Student Spotlight: Ian Urquhart

COURTESY PHOTO/FACEBOOK.COM

Humans of New York, the photo project that has quickly become a national phenomenon seems to have everyone talking. But what about People of New England? Ian Urquhart, a Senior Meteorology major from Merrimack, NH, hopes to use Humans of New York as inspiration for his final semester’s independent study project.  

Being a strong science and math student, Urquhart was never interested in photography. It wasn’t until his early years at PSU that his passion began to thrive. “Around Sophomore year of college, when I got into hiking, I started taking my camera with me,” said Urquhart. 

“It was a simple point-and-shoot, nothing fancy. So, I started taking pictures. I got a lot of support from my family and some friends I went hiking with. They told me [my pictures] came out really well. Ever since then, I would see something that looks pretty cool and take a picture of it.” 

Urquhart’s journey as a photographer has been entirely self-motivated. He used his love of problem solving to teach himself how to both take, and edit pictures. “I didn’t really know how to edit anything at first, but that turned into me purchasing a pretty good camera and watching a lot of YouTube videos. I never took a photography class. I just bought a camera and learned on the fly,” said Urquhart. The trial-and-error approach was never a waste of time though. Urquhart said, “It was kind of an escape from the stresses of school and homework. If it’s fun, it’s not hard to learn. I learn best by failing, so if I take a crappy picture, I want to learn how to make it look better.”

While his interest in the outdoors initially became his inspiration, once Urquhart heard of Humans of New York, he began taking pictures of people. There was something about the candid photos and authentic stories that drew him in. “Just from reading some of the Humans of New York examples, you can cover your hand over the caption of a person and assume something about their lifestyle. But, then you start to read about who they are and where they came from, and sometimes you’re blown away. I’m getting tired of walking by people every day and not having conversations with them,” said Urquhart. He then went to speak with Professor Terri Dautcher, about creating an independent study project focused on the concept of Humans of New York. 

With Professor Dautcher’s assistance, Urquhart created a final project based on Project Management. From there, he was finally able to work on something he always dreamed of doing. “My favorite part about it is finally doing something here at school that I completely enjoy doing. My outlet was really this last semester when I was able to speak with Terri Dautcher and create this independent study,” said Urquhart. “In doing it, it’s allowed me to just go up and have a conversation with someone I don’t know.”

When asked about his plans for this project and his future career, Urquhart smiled. “If somebody asked me what my dream job would be, it would be a photographer for National Geographic. I’m not going to be handed that job on a silver platter though. I’m willing to work my way up to it,” said Urquhart. For now, People of New England is enough. With nearly 300 likes since its April 1 launch, Urquhart wants to reach as many people as possible. “I hope to continue doing it. If anything comes from it, I’ll take it in stride,” said Urquhart. “For right now, I’m just doing it for fun. It’s cool to be able to express what I think is art and share it with as many people as I can.”   

Be sure to check out People of New England on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PeopleOfNewEngland), Twitter (@PeopleofNE), and Instagram (@peopleofnewengland).