My name is Ian, as you may have guessed. The basics about me are not so basic. People often ask me where I’m from and I really don’t know where to begin. Should I start with the fact that I was born in the Cayman Islands? Or should I say I grew up in China? Or maybe just stick to the fact that I went to college in the States? My passport says I’m American, but I’ve only lived in the States for a total of 10 years.
The quick summary is as follows: Born at a young age in the Cayman Islands. Moved to Indiana at age 4. Moved to China at age 7. Returned to the States for college. 4 years of college plus one extra year in Indiana. Then a romantic and nomadic cruise ship adventure for a touch over 3 years. Since then I’ve been living in Wisconsin.
Photography has been my passion ever since the end of high school. It’s a way for me to tell stories that otherwise wouldn’t be told and I try to find beauty where others do not. I have traveled around the world taking photos and telling the stories of the people with which I come into contact. It’s very important for me to be sensitive to the cultures that I have the privilege of tasting and with this in mind I attempt to capture each culture with an unbiased eye. If it is unacceptable to take a photo in any specific circumstance, then I will not take the photo. I do not consider going to any length just to obtain photographic evidence of an event a good enough reason to insult a culture. There is no good reason to go beyond what is culturally acceptable and so I respect the cultures that I visit. That being said, I love to photograph the unusual and exotic and will go to great lengths to photograph what a culture is truly like.
Alas, it takes money to travel! I am currently working on ways to build up a passive income through rental properties, as well as trying my hand at the risky enterprise of speculating in the forex market. Neither of these are currently full time incomes for me so I also have another job. I hope to some day soon ditch that and be free to travel around the world doing photography as I see fit.
