From iPhone to Fame with Johnny Fan

January 23, 2017

He’s a Chicago-based freelance photographer, cinematographer, and content creator.

Johnny Fan has a keen eye for symmetry and emotion. Fan’s work has been featured everywhere such as Huffington Post, XXL Mag, Spotify, CNN, Complex, and even the Chicago Cubs.

All photos © by Johnny Fan.

We interviewed photographer Johnny Fan about his recent trip to Europe and London, here’s what he had to say.

Hey, Johnny! So how old are you man?

What’s up, y’all! My name is Johnny Fan and I am nineteen years old.

What do you shoot with?

I shoot with my iPhone and Sony.

Why did you go to London? Specifically to shoot photos?

My trip to London/Europe was solely an event that happened because of my brother, (@mike_fan). He won a contest that basically gave him free travel to anywhere in the world for two, and I am so grateful he brought me with him. It was both our first time in Europe, and we had an excellent time learning the culture, shooting photos, exploring the history, eating food, and taking in breathtaking views and architecture. There is just something so intricate about the architecture in Europe that you’ll never get here in the States. The rich history, the rich materials, the rich construction, and the rich culture is something keen only in Europe.

How did you get there? How long were you there?

We flew from Chicago over to New York for a connection flight, then into London. The whole trip lasted about three weeks and a third of the trip was in London, so about five to six days.

Is there anything about London that really stood out to you?

Like I said earlier, the rich architecture and history there is like no other. As most people know, the prime meridian and the Queen are based in London. That is crazy. The chance to see the famous Big Ben, ride the London Eye, visit the Queen’s home, and eat fish and chips is all something I’ve only seen online and read about in high school textbooks. Being able to experience these things first hand is like no other.

These architecture photos, man, they are awesome. Did you happen to wander onto these spots or did you know about them ahead of time?

Haha, thank you so much man. I really appreciate that. The photos and spots were a mixture of both knowing about them by connecting with other local Instagrammers based in London as well as just wandering around. Man, that is the beautiful thing about Instagram. I was able to connect with people I probably would not have otherwise connected with through a photo sharing app. That still blows my mind to this day.

For someone interested in this type of street photography, what do you envision and look for when shooting?

Man, I wish there was a way to really narrow it down, or categorize it, or give it specific insight. To be honest, I really just capture what catches my eye. As simple as this sounds, I really just go and snap photos of things that I see and I’m like, “Hey, this would probably make a cool photo.” But to elaborate a little more, I love colors, lines, and symmetry when doing travel photography. Those three things catch my eye more often than not.

Any last advice?

Yeah man, my last bit of advice is really just do it. Haha, as cliche as this sounds too – there is not a lot of things that you can’t take into account for, like, getting a good grade that you can’t translate into photography or cooking or basketball. If you work at it, you’re only bound to grow.