Bystanding

Photographs from around the world, including images from Iraq, Jordan, and Nicaragua.

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Photos copyright © 2004-2007 by Matt Ipcar

My dad started his career as a US Army photographer in Germany in the early 1960s, and although he gravitated towards cinematography in his later years, I grew up with the smells of the darkroom and an intense attraction to cameras and travel. While my career has led me to embrace visual and digital design, photography has remained a passion, if not a way of life.

I started shooting professionally when my girlfriend – now wife – Michelle Goldberg began her journalism career. Early on, she wrote about music and nightlife for local weeklies in San Francisco, and I shot low light and concert photos for her stories. When she became interested in more serious journalism, I again tagged along, shooting mostly for the online magazine salon.com. These trips were far more interesting. From cult ashrams in Southern India to the war-torn streets of Baghdad and hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, I began to see the world the way my photographer friends did, as a succession of fleeting images and moments begging to be captured. On our latest adventure, a research trip to Nicaragua, I shot a small series on street art in Managua, some of which can be seen in the following slideshow.

An additional collection of my work can be seen on my personal page on Lightstalkers.org. This website is an online community of journalists, photographers, and itinerants who exchange information and pictures from their travels abroad. Created in 2004 by conflict/fine art photographer Teru Kuwayama (a high-school friend of mine) and his brother Shinji Kuwayama, the site has grown increasingly active in recent years, and is a great source of information for those working abroad. Many photographers who bristle at the unprofessionalism of sites like flicker and PhotoBase have found a home on Lightstalkers.

Want to find out the latest visa requirements for Tajikistan or the cheapest nonstop flights to Kabul? Need to borrow a bulletproof vest for your upcoming visit to Gaza? Need to gear up or sell your old D100? It's kind of like Craigslist for the hardcore, with free gallery space and a plethora of important information. It's fascinating, and has become my first source for real international news, with people
I know and trust posting the latest from faraway places.

http://www.lightstalkers.org/mattipcar