About Me
My name is Jeremy Elan. I am 38 years old, and I was raised in a small town in upstate New York. My dad emphasized the importance of travel and benefits of experiencing other cultures—I began my travels at 18 months of age to Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. By the time I entered Columbia University in 2003, I had visited 20 countries over four continents. After I graduated in 2007, I moved to Shanghai to become fluent in Chinese. Since then, I have traveled throughout Asia, including to Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong. I set my record in 2008—I traveled to 12 countries that year (not all new ones). In my travels, I have braved wicked cold winter temperatures on the Chinese side of the border with Siberia to take photos of incredible life-size ice castles, visited monuments in Cambodia and slept on a boat (and a train) in Vietnam. With all of this travel has come my better understanding of cultures on the other side of the globe as well as many interesting encounters.
Two of my biggest passions today—food and photography—were introduced to me during my undergraduate years at Columbia. In junior year, I met two good friends infatuated with food. By graduation, the three of us had eaten together at over 200 restaurants in New York. My interest did not ebb in China. I volunteer for the publication Best Food in China. I am not only a food critic, but also the senior food photographer.
Inspired by my friends, shortly after I moved to Shanghai I saved to purchase a camera and started documenting my life in Asia. One thing led to another and since summer 2009, I have also been a freelance photographer for CNNGo, a new branch of CNN in Asia. I strive not only to capture beauty in my photographs but also to tell a story about the locations and people I encounter.
One question many people ask me is “What software do you use to edit your photos?” Even though I used to use iPhoto and I currently use Lightroom, I usually tell people “I don’t really edit my photos. Aside from some white balance and exposure adjustment, I don’t edit them”. I feel that with all the technology today, many people artificially create amazing photos. Yet, I feel that a good photo is one that is already good pre-editing. Many of my photos I have done no editing whatsoever, because if the photo is not good to begin with, why should I bother with it?
I try to capture beauty wherever I go. Whether it is scenery, architecture, or people, I like capturing the good and the bad. Living in Asia, I seek out opportunities to capture daily life to show Westerners what this side of the world is like.
Photography is purely a hobby of mine. Sure, I have made some money here and there, but it is not my career. I do it because I love it. Wherever I go you will find me camera in hand. Why do I seldom use a camera bag? Because if there is a fleeting moment of beauty, a bag could hinder my chances at capturing my intended composition. My goal is to take beauty presented before me and share it with the world.
I hope you enjoy my photos. There will surely be many more to come!