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If this is your favorite submission, please vote by writing any comment below. the submission with the most comments wins.

The first submission is from Zermina Akbary who submitted a piece about her writing. Zermina expresses her passion for writing very well. I was able to relate easily with her and I could really see how she gets into the moment when she’s writing that she pretty much loses herself, just like I do when I’m shooting. I just really loved how well she wrote her submission and my team totally agreed with me. Hope you enjoy it!

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What is my element?

Definitely writing. Writing is my life log. With retrospect, a simple life becomes fascinating. I’ve filled countless notebooks with random thoughts, poems, and doodles. I could not live without writing. If I’d go to a deserted island, I would need a thick block of paper and a set of pens or one that is super long lasting, and I’d be more or less satisfied. (If I write a letter, I can run out of a gel pen writing one letter.) I write anything, from just words on paper to longer texts. Writing is like breathing to me. Well, not quite like breathing, perhaps, because I can LIVE without it, but I can’t really THRIVE without it.

I can process my thoughts way easier when I write them down. Running around so much everyday you barely have ANYTIME to sit back and reflect a little, or just have some time to yourself, its unfortunate. Like we don’t enjoy the real things around us: trees, plants, mountains/hills, sky, lakes – we forget that all of these make up life and if we really sit down listen to them on a quiet night/day and just think about and write about all the creations of God; it’s truly something else. When I first moved here and was spending my weekends at my aunts, I would hike up at Midnight to a spot near the edge of the mountain and just sit there listening and writing away…and it was an amazing feeling how you can hear the trees rustling, the fresh smell of the plants around, and the best was hearing the Water – I’m sure from a Lake- running, and to top it all I looked Up and it felt like the Stars were so close -all that gives you a spiritual booster. That is what simply writing does to me. It fills me up with gratitude and fills me with awareness of the beauty of life.

Writing helps me get my emotions out of my system. Writing is my life; it is my passion that takes me wherever I want to go! I relive experiences; I embrace solutions to problems shown by the stroke of my pen on blank paper. I love it when I lose myself in the writing. The world’s an adventure.

How could I use writing in a free photo shoot? Simple. I could transform any piece of writing (whatever it may be) into photos. Simply from words, a paper and pen to a camera, film and photos.

Here is a recent writing piece:

Happiness: Fire vs Water

When I was younger, I chased after a type of happiness that could best be described as a fire. It burned bright and hot, but it burned fast. Winning tennis matches; making new friends at summer camps and school; dancing my heart out at parties and on stage; acing exams and feeling smart… They were all such an intense burst of energy, a blazing rush of adrenaline and endorphins.

As I grew up, I started to develop another kind of happiness that could be described as a substantial body of water. It was calmer, but deeper. Sharing a profound connection with your significant other; enjoying a low-key weekend; dancing at home while swiffering.. in my undies; understanding that there’s so much more to learn and accomplish; dedicating my time to meaningful ventures; developing a stronger sense of self-worth… These joys flow slowly, steadily, and quietly.

Both kinds of happiness are wonderful to experience. But in my opinion, “fire” is over glamorized by Hollywood and over hyped by the youth culture, while “water” is somehow underrated. Yes, fire seems more exciting and powerful. But don’t mistake the gentleness of the water’s surface for lack of strength. And although fires are easier to form, they are also quick to burn out and dependent upon fuel from external factors. On the other hand, water can actually help you stay afloat during the rough times thanks to the uplifting force of buoyancy.

I see a lot of young people chase “fire” after “fire” to grab whatever short-lived happiness they can get their hands on. True happiness is from within and not dependent upon external stimuli. Adrenaline and endorphins make for fun times, but hardly equal a fulfilling life.

All final submissions are in! Wowwwww! I didn’t expect so many entries last night and from the ones I have seen, i’m really excited to actually work with each one of you. But only one can win, so this is how were going to do it.

I’ll be going through all of the submissions with my team and by Thanksgiving night, i’ll post up the top favorite say 4 or so as a separate post each. I’ll let all of you the readers vote on which ones you think should get the free session by commenting on each post. The post with the most comments will win the free photo-session package. This way all of you will ultimately get to choose. (IPs will be checked for duplicates so do not post more than one comment per submission)

I’m really looking forward to checking all of these submissions out. Thanks for all the support and good luck!

Here’s a video that Christopher Ian Baclig had used for part of his submission. I really like how he took a different approach to the contest and showed me what his element really is. Thanks Chris!