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[ 015 ]Who’s Who in the KelbyOne Community
Ian Munro is a dedicated professional photographer who directs his style toward conceptual storytelling.
He made the transition to photography in 2008 after a successful body-building career. Soon after,
the photography awards came. Ian lives in South Wales, U.K., and is married with one daughter.After trying too hard to bring out a new image, I stumbled
across Terrence Havard, who has been a barber for nearly
50 years. I looked through the window of his shop and thought
he had an incredible face full of character. I walked in and had
my hair cut (never again!), and began to make small chat trying
to play in the subject of portrait photography. Before long I was
in the shop taking his portrait. Looking back, it wasn’t a great job
but it enabled us to develop as a team, and the concepts became
crazier by the day.
But how could I keep the viewer interested in my portraits?
The answer lay in the content of the image and the story it
could tell. This was done and continues to be done with props.
I don’t do compositing. All my scenery is done on site in my stu-
dio. I want to be the best at what I do, and not average at what
everyone does. This is where I was finally happy; to see people
smiling at my work means everything to me.You recently had one of your images on the front
cover of this magazine. How did that make you feel?
After joining KelbyOne, I decided to submit my latest work that
involved a huge amount of set building and materials to make
the story work. My images usually cost a lot of money in materi-
als with little or no reward. It was unbelievable when the guys
at Kelby asked if it would be okay to use it as the front cover.
I felt like a child again at a special birthday party because I was
noticed for all the hard work and labor of my love. Connecting
with people in the United States is incredible, and the power of
social media got me one step closer to where I want to be. My
Facebook page came alive, and I could now chat with some great
artists who liked my work.What’s on your wish list?
It’s healthy to have a wish list, and I’m no different than anyone
else. One day I hope to use medium format, but that’s some-
thing that’s never going to happen financially. This doesn’t stop
me from working away, though, because I dream of becom-
ing a Phase One or Hasselblad Ambassador—in this life. That,
along with displaying my work large, somewhere where it will
be enjoyed.
I’d also love to collaborate with dressmakers, make-up art-
ists, and florists and try some elaborate fantasy photography
with a big production team to achieve together as one. I am,
after all, just the person who presses the button. nYou’ve been a KelbyOne member for only
a short time. What made you want to join?
After being approached by a lighting brand to become an
ambassador, I’ve managed to secure my own studio and be
a little more consistent with my work due to the flexibility of
time management. I’ve known about KelbyOne for a while
now but always thought that it was a little out of reach
for me. After being at the Photography Show last year and
spending a few minutes with Glyn Dewis, I realized that this
was a man chasing his dream. He has always spoken highly
of the gang at Kelby, so I finally decided to join and see what
the fuss was about. To my surprise, it has so far proved a
very useful learning base for all artists who are in love with all
things photography.How did you start in the photography business?
Ha! Great question. Well, as a teenager, I was always into art in
school, but I lost the momentum to create art once I started my
first job earning money. As time went by and I became older,
I realized that I still had a passion for all things creative. Then one
day at work, a friend and fellow photographer, Gary Howells,
showed me some of his macro photography. A short while later,
my sister was diagnosed with cancer and I decided to raise money
for breast cancer awareness. This involved a nearly 20,000' trek
to Everest Base Camp. It was November 2008 and suddenly
I needed a DSLR to go to Nepal because this was surely an oppor-
tunity not to be missed. I bought a Canon 40D and off I went
to become the best travel and documentary photographer ever!
Obviously, that didn’t happen and it occurred to me that it wasn’t
going to be that easy. After losing my sister in 2009, I closed
myself in photography and that’s where it all began.You have a very distinctive style. How did you end
up doing character portraits and compositing?
I love all things photography and tried my luck at every genre,
but I realized that I was trying too hard to blend in and copy oth-
ers. I have a competitive edge, so emotions and frustrations were
running high and I had to channel it. Around 2010, I came up
with a series called “The Journeyman.” I was the model because
I knew what I wanted in terms of look, poses, etc. I’d go on to
develop his image with a suit and bowler hat, along with a travel-
ing suitcase. It’s an ongoing series that I really enjoy and this was
the beginning of my style.