Night Photography has been Lance’s passion since he was first handed a camera 30 years ago. From the first rolls of film that he ever shot, he has been fascinated with the way that time can be expressed and distorted with long exposure photography. The ability to make images that record time differently that how we perceive it with our eyes has held my attention for all of this time.

After exhausting all of the photography classes at the local community college, he moved to San Francisco to study with legendary Bay Area night photographer Steve Harper. Studying with Steve was a life changing experience. In his classes, he learned not only about night photography, but what it meant to be a great teacher. When he began to teach my own workshops eight years later, he based my workshops on my time with Steve. His classes were all about sharing ideas. There was no competition, no rivalry, and the students and instructor all worked and learned together in the most supportive and friendly environment I’ve ever experienced.

Lance taught his first night photography workshop at Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco in 1998, and knew after that experience that he wanted to teach, and to take the reigns from my mentor, who had recently retired. Since then, he has taught well over 100 night photography workshops around the US, and led more than 20 international photo tours. He has written 2 books on the subject, and lectured on night photography at conferences in Glasgow and San Paulo, at the Photo Plus Expo, and at the School of Visual Art in New York, as well as in Boston, Houston, and San Francisco.

For him, teaching is not about showing people how to do what he does, but helping people to open the doors and windows to their own creativity, and how to find meaning in their work. Much more than the technical aspects of photography it’s facing those big questions that lead to real growth as an artist.