Working more than a decade as an independent photojournalist with leading magazines and newspapers, I specialise in reaching people in hidden, harsh or sensitive situations.

Whether tackling themes such as authoritarianism in Russia, exploitation in China or illegal immigration in Europe, I aim to get inside the worlds of
the people involved. Through my photography and writing, I want to challenge preconceptions, expose hypocrisy and condemn abuse as much as I celebrate strength and humanity.

For the last four years I've been based in Moscow, doing reportage and
corporate assignments in Russia, China and beyond. Previously I lived in
Amsterdam, working in Western Europe. I speak Russian, Mandarin and
Cantonese Chinese, English and Dutch.

Some of my projects are commissioned, while others are self-initiated. I
apply the same passion, persistence and discipline to both. I also show work
in galleries and museums, including the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, which
collected a body of my work.

In my previous job I worked as a Reuters correspondent, covering China from
Beijing and managing a financial reporting bureau in Shenzhen city. Before
that, I was at Cambridge University, reading Philosophy and Politial
Sciences. I was born in Hong Kong in 1974.

exhibitions / Awards

Hansel-Mieth Prize, Germany 2009 Given to my photo essay on Russian murderer-hero Vitaly Kaloyev with writer Erwin Koch.

Projection "Midnight Blue", France, 2008 Evening projection at the photojournalism festival Visa Pour L'image.

Exhibition "Midnight Blue", London At the Agnes B. head store produced jointly with foto8 gallery.

Exhibition "Paradise", Amsterdam 2005 An installation of photos and audio interview of immigrants at the Van Loon Museum, an opulent colonial mansion, to reflect on racism and immigration. Photographs of immigrants are superimposed on Van Loon's wall paintings that depict an European paradise. Project commissioned by FOAM Fotographie Museum Amsterdam.

Exhibition "Searching for Sophie, Hakan and Roderick", Amsterdam 2004 Asked by the Rijks Museum to document young people at school in the Netherlands, I followed teenagers Sophie, Hakan and Roderick to look at what goes on in their lives inside and outside school, and ask the question: who are important to them, parents, teachers or friends? The project was shown at FOAM in Amsterdam.

Canon Prize, The Netherlands, 2003 Awarded to a young photographer working in the country each year.

Exhibition "Immigrants", The Netherlands 2003 As part of a group exhibition at the Naarden photo festival, I show the plight of illegal immigrants in Europe.

Projection "Addicted to God", France, 2003 Evening projection at the international photojournalism festival, Visa Pour L'image.

World Press Photo Masterclass, 2002 A workshop given to 12 promising photographers from around the world each year.