Last year Kien Lam quit his job in San Francisco, grabbed his camera and set off on an incredible journey through 17 countries over 343 days, resulting in 6237 photographs.  Lam put together this amazing time-lapse video of many of the places he saw during his travels.
 
When asked about what he hopes viewers take away from watching his video, Lam said, “To see how beautiful the world is just beyond our doorsteps and comfort zone. It doesn't always have to be magnificent sunsets or breathtaking landscapes, sometimes it's just the flow and energy of a place, the way people move about with their day to day. If we can just stop for a second and really look at what's in front of us when we travel and eliminate the distractions, we'd see how similar many cultures are and how there's beauty everywhere in some shape or form.”

With respect to being a visitor to other countries, Lam said, “I found that backpacking for an extended period of time across many countries has made me more keenly aware of how careful we must be when we arrive as visitors. The tourist money we bring into a region, our behavior, our routines, however big or small, have cause and effect impacts on the people and culture there.” Lam added, “I don't have a right or wrong answer on how we should proceed, but it's something to think about if we want to preserve an experience for the next generation of wide-eyed wandering vagabonds.”

To follow Lam’s journey and learn more about each scene visit kienlam.net/around-the-world and kienlam.net 

Technical Details:
 
The original music in the video, titled "Places and Faces" was written by William Lam, Kien’s younger brother. Visit kienlam.net to download the MP3.

Shot with a Panasonic Lumix GF-1, 20mm f/1.7 and 14-45mm f/3.5-4.5.

Photography and Video Edited with Lightroom, After Effects and Final Cut Pro. 

Music composed in Logic Pro. 

Special thanks to Dan Hirons, Joey Seich and Carol Trieu for all your help, support and patience.