Stephen Ironside on Fstoppers

Ironside Photography

I haven’t yet set foot in the depths of the Congo, nor have I had tea at sunset high in the Alps. I haven’t been to Antarctica (though it almost happened once). But I’ve experienced many far away places, created a lot of images of and for the people who call those places home, and I’ve made it my life’s endeavor to use my talents as best I can to leave the world, as I’ve seen it, as I’ve known it, a little better off.

Storytelling through visual imagery has already brought me many opportunities. I’ve documented clothing factories in India, a wedding in Bolivia, deadly snakes in Costa Rica, toy factories in China, and an ancient religious ceremony in the middle of nowhere in the Himalayas. But it doesn’t matter if I’m abroad or right at home in Arkansas; looking through the lens to craft a story and share it with others, and to see their reactions and how it can impact their lives, is what gets me up in the morning. It’s better than the awards I’ve won, and it’s better than that affirmative feeling of being published.

In the short term, I’m working to expand my commercial, corporate, advertising, and editorial photography business to a national scale. But, long term, I’m pursuing storytelling photography as both a profession and a life goal, and hope to help revitalize peoples’ love for the natural world and for cultures besides their own — a love that seems to have been lost in today’s society. If I leave a mark on this world, it better be a good one.

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