Ryan Aw's Visual Mission to Protect Our Beautiful World
All images by Ryan Aw. Used with permission.
I find a person's entry into photography fascinating. Everyone has their motivations and seldom are they the same. For Ryan Aw, his gateway to photography was his love for the natural world and its inhabitants. He’s on a bigger mission than making incredible photographs - he’s trying to change the world.
Climate change is one of the most important conversations of our time. It’s no doubt polarizing. Mainstream media either scares you with its extreme consequences, or tells you to completely reject the severity of the matter.
It’s overwhelming for people and it’s much easier for us to turn the other way and get on with life. Through his photography and writing, Aw is looking to deliver a more balanced message on the topic. One that’s easier to digest and that can motivate people to take issues seriously.
His photographs play a huge part in that. They’re stunning. Each frame reminds us of how beautiful our natural world is – they make you want to protect it.
I caught up with Aw to learn more about his background and understand why he doesn’t consider himself a photographer, despite being so talented at the craft…
Meet Ryan Aw
Ryan Aw.
Ryan Aw’s mantra is “Conservation Through Composition”. Born in Singapore and based in Atalanta, his passions stem from his love for adventure. Beyond his main photography accounts, Aw runs a newsletter, aptly named RAWTalk. He also has a second account, Sans Focus, in which he shares his b-roll photography.
Highlighting his commitment to conservation, Aw donates a portion of the income he makes through photography to charities that align with his goals climate change and conservation.
Them Frames: Hey Ryan! On your website you say “While I call myself a photographer, I don't really see myself as one…” Tell us more about that…
Ryan Aw: It might be sacrilege to say, but I don’t have that much interest in photography. At least not in the traditional sense. My journey began like any other - unearthing my parents’ old cameras in the attic and messing with them.
Except, I was solely concerned with the shutter and the science behind the photograph, rather than the resulting photographs. This interest in cameras was an extension of a more general interest in technology. I was always tinkering with computers and electronics, breaking things apart and putting them back together; the camera just happened to be my next project.
Even so, technology is one of many interests. Music, motorsports, film, video games, design, and more. Yet, these interests have always been an afterthought to my passions for nature and adventure.
Photography fits nicely between it all - often an accompaniment that enhances my enjoyment, but never the main focus. It’s why I find it hard to describe myself as a photographer. I can’t name too many photography greats beyond Ansel Adams, nor explain my creative decisions. I really don’t know anything about the art of photography.
Them Frames: Why is conservation important to you?
Ryan Aw: I’ve had depression for as long as I can remember. In adulthood, this manifested into type 2 bipolar disorder. Life has been anything but straightforward, to say the least. It’s always in these moments of turbulence that I find myself escaping into nature - where the endless thoughts of ruin are replaced with inspiration and peace.
It’s not a reach to say that nature has saved my life, and not just once. It’s for that reason I feel a strong duty to give back to nature, to save the planet that has saved me many times over.
In the past 50 years, there has been a loss of 73% of wildlife populations worldwide - a direct result of human activity. To put this into perspective, life on Earth began 3.5 billion years ago, with five major extinction events taking place.
Each event saw the decline of 70-90% of all wildlife populations globally. We’re talking gigantic asteroid impacts and unbelievably large volcanic eruptions - those events have been just as devastating as 50 years of human industrialization.
It’s more crucial than ever to protect what remains and give them the best chance to thrive once again. The earth is an impossibly beautiful place, but not without its non-human inhabitants and non-concrete structures.
Them Frames: In what way would you like to use photography to shape conversation about conservation?
Ryan Aw: A lot of climate news tends to be filled with shock factor, and for good reason - it really is a dire situation in need of immediate remediation. But on the other hand, the world has grown tired of the doom-and-gloom messaging that often surrounds it.
Humans can only read “Record high ocean temperatures, Florida and Venice underwater soon” so many times before they stop caring. It’s not to comment on human behavior, but when we’re already faced with unstable political climates, financial situations, or interpersonal relationships, adding yet another source of stress isn’t how we get people to care.
Rather than focusing on all the shocking facts, I find it important to showcase the beauty, resilience, and complexity of the natural world. In my experience, it’s the best way to plant the seed for conversation. After all, it’s a lot easier to convince someone to hop into a race car when you show them videos of someone winning races, not someone crashing and ending up in a hospital.
Them Frames: Let me set the scene…it’s just you, your camera and nature…how do you feel in that moment?
Ryan Aw: It’s a mixture of feelings - like I’m Alice falling down that rabbit hole and first stepping foot into this bizarre new world. Yet, at the same time feeling as if I’m finally home. It’s a sense of belonging and welcome unlike anything else, not even my own bed.
No matter the conditions, how miserable it may seem, nothing makes me happier. It’s usually only after I’ve gotten past that initial shock of fascination and excitement that I can start to bring the camera out.
Them Frames: Tell us more about your process…do you plan what you will photograph or do you walk freely and wait to see what presents itself?
Ryan Aw: It’s a bit of both. I’m quite neurotic in my planning, but I’m always open to abandoning those plans. I rely on satellite imagery, topographical maps, and various other planning tools to ensure that I’m in the right spot at the right time of day/year. These are all recorded in my field notes, where I’ll also sketch out ideas or drafts for my photographs, alongside other random bits of relevant info.
That said, when you’re dealing with nature, you have to get used to plans being thrown into disarray. That golden hour sunset shot I had sketched out isn’t going to work when it’s so overcast that the mountain I wanted to photograph isn’t even in view. I find it’s all about being in tune with the local environment - understanding what the weather is doing, how the light hits a subject, where the animals like to feed. If you’re able to tap into that information, you get to stop worrying about searching for “the shot.” It’ll eventually find you, you just have to be on the lookout.
Them Frames: You have a newsletter: RAWTalk. Please, tell our readers what they can expect from signing up…
Ryan Aw: RAWTalk is a newsletter I started this year. It’s really just a way for me to get back into writing, something I used to enjoy thoroughly as a child. More than that, it’s another way for me to drive interest in the environment by talking about my experiences and sharing behind-the-scenes looks at my work.
I’ve found most social media platforms to be too limiting, as many can surmise by now, I’m fairly long-winded and hit character counts immediately. I’m planning on adding gear reviews, photography/hiking/travel tutorials or guides, discussing climate or environmental issues, and recounting more of my experiences as I start to hit my stride with writing.
While my newsletter has a paid tier, this is not at all necessary. All my content will forever be free for all readers, regardless of subscription status. The generous ones that do decide upon a paid subscription have 50% of all proceeds donated to environmental charities, causes, or political groups that can enact actionable change for the better of the environment. As the paid subscriber list grows, so will the percentage of proceeds donated.
Them Frames: If you could choose a song or album to be the soundtrack to your body of work, what would it be and why?
Ryan Aw: I’d have to go with the album Another Eternity by Purity Ring. I’ve been focusing heavily on the polar regions with my work. They’re some of the harshest, most brutal, and utterly unforgiving environments, completely unsuitable for life.
Yet, they’re currently the fastest declining ecosystems around the world, powerless in the face of climate change. I find many parallels to this within the album which has a whimsical, yet ethereal sound centered around love, pain, growth, and loss. It’s a painfully beautiful sound, a cry for help that moves me to listen repeatedly.
Them Frames: Finally, please finish this sentence: I need photography in my life because…
Ryan Aw: It allows me to foster and strengthen relationships between people and the natural world, to showcase the beauty of our planet, and to inspire others in appreciating the outdoors as greatly as I do. But to be honest, I’d be doing this anyways, with or without a camera.
You can see more work from Ryan Aw by visiting his website, Instagram and Threads.
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