Desmondliart Artist Spotlight
Photo taken by @Desmondliart
What is your home city?
Who Are You?
Toronto
My name is Desmond, and I am a 26-year-old travel photographer who specializes in rooftopping photography. Growing up as a science fiction enthusiast, Asia’s futuristic megacities inspired me to merge cyberpunk themes with the unique vantage points from urban exploration in my photography.
What is a memory attached to one of the images shared?
One of my favorite photos is a silhouette shot taken on an iconic Shanghai rooftop that was thought to be no longer accessible. Striving to frame a new perspective on a popular location, I stood on top of the spire and directed my friend who was on the lower level of the other side of the roof through voice notes on WeChat on where to stand and how long to stay still while he enjoyed a moment to himself with his headphones on while watching the city below.
What’s in your bag?
Nikon D750, 14mm rokinon, 50mm f/1.4 Nikon, Manfrotto tripod, foldable multitool lockpicks, blue boy, wire, flathead screwdriver, hallpass, backpack, Gopro 10 black
Did photography lead you to exploring or vice versa?
Why do you explore?
I started photography after exploring an abandoned oil factory with some friends. We snuck through a hole in the fence, climbed through the basement window, and took the stairs to the roof where we took photos of the Toronto skyline. It was nothing like anything I’ve ever done before and I became obsessed ever since.
Some people explore because they’re curious. Others do it to take cool photos. While I lean towards the photography side, some of my deepest friendships and most memorable “once in a lifetime” experiences came from exploring and there is no comparable experience with anything else. I love uncovering the hidden secrets of a city that are often missed by tourists and locals in their day-to-day routine and feeling the instant connection between explorers despite language barriers, but most of all – the views.
