Ian started out as an adventure travel and ecotourism writer-photographer in South Africa, while transitioning from the outdoor operator field in the mid-nineties. He covered lodges, overland safaris, and national parks against the backdrop of biomes and biodiversity. By the early 2000s his work had been published in leading magazines in South Africa, Canada, the UK and USA. 

After immigrating to the US, he landed a berth as a photojournalist-reporter for a Southern California newspaper before transitioning to the field of science communications for the next 15 years. Most recently he landed a writer-researcher berth for the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program where he covers in both written and visual form, the division’s work with Native American tribes, African American, and other communities. 

Ian was the founding editor of Canopy, the magazine of the Woodwell Climate Research Center, editor of Terra magazine, Oregon State University’s research magazine, and Flora, the magazine of the California Native Plant Society. He has hosted a semester-long advanced science communication seminar for graduate fellows at the College of William and Mary, and has managed several photojournalism and writing internship programs. He has an AA in Photography and Graphic Design, a BA Ed in Human Movement Science and Geography, and an MS in Environmental Communications.

Above all, he is a journeyman with an eye for a good story.