Our latest feature has been a long time coming. Mr. Ian Sheh embodies the new type of creative individual, one who refuses to be pigeon-holed as leading life inside the box. As a professional photographer, art director and food aficionado among other things, Ian takes strides to have his passions as his career and his work as his joy. To the young, aspiring, chunky cam photographers I encourage you to read, observe and take notes. Cop a look at some samples of his beautiful work.

You can also hop onto his personal website (IanSheh.com) that shows his extensive portfolio, or even link up with him on Twitter (@IanSheh).For our readers that aren’t as familiar with your work, can you please introduce yourself?Well, I’m a commercial and editorial portrait photographer. A lot of my influences come from my interest in fashion and travel, so my images tend to lean that way. I have worked with local designers like Sans Soucie, and have been published in magazines like Impact and V-rag.When and why did you become interested in photography?Photography has always been an interest of mine. I got my first camera, a Canon AE-1, from my uncle just before high school. He thought I’d better have my own camera if I was taking communication technology classes. Those classes were probably the best marks I got in all of high school.From there photography just worked itself into my life. I took a lot of my own images for projects while in school for graphic design and eventually for clients. Photography has always been around in one-way or another.So you hold multiple titles to your name (Photographer, art director and foodie), which do you enjoy doing the most?Life would be pretty boring if you only held one title… Lol… Photographer and art director are working titles, they are my jobs. All other “titles” are what make up the rest of my life. Food, or cooking, balances out my photography. It may be hard for some to believe but cooking relaxes me, it’s what I do after a long day. My favorite… I’m not sure.Whats your weapon of choice when to it comes to photography?Oh the great gear debate. I shoot primarily Nikon cameras. I invested into Nikon back when I was shooting film, it was an easy transition to digital. I try more and more to shoot film along side digital with my Mamiya RZ67. I find it gives a different perspective and changes the way you shoot. You can’t fire 1000 frames to create one, it’s much more methodical.Other than that, 90% of my travel images have been taken by my trusty Konica Hexar, it’s been to 7 countries so far. I find that when I’m traveling I’m less worried about creating images and more interested in the culture I’m surrounded by. And day to day, honestly, it’s my iPhone. It seems like such the cliche these days, using your phone, but I always have it on me. You have the ability to shoot anything at anytime. I’ll admit it, I’m a iPhone shooter.When it comes to post-processing photos, would you say that your style is extravagant or simple?I don’t think my style is extravagant but there are times when my post becomes fairly heavy. I put all of my images through a specific processing to create a style, from there it goes to Photoshop for any intense retouching. I would much rather shoot most of what is needed in camera, it makes post a much easier process.What do u think about the, dare I say, new fad of young people taking up photography and buying chunky cameras, slr’s and whatnot? It’s become the ‘cool’ thing to do now.To be honest, I was probably at the very infancy of that fad. I have traditional darkroom training but I’m part of the group of emerging photographers who embraced digital very early on, most of us have backgrounds in digital production and retouching. The current large wave of super young guns are lending a hand in discovering new talent and pushing the rest of us to be more on our game then ever before. Is it a fad?, I’m not too sure. Digital cameras are continually dropping in price, allowing more and more people to enter the dSLR market. In the end, it comes down to the images being made. Good images trump all.Are you the type of photgrapher that going out “in the field” to take photos of your surroundings or do you prefer closed settings where you have to essentially create the atmosphere of the shot?I much prefer shooting on location. I find that if you can relate or contrast the location with the subject it creates a more interesting image. That said, a lot of it depends on the project. Sometimes the simplicity of a white or grey background is all that is needed.What kinds of things are you currently working on?I am wrapping up production on a new portfolio book. The new book has taken up a lot of my time lately. I am currently working on a social media project with a new restaurant, and trying to put together a couple of personal projects which I’ve been neglecting.What’s been your favourite project to work on to date?I’m not sure. I’m always excited to work on new projects. Each of them have different aspects that are fantastic and are challenging. I’m always looking for the next best idea or project, so I guess the next project is my favorite project.Alright, veering off topic just a little bit, I see that you’re a self-proclaimed food and drink aficionado. What are some of your favourite restaurants in the city for some cool, casual dining?Currently my favorite place to be is a Latino tapas bar called Baru. Their ceviche’s are amazing, as are their mojitos. The room is like a little bit of downtown on the westside.A great place to just hangout and have one of a vast number of beers on tap is the Alibi Room. Great with a plate of olives. And my favorite non-casual dining room is La Quecia, their food reminds me of food right out of Tuscany. The only problem is that they are always booked full.I also just experienced the fantastic taste of Red Fish Blue Fish in Victoria. If you don’t mind waiting 25 minutes to order and 10 to get your food, they have the best fish tacos you’ll ever eat. I would suggest the scallop tacos, definitely worth the wait.What does the future hold for you next, in terms of upcoming projects and people you’re working with?I’m wanting to add another ‘title’ to my repertoire, director. I am working on my first short film this fall. I have the treatment finished, and the rest is slowly starting to come together. I’m pretty excited for it.Interview by: Justin LintagPhotos provided by: Ian Sheh