My name is Juan West and since I was in year 10 I have wanted to be a combat photographer. My high school art teacher took a shining to me and gave me a book by Larry Burrows and I realised the potential of photography to document the world around us. I found a new reason to live.
Years later during my university break I left sunny Australia for a 4 and a bit month trip in Asia. My focus was to understand Myanmar (Burma) after having a fascinating discussion on the political situation with a family friend. So I left with a camera and an open mind. My passion for photography grew from my childhood love of playing with my mothers old Canon. This lifelong love was coupled with my love of travel. I find a peace in travel a curiosity and lust for life that I forget on occasion in Sydney. My love of other photographers is the main driving factor in photography, my constant self motivated practice and study of photography through the ages. For me putting effort to ensure you know the basics of the native tongue, customs and dress code have allowed me to move seamlessly into positions where I cant take photos from very interesting angles. I enjoy taking the time to connect with a subject equal to the aesthetic outcome of the image.
