Ian Donald

Ian Donald (he, him) grew up in Santa Cruz, California. His early training in photography consisted of sitting through lengthy slideshows presented by his dad, a prolific amateur photographer and dentist, and his uncle, an archaeologist. His parents gave him his first camera when he was 7, a Kodak Instamatic, which was mostly used to snap pictures of his Matchbox car collection, arranged in intricately conceived action scenes.

After that, he took a Minolta SLR with him everywhere, snapping photos of friends and the places he lived and visited. A trip to Kenya and Rwanda with a new digital camera in 2006 ignited his interest in a more serious way of taking photos.

Living in New York City has given him a lot of subject matter to work with. Today, he does portrait work, street photography, landscapes, cityscapes, and most recently has become interested in documenting political protests. He finds that when he looks at the world through his camera, he becomes more attuned to what is happening around him. A brick wall is no longer just a brick wall. Long running cracks reveal decay, but there is a tiny green plant growing out of one of them. People and shadows pass; the light changes. The details are endless, and they never remain the same.