Ian Taylor

Portrait Photographer

Born in Liverpool to Canadian parents, I moved to Ontario when I was one.

I'm the eldest of six from Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario, essentially an island kid at heart. Mom organized a shoot with eight of us, plus assorted dogs, every year. (Which I think is funny as so many families, with helpers, have told me ‘they don’t have a an hour this year’.)

Growing up in a big family meant there were always kids around, and I became the family photog by default. That Victorian house in Picton is where I first learned that the best photos are the ones that just happen.

I arrived in Phnom Penh in 1994 and became the Business Manager of The Cambodia Daily newspaper, training ground for a huge number of journalism stars. Later I worked with J. Walter Thompson advertising in local and pan-Asian roles.

But I was obsessed with photography. I learned by wandering around Asia, pointing my camera at scenes, and by photographing my nieces and nephews on my trips home. This is why I’ve always considered myself more of a kids portrait photographer than a a ‘fam photog’.

By the time I established my career as a Hong Kong photographer in 2007, I knew that parents were looking for more than just a portrait; they wanted a professional photography session that captured the truth of their kids' personalities.

That background shaped my way of looking at the world. Whether I’m taking photos at a Hong Beach, or documenting a project for an NGO or a CSR client, it’s the same basic approach:

Look for the light, find a frame, hope for a ‘moment’.

At the end of the day, photography is all about light, whether you're photographing architecture, food or stars. I'm obsessed with finding great light, which is why I'm so particular about locations. The variety of locations is what drew me to family photography Hong Kong, I love using the entire city, not just one beach plus Hollywood Rd. Locals tell me I know the city better than they do!

In my spare time I play music, having had bands in Hong Kong, Thailand, and the only Western band in Cambodia during the '90s. In Bangkok I played for years with The Midnight Ramblers, the top Rolling Stones cover band in Asia.

My other obsession is kayaking, I've kayaked the 600 km from the Thai-Burma border to the Malaysian border. Twice.