We had the good fortune of connecting with Ian Warren and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ian, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I had a traditional job, my work-life balance basically came down to working, then recovering from work and trying to take my mind off of it. Now that I’m freelance full-time the balance has blended or disappeared. Being a photographer has become how I define myself, which leads to constantly thinking about work, learning, working, and coming this Spring, teaching. I’d say I try to balance that by making time for personal projects and other hobbies. I’m really into ice climbing, but even then I’m taking pictures haha.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I don’t know that I have too much that set’s me apart from others—there are a lot of good architectural photographers in Colorado. I try not to follow trends or tropes. For example, I don’t take bright white photos with de-saturated color (nothing wrong with that!). I think, more often than not, that hurts me, but if someone’s going to hire me I want it to be for the way I like to shoot. When it comes to the art/work I make for myself, I follow the same philosophy. I make seemingly pretty boring photos that aren’t super Instagram friendly. Again, they don’t get me the most likes, but if someone likes finding the beauty in the mundane, then my work is for them.

I got to where I am by working super hard to get to a point where my hard work looks like luck—that’s a goal I’ve always had. And I’d say the key to that has been outright asking for what I want. For example, right after I moved here, I just asked one of the coolest architecture firms in Denver to let me take pictures of one of their projects—they said yes! Also, when I first moved here, I went around dropping notes at houses I thought looked interesting, or I’d email the developer if they had a sign-up. That all led to one of the coolest shoots I’ve done, coming out in 5280 Home early Summer. None of this was easy. I suffer from a mental illness that makes things like rejection super hard, and I’m an introvert, so asking people for what I want takes a lot of energy and guts.

One lesson I’ve learned along the way is to only share the work you want to be making. I take many pictures where the client asks me to process them in a way I don’t love so I simply don’t put that work out there. Instead, I blast the moody dark pictures I like, which eventually led me to get hired to do exactly that.

Something I’m most proud of is a new project I’m working on titled The Space You Left. It highlights homes or spaces left behind by someone who has recently died. The pictures are stills of what’s left, what no one else wants. Or carpet stains that are only revealed after everything has been stripped away. I also interweave prose about mental health and grieving that I hope bring awareness to that struggle. (I’m hoping to show it in a gallery…if anyone is listening).

FINALY, I want the world to know that I’m just trying to make honest, meaningful work—nothing flashy or sexy. Just photos that hopefully say something are nice to look at and take a little thinking. I also want people with mental illnesses to know that it’s not impossible to put yourself out there and work for yourself. Sure, every failure, disappointment, or rejection hurts a little more, but most of the time, it’s worth it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Let’s see…this is a little hard since I don’t really do much with the pandemic and all. I’ll start with food. I’d take them to Uchi. They have delicious sushi and non-sushi things like pork belly, amazing house salad, and fried chicken. The next morning we’d go to Parlor Doughnuts for breakfast and Ash’kara for lunch. For dinner we’d go to Uncle—I haven’t been yet but hear good things and I want to go badly. Afterward, we’d head over to Temaki Den for a sake flight. The next day I’d pick up some steaks from Western Daughters Butcher and grill those at home. Season them with pepper and Maldon salt, make rosemary, garlic butter sauce, and bam! Who needs a steakhouse. As I ramble on…we’d drive up to Frisco just to hang out at Outer Range Brewing—order an IPA you can’t see through and the delicious fried chicken they serve. Finally, we’d got to Safta for brunch. The lamb hummus is a must. OH, I almost forgot the pastrami sandwich at Leven Deli..mmmm. I really could go on forever about food.

Activities-wise, we’d have to hit up the Denver Art Museum if only to check out the new renovation. If COVID wasn’t a thing then a show at Red Rocks would be a must. I trip to the mountain obviously needs to happen. I’d skip the ski traffic, make the trek to Ouray, and introduce them to ice climbing. On the way back we’d stop in Salida and Mt. Princeton Hot Springs. Man, after all of this I’d be exhausted and nothing sounds better than hanging out at the Downing St Denver Beer Co. location—just a 10 min walk from our house.

As for people to meet, I’d introduce them to Kazu Oba so that they could buy a ramen bowl and sake cup since they’re probably hooked now.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a shoutout to two people—first, my grandma. I have the privilege of having a very supportive family but she really gets it. She’s a fellow entrepreneur, so she understands the path I’m on and encourages me. She also has supported my artistic endeavors from undergrad to grad school. We’re also both equally into the arts and spend time going to museums or gallery exhibitions. Secondly, I’d like to give a shoutout to my mentor Mark Power. He’s a totally different kind of architectural photographer and he’s helped me re-focus my personal work in a way that plays to my strengths and informs my professional work. I think without Mark I’d still be trying to be a photographer that I’m really not. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a mentor. It needs to be someone who’s where you want to be so that you can see that your goals are possible.

Website: https://www.ianwarrenphotography.com

Instagram: @ianwarrenphoto

Image Credits
Ian Warren

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