Jason Chan

I started photography as a kid in Southern California and was hooked by the anticipation experienced while waiting for film to be developed. Those early rolls were spent on landscapes and animals, and later, on professional and collegiate sports. But then came somewhat of a professional detour for the military. My service in the Marine Corps in the U.S. and abroad crystalized for me the reality that time is limited, that being a Marine wasn’t my calling, and that I’d rather explore with a camera than a uniform.

Working with both large format film and conventional digital cameras, I am convinced of the power of the photograph to transport the viewer to an idyllic version of a place. My images of people and places, often dominated by strong color, show that beauty in the world isn’t always abstract or conceptual—sometimes there are literal views of the world shown through straight photography that evoke emotion. The images make you step into the scene and experience that place in that moment to appreciate the beauty, to find out what comes next, or to spark memories of those short bursts of worry-free happiness that become fleetingly rare with age.

But of course, the world isn’t always the idyllic place we’d want it to be. My re...