I bought a one-way ticket to Shanghai, thinking I'd stay for a year. 12 years later, it feels like home.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Graeme Kennedy, a Canadian photographer based successful Shanghai. His words person been edited for magnitude and clarity.

I grew up successful a mini municipality successful the Canadian Rockies successful the benignant of spot wherever you thief your neighbour shovel snowfall disconnected their sidewalk conscionable because. My puerility was spent climbing trees, biking, and skiing.

Sadly, the quality that drew successful visitors year-round was mislaid connected me. I wanted to get retired of that 4,000-person town.

At 18, I moved to Thailand to activity successful a school's trading department, past to London for 2 years, and finally, successful a bold leap, to Shanghai successful 2014. Despite my constrictive understanding of China, fueled by the politically-charged headlines that often painted a grey picture, I bought a one-way ticket.

Landing successful China

My first 5 years successful Shanghai were spent successful trading and imaginative guidance for a British world schoolhouse and a luxury hospitality company. It was unchangeable work, but I felt a increasing discontent. The allure of China's vastness extended acold beyond the confines of a 9-to-6 agency desk.

Photography had ever been my passion, a cardinal that opened doors and offered glimpses into the lives of others. It had provided maine pinch an excuse to travel pinch purpose and prosecute pinch the world much deeply. Whether photographing mushroom harvesting successful Lishui aliases documenting cacao accumulation successful Tanzania, each click of the shutter drew maine person to knowing life's complexities.

My motto, "Just opportunity yes," became a guiding principle.

No general training

I ne'er studied photography; I taught myself. Whether I was shooting for a schoolhouse newspaper aliases creating day-to-day contented for a trading department, photography was ever connected to the activity I was doing. I conscionable ne'er thought it could beryllium a career.

During my past full-time job, I started taking connected photography activity connected the broadside to make immoderate other money. I'd done a fewer shoots connected weekends and evenings, but without a business, I couldn't legally judge payments. Starting a institution felt daunting, but I yet realized the rewards outweighed the risks.

In 2019, I launched my ain photography company. I made very small astatine first, but erstwhile everything was group up, I could yet judge payments from clients who had been waiting to salary me. That gave maine capable to get done the first mates of months.

At first, I was earning little than 20,000 RMB a period — hardly capable to screen rent, food, and caller camera gear. I took almost immoderate task I could get, often for free, shooting friends' restaurants, events, gyms, and bars. The extremity wasn't to make a batch of money correct away. It was to build a portfolio, enactment busy, and gain referrals.

Within a year, those connections and the activity I put successful led to bigger jobs.

Working for myself has meant slow months, costly months, and windfall months. There were anxious nights waiting for payments truthful I could salary my staff, but it was ne'er conscionable astir making money. The chaos is excavation to beryllium proud of. I get to travel, group my ain schedule, and cognize that the effort I put successful benefits maine directly.

Finding stories done food

Even though I'm much progressive successful the business broadside these days, I still emotion being a photographer. Food has go a large attraction of my work.

My mom was a dietitian, truthful I grew up appreciating the stories down what we eat. To me, nutrient isn't conscionable thing you devour — it says a batch astir a civilization and a community.

I'm fascinated by everything that goes into making section dishes, from the group increasing the ingredients to the kitchens wherever they're prepared. That's what motivates my photography.

I precocious co-started the "SaintCavish" YouTube documentary bid pinch a writer, Christopher St. Cavish, which, contempt bootstrapping connected a tight fund pinch a unit of nether 5 people, sewage nominated for a James Beard Award. People successful the West are curious astir China. When our first play sewage 15 cardinal views, we knew we were onto something.

Where is Home?

Looking back, I've realized that location isn't arsenic straightforward arsenic I erstwhile thought.

For group who unrecorded overseas, it's shaped by the experiences you have, the group astir you, and really you alteration complete time. When I first moved to Shanghai, I thought I'd only enactment for a year.

Yet a decade later, I still person the keys to an apartment successful Shanghai. I've put down roots here, surrounded by a organization of creatives and entrepreneurs who person go for illustration family.

I sojourn my family successful Canada from clip to time, but Shanghai is wherever I consciousness astir astatine home.