Ben Yan

Born in Shanghai, China and raised in the US from the age of nine, Ben Yan has moved several times in his life and, as a result, has never really been rooted in any one place. After graduating from boarding school, he ventured out as a solo traveler, which is where his photography journey began: documenting his adventures. Naturally motivated to get a camera in his hands, for Ben, photography is almost a part of his every day and if he hasn’t picked up his camera in a few days, he gets a nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

Specializing in street photography, Ben searches for stories and experiences that are off the beaten path and finds inspiration in urban environments that offer layers of meaning and ambiguity. Named as one of the finalists in the Students of Storytelling competition, Ben tells us more about his project, What I See, which saw him exploring the city and creating scenes that included an ‘anonymous’ figure.