Instructors
Photo by Andrea Sirois (instructor)
Jim Balderston received a BAA in photography from Ryerson University in Toronto. He has worked as a photographer, master printer and educator.
After graduating, Jim went on to exhibit his work and refine his printing skills at Toronto Image Works under the direction of photographer Edward Burtynsky.
In 1993 Jim established Pacific Light Impressions in Vancouver BC; a successful print studio dedicated to producing exhibition quality prints for photographers and artists. Over the years Jim has worked on fine art photo based editions for internationally renowned artists, such as Ed Ruscha, Mike Kelley and Harmony Korine, that have been collected and shown in world-class galleries.
Currently, Jim teaches photography and is program Coordinator of the Photography Program at Langara College in Vancouver BC.
Jim continues to devote time to pursuing his personal projects, exhibiting his work and leading photography tours to the Yukon and Haida Gwaii.
Greg has worked in Vancouver as a commercial photographer and art director for over 25 years. In addition to his role as Program manager of the arts divison in in CS, Greg stays very active in the commercial photography and design field. His commercial work is divided primarily between large-scale advertising assignments for clients, such as Telus & BM W, and illustrative still life photography. His illustrative work consists of using primarily still life images to illustrate concepts for stock photography, editorial, and book covers. Greg has taught photography since the mid 1980s and was the Program Coordinator of the Langara CS Photography Program from 1997 to 2010. He has sat as the President of the Vancouver chapter of CAPIC and is the only Western Canadian photographer to have ever sat as the National President of CAPIC (Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators). Awards for his work include the Lotus Awards, The Marketing Magazine Awards, Applied Arts Magazine Awards, The One Show Awards, and Cannes.
Ross Durant’s successful commercial photography career has spanned over 30 years. He has developed a highly stylized approach to both his own studio lighting and set design. Ross specializes in shooting food, beverage & still life product images for advertising. He has extensive studio experience, working with advertising agencies, senior art directors, graphic designers and marketing and communications directors. Ross’s commercial projects include clients throughout Canada and the United States.
Getty Images have represented Ross’s stock photography images for the past twenty years. He licences numerous stock images weekly through several Getty collections including food, beverage, people and travel photography for clients mainly in the US, Europe and Asia. Born and raised in Vancouver, Ross is a past graduate of Langara’s two-year full time Professional Photo Imaging Program. Ross’s eighteen years as a photography educator at Langara College has enabled him to develop a very thorough, comprehensive and inspiring course curriculum. He is also leading travel photography workshops through Langara's Educational Travel Program.
Website: rossdurantphotography.com
Instagram: @ross.durant
Rick Etkin has been involved in Vancouver's photographic industry as a commercial and advertising photographer and advocate for the professional community for over 30 years. Rick is a graduate of Langara's Professional Photography Program and longstanding member of the Department's Professional Advisory Committee. One of the founders of CAPIC Vancouver (Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators), Rick has served as Chapter President and on the National Board for over 12 years and is currently serving as Chapter President. His duties have included serving on the Copyright Reform Committee, International Labour Issues and as International Association Liasion. During his career, Rick has created a wide range of imagery for diverse clients from around the world, including Coca Cola, Microsoft, General Motors, Petrocan, Adidas, Telus, ICBC, BC Hydro, Coast Capital and all the way down to small local clients.
Rick has owned and operated his own photographic business as well as worked as Press Operations Photo Supervisor/Manager (Mountain Region) for Vancouver 2010 and as Senior Photographer for the London Drugs Group of Companies. Currently he is also volunteer lead of the speaker selection committee team for Creative Mornings Vancouver.
Maria earned her MFA in photography in 2000 from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. She was awarded the Medici Scholar Award, the George Grant Award, and the Mistro-Ertz Award. Her BA in studio arts was received from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to her applied arts training, she has studied art history extensively with an emphasis on contemporary art theory and criticism. As a photo-based artist, Maria works with traditional and alternative processes in photography as well as digital imaging, video, and book art. She currently creates installations with large-scale color images and explores the intimate relationships between surroundings and self. Situated between cultural constructs that inform identity and formal issues of aesthetics, Maria’s art retells her experiences and records her presence in the world. Her work has been exhibited throughout the U.S, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson, Arizona.
Kev graduated from Leeds University in 2001 with a degree in math and a sincere desire not to use it. The next seven years were a combination of photography classes at the University of Bath, self-teaching and a number of years assisting commercial photographers and managing a studio. In 2008 he joined forces with Langara Photo-Imaging alumni Adam Schelle, and the unimaginatively named Adam and Kev Photography was born.
Collaboration is a key element to both their work and their workflow, and their approach to portraits is centered on the idea that the subject is more than just a participant in the shoot – they are one of the key collaborators.
In 2011 Adam and Kev began producing a mixed media collaborative project called Playground, which involves taking large groups of strangers, turning them into a band and recording a music video, all in one night. What began as a self-funded project driven by a team of ten friends spawned into a Leo award-winning TV show within three years – further reaffirming their belief in the collaborative process.
They continue to shoot editorial and commercial portraiture and are currently working on a portrait book that aims to introduce Vancouver to itself - through the stories of people living in the city today.
Rick Hulbert is an internationally recognized award winning Architect (retired), Urban Designer and Teacher of Photography. He is an Academician in the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
Rick’s internationally published photography is informed by the history of the 2-dimensional arts of drawing and painting along with the emerging neurosciences.
His teachings on Urban Photography are highly acclaimed, and each year he conducts photography workshops throughout North America and Europe.
Rick was honoured to be one of only two photographers from North America selected to participate in the World Art Games, held in Bratislava, Slovakia.
During this past decade, Rick has taught photography workshops and courses with The University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Photo Workshops, and the Nikonians Academy.
Richard’s educational philosophy includes the following notions:
- Adults learn more from story telling than from memorization
- Learning is heightened when key principles can be related to a humorous event
- Effective learning arises when knowledge is self-discovered with directed input,
as opposed to being “taught”
As a graduate of Langara's Professional Photo-Imaging Program, Lisa Kaulback has found expression for her obsessive attention to detail in the world of production, a role that involves helping photographers quote and manage commercial photography shoots. Her diverse portfolio on large scale stock shoots and award winning advertising campaigns dates back over 9 years and has taken her to Australia, on an Alaskan cruise, to the mountains and the desert, and into the strange would of taxidermy. In the classroom, she is credited with high standards, demanding assignments, wit, and compelling anecdotes.
Wayne received his Masters Of Photographic Arts in 2004 and his Fellowship in 2006. Along with his wife Michelle Fleming, they own and operate Skylight Images -- a multiaward winning photographic service specializing in natural light portraiture -- in Vancouver, B.C. since 1995. www.skylightimages.com
He is very excited to come back and teach again at Langara through the continuing studies program and is also an ongoing contributor to Photo Life Magazine and a passionate Travel and Street Photographer. www.wkaulbach.com
Wayne also runs travel photography tours through Langara. Upcoming trips include Guatemala and India.
Wendy Kwan
In her work as a contemporary art photographer, Wendy explores quiet threads of human culture, acknowledging a deep sensitivity and respect for her subjects. With an insatiable desire to control all aspects of her photographic expression, Wendy was drawn into traditional black and white photographic methods 15 years ago, working with film and creating wet darkroom silver gelatin fibre prints. She photographs with an old and beloved Canon F1 35mm camera, as well as medium format cameras including a Mamiya C330, a Mamiya 645, and plastic toy Holga cameras.
Wendy’s work has been exhibited and installed at galleries and venues in Vancouver, on Salt Spring Island and at the Malone Gallery at Troy University in Alabama. Publication credits include feature articles in CameraArts and PhotoEd magazines and her work has been featured in the internationally published journal Spiritus. Together with her husband Russ, their self-produced book Chasing Light Stranger is internationally awarded and catalogued in the Canadian Museum for Contemporary Photography.
With a degree in Recreation Education from UBC, and a past 20 year career working as a recreation therapist with people with physical disabilities, Wendy brings her knowledge of photography and experience working with people in a goal setting environment to her teaching approach . “In addition to being completely passionate about photography, I want to help students identify their own personal affinities and processes, and reach their photographic goals. I will share whatever knowledge I have acquired to help them reach those goals.”
http://WendyKwan.com
Russel Kwan
Russ’ continuing exploration of the darkroom arts is still going strong after 40 years. His dual-toned fiber-based silver gelatin prints have exhibited duo (with Wendy) in museum and commercial venues in Canada and the United States. He and Wendy’s photographs, writings, books and processes have been featured in photography magazines and journals, including PhotoEd, Camera Arts and Spiritus. He has personally invented a few chemical/physical processes that give rise to his unique visual language: ultra-long film exposures lasting 17 days and beyond, paint-on chemistry that alters and rearranges the silver structure of prints, homemade cameras and hand-coated light-sensitive materials. His background in computer science (BSc UBC 1981) and work as an engineering imaging/prepress consultant to Adobe, Apple and Microsoft honed the skills for producing photographic books and other offset-press creations from concept to print. He designed and engineered the custom tritone curves and handmade inkset used in his and Wendy’s multiple award-winning book, “Chasing Light Stranger”. He delights in using his materials without reference to the manufacturer’s instructions.
“Film, chemistry and silver prints are still an unexplored country. There is so much to do, so much to learn, and there is almost nobody in this space. It’s perfect for people who don’t care what the mainstream is doing. People who need to be creative. People who need to invent. People who need to see what photography can really do.”
http://RusselKwan.com
Kevin Lanthier is a visual artist, commercial photographer, and digital retoucher. With his company Cake Imagery, he works with top creative agencies and advertising photographers in Vancouver and around the world, for clients including Jameson Whiskey, Ronald McDonald House, Telus, Rogers, Esso, Aritzia, CP Rail, Coast Capital, BC Hydro, The City of Vancouver, and many others. He brings this strong technical foundation from the commercial world to his fine art work, building his images from dozens, if not hundreds, of separate photographs to create scenes and convey ideas in ways not possible with traditional photography alone. His current work focuses on distilling and amplifying narratives found in urban spaces via highly controlled, concept-driven compositions. Kevin has been working with Photoshop since before he picked up a camera, and maintains a philosophy that he will use any tool or technique available to realize the images he wishes to create. He likes to bring this openness of possibilities to his students, to encourage them to try to create the images from their imagination, regardless of the constraints of the physical world around them.
Sandra is one of Vancouver top wedding photographers. She has worked as a professional photographer for over nine years and specializes in lifestyle portraiture and wedding photography. Sandra loves capturing the true essence of people in every image she creates and brings a unique fashionphotojournalistic style to her work. Her studio, Yaletown Photography is located in theheart of Yaletown. Vancouver’s trendy warehouse district.
Candace Meyer graduated from the Professional Photography Program at Langara in 2005. Since then, her photography work in fashion has taken her all over the world, shooting for clients such as Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Evian, Bench, RW and Co., and many others. Her soft, backlit images became a signature style; a technique developed in camera rather than in post production. Having lived in New York, Paris and London, she now happily calls Vancouver home shooting for many loyal, local clients.
Christopher was born in Ottawa, grew up in Montreal, and now lives in Vancouver. He got his start in photography 28 years ago shooting news and sports events in Montreal for Canadian Press and Reuters. He works for editorial clients such as MacLean’s, Der Spiegel, Newsweek, Stern, L’Express, and Time Magazine doing documentary photojournalism and portraits. His corporate and commercial work includes annual reports and advertising. Christopher’s ability to connect with people and put them at ease can be seen in all his work: authors, politicians, the homeless, CEOs, Olympic athletes, divas, and assorted celebrities are all regular subjects of his work. On location, in studio, or on the fly, it’s all about creating great photographs that tell the story.
"I live in Vancouver, Canada. I have been a photographer for over twenty-five years and have worked with many clients, in many places, on many assignments. With me in Vancouver are my wife Lara, daughters Caitlin and Paige, and dog Gryffon, all of whom like walking on the beach. There are lots of beaches in Vancouver so everybody is very happy. Gryffon likes to chase sticks at the beach, Lara and the girls don't".
Originally from Mexico City, Joaquin brings a reverence for tradition, a keen eye for detail, and an appreciation for beauty to his photography. Originally involved in study of medicine, his life and career aspirations changed with a ‘click’ from a camera he purchased for his mother. Joaquin began an apprenticeship period, working with commercial photographers in Mexico City and New York City, and went on to establish a successful photographic studio primarily creating images for advertising agencies in Mexico and the US. Along the way, he developed his unique, hand-built fine art compositions that have been widely exhibited and critically acclaimed. For the past 20 years he has managed Fotografica Studios, based in North Vancouver, British Columbia as well as working internationally.
Andrea is a commercial & fine art photographer who studied photography in the mid 1980s at Algonquin College. Her specialty is nature, scenic, botanical, and macro photography. On a commercial basis, she shoots editorial photography for a number of publications and has had numerous gallery showings of her personal work. Andrea is an experienced teacher who has worked with a number of schools for photography in Vancouver and abroad.
Sharon Tenenbaum was educated as a Civil Engineer in Israel, and practicing as a Professional Engineer in Vancouver Canada. In late 2007 she made a decision to part from engineering in order to pursue her passion for photography after being inspired by a life-changing journey to South East Asia. Her passion for photography started with street photojournalism, yet combined with her original background as a Civil Engineer, her work covers a wide gamut of subject matter from ‘in the moment’ Photojournalism to Fine Art Architectural Photography which is a perfect marriage of her engineering and artistic sides. In a relative short period she has managed to define an artistic direction and distinctive style in her work, acquiring international recognition in the process. Sharon has numerous fine art international awards and her work has been published in several magazines including National Geographic.
As a Photographer, Tenenbaum is a self-taught artist, having learned her craft through personal research and practical experience behind the camera. In her work she incorporates a Long Exposure technique to expand the expressive dimensions of her art. Although an artist at heart, Sharon enjoys teaching and sharing with others her photography techniques and vision. She teaches Fine Art Photography Workshops around the world and has a variety of digital teaching products.
“Some people say it’s hard to write about themselves, those people aren’t Kurtis Stewart.