Daily Blog
Wednesday, 20 January 2010 01:01
Written by Helen Elfer

---

In this new online series, we interview and showcase works from photographers working in and around Shanghai.

Name: Chad Ingraham
Age: 25
Nationality: Canadian

Why did you become a photographer?
When I was a kid, my dad had an old pentax SLR hidden up on the top shelf of his closet. It was the one thing I was never allowed to play with, even though he hadn't used it for about 20 years. When I turned 15, he took it down and, in my memory, ceremoniously handed it to me. From that day I've been using the camera to show people my perspective of things. 

What‘s your favorite subject and why?
I focus a lot of my time on portraiture. I find it really satisfying to get a shot of someone that shows what they are really like, the "unguarded moment" as it's often referred to. Sometimes you can even surprise your subject by showing them something they've never seen in themselves before.

Tell us about your favorite of your own photos and why.
My favourite photo is the pictured one at the top of the article. It was taken in Dujiangyan two weeks after the Sichuan earthquake. It shows a middle age man with a severe limp walking away from a partially collapsed apartment complex with the interior of the building exposed.

I like this photo because it brings back so many memories from my trip to Chengdu. It was the first time I had ever covered anything of this magnitude, and the resilience of the people I met while I was there inspired me. The photo essay was later picked up by Stern and you can see a video slideshow I made with my favorite images here and at the bottom (not available in China as it is through Youtube).

Which photographers inspire you the most?
On the top of the list would have to be Yousuf Karsh, for his pioneering work in portraiture, but also Dianne Arbus for showing us that portraiture & photography for that matter gives you a ticket to places you may never have gone to without the purpose of making photos.

What would be your advice for amateur photographers trying to capture Shanghai?
Don't. It's too big, and there are to many photos of condemned buildings & babies with split pants already. Instead, pick a subject, and become part of it. Get to it's core. And make some beautiful images along the way. 

Where can we see your work?
My website would be a good start www.chadingraham.com.

< Prev		Next >