William Dohman

Whilst lurking the forums, I ran across a lonely post asking for "blog love". Being curious by nature I clicked through to his etsy page and I fell in love with the many colorful images in the photos there. So I decided immediately to give a little exposure to this brand new etsy photographer on my little street corner.

William Dohman creates prints from his travel photos from India, Japan, Holland, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, ect. Though he makes his living as an architect, he loves to share his travel photos with others and I'm glad he does.
Coming from the Midwest, he was shocked by the amount of street life and culture in other parts of the world. He could not sketch quick enough to capture it all so he was lured to photography. "Too many Americans are quick to assume that the United States is the best county, many of whom have not even left their respective state boarders. I show these photos to encourage others to travel the world and become aware of dissimilar cultures."

When he is not making things he is finding new things to create. "If I am not doing photography or architecture I am either painting or drawing. I have also taken up road bicycling. I find it's a great way to sort my ideas and thoughts while getting a great workout and exploring the city I live in."

Here's one of his beautiful photos along with William's description:

In Japan, tradition states that if you fold 1000 origami cranes, it will bring you good health and good luck. When someone is suffering from a severe sickness or injury, spouses, parents, children and other family members and friends would fold 1000 cranes to wish for the person's recovery. The paper crane has become an international symbol of piece through the work of a young girl named Sadako Sasaki and her battle with leukemia.

"I would love for everyone to list the ten places they want to visit before they die and actually try and plan them. It is a lot easier and cheaper than a lot of people think!"



Obligatory biography:

William Dohman fell in love with photography while traveling around the world, studying architecture. India, Japan, and the Netherlands were so unlike his West St. Paul roots, he felt compelled to document everything he saw, from kite strings to street life, broken playgrounds to the Taj Mahal. India was the first time he used a manual camera, and he was hooked—through trips to the Netherlands (where he studied at TU Delft) and surrounding countries, as well as a post-grad study of Japanese architecture. His obsessive snapping prompted his fellow travelers to remark that they didn't really know what he looked like, given his face was constantly behind the camera.
William finds his most striking images are ones of everyday life, objects, and hidden details—not the classically beautiful ones perpetuated by the media, but rather the ones most people tend to overlook. He frames them with his lens for examination, most often finding that the everyday people, places, and remnants are what truly express the life within a culture.

So go and visit Williams store, heck go visit mine too. I could always use a little more love!