Kevin Landwer-Johan

I purchased my first camera, a Nikkormat FTN (old school Nikon) with a 50mm f1.4 lens, from a friend in 1983. Quickly I became very passionate, hungry to learn and compelled to shoot.
After hitch hiking across Canada and living in Europe for a while I returned to New Zealand and landed a job in the photography department at a daily newspaper. From there I worked as sole photographer for two community newspapers in Auckland and then for a small commercial photography business – this was my foundational education in photography.
I ran a successful photography business of my own in Waitakere city – winning the Best New Business Award in 1997. But is wasn’t too long before I began winding this down in preparation to move to Chiang Mai, Thailand – where I have been based since 2002.
My work here has primarily been documentary focused with somewhat of an attraction towards stock photography (and video) because it helps pay the bills.
Two major shifts in my work in recent years have been the transition from film to digital and inception of video production. I love it all. I have embraced both these mediums and continue to develop and learn as a visual story teller and artist.
Chiang Mai is a great base location for me. I primarily work with small non-profit organisations who are helping the underprivileged in this part of the world. They all have a story to tell and a need to share these stories with the people who donate to and invest in their work – most of whom live in other countries. Video is an ideal medium for this and I enjoy producing short films to illustrate their endeavours.
In recent times I have begun to experiment with more creative photography and video – just from a desire to make good art. Since my beginnings in photography I have enjoyed producing montages. Now with the capacity to shoot photo still images and video with the same camera and through the same lens, I have begun to experiment with adding motion – take a look at Fractured Dimensions to see some of these.
In January of 2014 I started Chiang Mai Photography Tours. This business is focused on teaching photography workshops and taking people to some of the more interesting 'hidden' places in this lovely city that many tourists do not normally see.