Yuki Matsuoka began his career as a photographer in Edinburgh, Scotland where he also strengthened the English skills that would prove invaluable through his travels. For over a decade, he has worked in New York, London, and most recently has returned to his home country to work as a freelance photographer in Tokyo. His clients include Onward Kashiyama, Max & Co., Marie Claire and Sotokoto.

However, his life as a commercial photographer takes second place to his ambitions as an artist, and the past decade has taught him humility and perseverance. From the deserts of the Sahara to the jungles of Cambodia to the excitement of Paris, he has trekked to distant places seeking out people in an effort to capture the powerful emotions that comprise the human situation. In doing so, he has not only learned about the peoples of the world, but about himself as he explains in this essay.

Photographs were taken from two trips to India at the beginning of his career and summer 2006, ten years later. To see the complete collection, visit his website: http://www.yu-kimatsuoka.com.

Ten years have passed. I was only 22 years old when I took these pictures of India. I made my first portfolio with these pictures, and took them to New York full of dreams. Yes, I had nothing, but dreams. They were my only possessions.

I started working for a still life photographer in NYC and he kindly offered to let me stay in his studio located near SOHO. (He lived one block away from his studio with his wife.) Every day I spent with him soon made me realize how worthless I was. In New York, dreams mean nothing; all you need are "Experiences".

I wish I could have stayed longer, but in the end, I lasted only four months in New York. I was unable to cope with the daily life in the world's capital. It was one of my biggest failures and taught me something very important about living.

Even though New York completely knocked me down, I was still able to believe in myself and my photography. That belief was enough to keep me going for ten years.

Looking back on those times, everything started when I went to India. Ten years is enough time to kill all your dreams. What's left after they all vanish is what really counts.

Ten years later, I returned to India. Nothing seems to be changed.

I went to India on my own a decade ago. This time, I am with my wife who I met four years ago. We finally managed to get married a few months back, and this trip was our honeymoon.

Ten years ago, everything was so uncertain and unknown. Every day, I had a new encounter and was never alone. I loved talking to those who had the same passion for traveling. I even fell in love with a beautiful German girl and traveled together for a couple of months. We were very passionate about each other. I had the time of my life.

It was all ten years ago. Since then, my life has become stable and I've started earning a regular income. Everything looks secure and straightforward.

Yet, nothing has changed in India. We all know that the economy has boomed here in last ten years and people have become far richer than ever. Probably, the profit has not been spread very widely in India. Chosen people enjoy the wealth and the rest trudge on with the same life they had ten years ago.

Choice is a luxury in life. I've chosen my life as a photographer, but a lot of people in India have no choice but to accept life the way it is.

My belief is that today is the best day of my life. I hardly recall my past; it seems quite distant. India stands as a bridge between my past and present. The memory of India somehow remains vivid and I feel as if there was ten-year void in my life.

Sometimes it is good to encounter your past. Your wrinkle may deepen and your hair may turn white. But there are still things that remain unchanged in yourself.

Ten years ago when I went to India, I wanted to change myself. I wanted to change everything. Now I see, things change without trying and you don't even notice how and when. They simply change without you knowing.

I was looking for my place. I thought I had to try to find it, so I looked everywhere and went as far away as possible.

I am now falling, falling to my place where I should be. India makes me realize that we can not go anywhere. You have to stick to who you are and what you really are.

The real change only occurs after you find your place.