I grew up all over the world. I was born in Crawley, a small English town near London, England, raised in Tanzania, East Africa and Nigeria in West Africa until the age of 8 or so, the metropolis of Dubai, United Arab Emirates in the Middle East until I was 13, California until my late 20s, and currently call New York City “home.”

Having a background in photojournalism, the soul of my photography is really about capturing the moment, freezing an emotion, and the magic of conveying a story through a photograph. When I travel, the images I make aim to capture the essence of a place through its people, culture, landscape, and of course, its food. Travel photography, like wedding photojournalism (another one of my interests) is an exciting field for me because it defies definition and blends several styles of shooting.

While technical details like aperture, shutter-speed, light, and post-processing aren’t the most interesting aspects of photography, they are all skills any serious photographer needs to be grounded in so they can make better photos. But that’s about as far as I go with technical details, which rank very low on my list of priorities when I’m out shooting (that I’m aware of anyway!) . The thought of shooting indoors with simple-complex lighting setups, and backdrops utterly bores me. I love available light and, in a pinch, one small double sided silver/white reflector that fits in my pocket, a shutter-release cable, and a sturdy tripod.

In addition to being a photographer, I am an avid traveler, writer, and instructor at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

Also check out my travel blog featuring photos, videos, and travelogues by me and my wife on www.IshqInABackpack.com

Don’t forget to become a fan of NSD Photography on Facebook.