This week Micheal McLaughlin, a globe-trotting editorial and advertising photographer based in Brooklyn, wrote to say that a reception for his show, Unguided Tour, will be held tomorrow tonight. Presented by his alma mater, the Moses Brown School, in Providence, Rhode Island, the exhibition continues at the Krause Gallery through May 11.

In a rapid flurry of emails, Micheal, who is a DART reader, replied to this Q&A. 

PR: When did you make your first trip to China—and how many times have you returned?

MMcL: I made my first trip to China in 1989, to Shanghai and Beijing, and I have travelled back to each city 20 or more times since. And luckily, to many other parts of the country.

Factory entrance, Guangzhou. Photographs © copyright and courtesy Micheal McLaughlin.

PR: How did it seem on the first trip compared to now?

MMcL: Each city has undergone massive changes over the past few decades—Shanghai didn't even have a subway system at the time, and Pudong, across the river, was all low-rise. And Beijing has grown further and further outward as it has experienced astronomical growth.

I have friends who grew up in both cities and they describe the older versions of their cities as places that exist now largely in memory.

Jia, Shanghai

PR: What was the most unusual place you have ever visited—what was there about the look, feel, vibe of that place that intrigued you?

MMcL: Most unusual place? Quite a few, but coming to mind quickly: a tie between Harbin, China where we shot in minus 30 degree weather for a week in the countryside and where it was as beautiful as it was cold; or a road trip I went on years ago with my agent Julian and other friends through Guatemala, with a 4x4 and a map, and we managed to see rain forests and deserts and everything in between in one adventurous short trip. Pre-GPS, pre-Internet, running out of gas and stuck in villages; snakes at dusk, roosters at dawn—quite an adventure.

Restaurant, Yunnan

PR: What was the most memorable scene you saw during the last year that you didn't photograph?

MMcL: End of March, near Marshalltown, Iowa, waiting for winter and the weather to clear. Stuck in a snow squall in a van beside a dormant cornfield, and the visibility was only a few feet, but the storm felt huge. There was nothing to photograph, nothing to see except for a flickering whiteout.

PR: If you could be anywhere but home, where would that be?

MMcL: I like walking around London early on a Sunday morning, or hanging out at the beach in Rhode Island with my son Jasper. 

Monks on the Bund, Shanghai

A reception for Micheal McLaughlin, Wander takes place Friday, May 9, from 5-7 pm, at the Krause Gallery. Moses Brown School, 250 Lloyd Avenue, Providence, RI. Micheal’s website. Gallery Information.