IT has been almost a decade since American photographer Justin Mott left his photo-journalism studies at San Francisco State University and moved to Vietnam. And he has not turned back since.

"I had so much fun (in school), and photo-journalism kept me out of the classroom though I had a short attention span," says the 36-year-old.

"I studied photography at school but for me, I learnt most when I just packed my bags and moved to Vietnam and Cambodia, just picking up skills on the fly," he adds. His risk has paid off, as Mott is now an award-winning photographer running his business, and he also shoots for reputable publications such as The New York Times, Time, The Wall Street Journal and Conde Nast Traveler.