Nature, Field Notes Paul Choy Nature, Field Notes Paul Choy

Every Drop Counts

Water has been an essential commodity for as long as humanity has existed. So critical is water to all life that wars have been fought over its supply for millennia. And yet, much of the world still takes water for granted, even in the face of a global warming crisis.

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Field Notes Paul Choy Field Notes Paul Choy

Lost Possibilities?

This isn’t the most famous door in the world, despite what you might have thought at first glance. Despite living in possibly the safest era in history, the door you are thinking of lies behind layers of iron gates, surveillance cameras, and armed police officers. The question is, why?

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Bearing Witness, Field Notes Paul Choy Bearing Witness, Field Notes Paul Choy

Through the Eyes of a Child

In our so-called advanced world of shopping malls and online stores packed to the brim with mass-produced "stuff" manufactured in power-guzzling, environment-polluting factories for those with the wealth to buy them, has consumerism spiralled out of control? When did the things we enjoy become things we buy rather than make?

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Field Notes Paul Choy Field Notes Paul Choy

Invisible Lines

The story of the Prime Meridian, an invisible line that silently choreographs the dance of time and space across the globe, is a tale of science, power, and intrigue. But standing with one foot in each hemisphere, I wondered whether this arbitrary line of imaginary division has a greater significance in our increasingly divided real world.

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Bearing Witness, Field Notes Paul Choy Bearing Witness, Field Notes Paul Choy

In the Shadows of Humanity

Are there words adequate to describe the emotion of passing through the gates of Auschwitz? Can a photograph truly do justice to the memory of those who met their dreadful end in the gas chambers at the end of the railway tracks? Those were my thoughts as I entered the infamous camp, which left such an indelible stain on 20th-century history.

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Bearing Witness, Field Notes Paul Choy Bearing Witness, Field Notes Paul Choy

Medicine for the Soul

For centuries, millennia even, people have gathered around a single focal point to share stories, sing, chant, make music and celebrate their communities. And yet, as the wheels of time have turned, these ancient practices have faded from memory as digital screens have become our new focal point.

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Nature, Field Notes Paul Choy Nature, Field Notes Paul Choy

Braving The Storm

Believe it or not, I came very close to leaving Toronto without photographing Niagara Falls. The weather forecast was for heavy rain, and I would need to go at a crazy hour to reach the falls in time for sunrise. But a break in the storm allowed me to experience a moment which will stay with me forever.

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Field Notes Paul Choy Field Notes Paul Choy

Embracing Simplicity

Ours is a complicated world, so much so that sometimes we see complication even where it doesn't exist. But it was a chance encounter with a fisherman in Madagascar which left me wondering what solutions might be hiding in plain sight if we open our eyes to them.

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Field Notes Paul Choy Field Notes Paul Choy

Worth A Thousand Words

This photograph, captured in 2013, will always be special to me. It was the first of my photographs to receive a thousand likes on social media, but more than that, it taught me how powerful a photograph could be.

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Field Notes Paul Choy Field Notes Paul Choy

The Spirit of Football

Money and sport have always been uncomfortable teammates, but in the end, it has always felt like sport came first. But this World Cup feels different. Does the 2022 World Cup mark the moment when money takes the lead and sport is left to follow after?

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Field Notes Paul Choy Field Notes Paul Choy

A Box of Memories

Do you remember photographs? I mean real photographs — the kind you hold in your hand, not view on your phone. For those who are too young to remember (or those of you who are old enough but want to enjoy a walk down memory lane), let me share with you what is was like to capture moments on film rather than on a sensor.

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Field Notes Paul Choy Field Notes Paul Choy

Is Photography Dead?

If what we read on the Internet is to be believed (and who doesn't believe everything they read on the Internet?), photography is dying before our eyes. But is it, or are we simply entering a new phase of the creative age?

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Nature, Field Notes Paul Choy Nature, Field Notes Paul Choy

The Roof of Africa

As a documentary photographer and writer, I am used to challenging assignments in far-off places. But as I stood, exhausted from many days of sleep and oxygen deprivation, staring up at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world, I couldn't help but wonder if this would finally be a challenge too far?

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Bearing Witness, Field Notes Paul Choy Bearing Witness, Field Notes Paul Choy

The Fight

The two children circled cautiously for a few moments, each unsure of the other, until suddenly, the smaller of the two punched the taller boy straight in the face and didn't stop punching until the job was done. Thai Boxing is not for the faint-hearted. But the real fight is not being fought on the mats; there is a far more significant challenge that all sports must soon face.

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Field Notes Paul Choy Field Notes Paul Choy

Rite of Passage

As a photographer, I have always aspired to create photographs that have never been seen before: unique and spontaneous moments. But capturing certain photographs have become almost a rite of passage for any travelling photographer – even if they have been photographed thousands of times. This one is mine.

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Field Notes Paul Choy Field Notes Paul Choy

Why Do We Travel?

As I have learned through experience, having travelled around the world many times over, there is very little glamorous about travelling. And yet, we keep doing it. The question I ask myself is, why?

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