But what I also dreamed about wanting to be even then as a little girl, and more so now, is to be a writer. I want to write. I want to play with words. I want to weave stories.

7. and what did your parents expect you to be?

Oh, very clearly, a teacher.

8. tell us a funny travel-related story...

I was 18. Travelling alone for the first time, and also my first time in Europe. I fly into London Heathrow, where I receive verbal instructions from a British Council representative at the airport, on how to make my way from the airport to the hotel I was to stay in for the night, and my travel plans to go up to Scotland the next day. I have no idea of how the underground trains work, and the mess of coloured lines on a sheet of paper makes little sense when you have been travelling the whole day, and have too much information to take in all at once. It is rush hour, at the end of the working day, and the trains are packed. I get on the tube, with another fellow traveller who is also headed to the same hotel. It stops at where we are expected to change lines, and I make my way out, dragging with me my suitcase and my hand luggage through the packed train. The guy who is with me, takes his own cool time, and is just able to throw out his stuff on to the platform when the train doors close and it takes off...taking him away, and leaving me stranded on this platform with four very heavy bags and no address of the hotel I am supposed to be going to. I remember the name of the hotel, and that I have to eventually get off at Earl's Court. Apart from that, I have nothing. And no cash in sterling pounds. But I must have looked helpless enough, because before long, I had someone ask me where I was going to, and help me find my way (read: accompanied me all the way) to the hotel.

The next day, I fly to Edinburgh and I am supposed to take the train from there to Stirling. I am told which platform to get the train from, and when I get there, there is a train already there, about to leave. Of course, I get on, and find a seat. The ticket collector comes along, looks at my ticket and tells me that I am on the wrong train, going in an entirely different direction. And that I should have waited another ten minutes for the right train at that platform.

Yes, it was an eventful introduction to trains in the UK. And no, it didn't put me off them. In fact, trains are my preferred mode of transportation whenever I go back there now.

9. your life philosophy in one sentence:

Dream big, work hard and have faith, because all things are possible for those who believe.

10. what has blogging given you?

Many friends around the world. Lots of laughs. A sense of belonging to an incredibly supportive community of (mostly) women bloggers sharing their experiences through words and images.

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thank you, kamana, for sitting down to speak with me (because that's how this one feels) and thank you for being part of the BC365 project on flickr as well! be sure to visit kamana and her photostream! it will open a whole new world!