Table of Contents
How did it all start?
Born and raised in South Carolina, Loran Carter discovered her love for photography while studying abroad at University College London. There she took classes with some of the world’s top photographers and learned how to capture moments that tell stories. She later moved to Beijing where she started her own business taking photographs for publications like National Geographic Traveler magazine.
Loranocarter+Beijing: The Perfect Collaboration
Jason Zhou was born in Shanghai but migrated with his family to Edmonton, Canada when he was young. After receiving degrees from McGill University (engineering) and Tsinghua University (MBA), Jason returned to Shanghai starting various businesses before eventually moving back to Beijing in 2009.
It was there that he met Loran who needed someone with technical expertise to help manage her burgeoning photography business; Jason became her informal ‘photo-tech’ advisor.
Loranocarter+Beijing: Capturing China’s Beauty
The two began working together though it wasn’t until 2013 – after years of exploring every corner of Beijing. Loran first introduced Jason to the world of zines through an exhibition she had curated at Tsinghua University’s School of Art called Zine Scene – a show that explored and showcased various artworks created from self-published, small-run magazines.
Fascinated by the medium and DIY ethos behind it, Jason approached Loran with the idea of starting his own magazine. After some discussion, they decided to launch Beijing’s first English language zine: A5 Magazine.