A UNIQUE VANCOUVER PHOTOGRAPHER

I'm a Canadian filmmaker, photographer, and visual effects artist with a deep passion for historical and obscure darkroom techniques. My work is rooted in analogue processes, from ultra-large format photography to motion picture film, and I love introducing people to the magic of traditional photographic technologies: methods that shaped visual culture for over a century but feel almost like alchemy today. Seeing the joy these processes bring to modern audiences is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

I’m one of a handful of modern practitioners of the Cirkut camera, a rare rotating panoramic camera that was once the gold standard for large-scale group portraits. Few photographers still work in this medium today, and I love carrying on the tradition, capturing people in a way that feels both historic and immediate.

MY STORY

I grew up surrounded by cameras and photography. My parents were both publishers and photographers, so some of my earliest memories are filled with slide shows and endless trays of Kodachrome transparencies. I was given my first camera, an Agfa Optima, when I was eight years old, and I ran countless rolls of film through that little point-and-shoot.

As I approached University, it felt natural to pursue photography. I’d always loved and excelled at science, and scientific photography was the perfect intersection of those interests (my second choice was nuclear science!). I earned my Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Photography from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 1997, and went on to work with the Australian Federal Police for my post graduate degree, photographing and cataloguing microscopic features of human hair for forensic analysis.

That foundation in scientific photography gave me a deep understanding of precision, process, and experimentation, skills that continue to shape my practice today. My work blends historical and contemporary methods to create photographic experiences that are thoughtful, deliberate, and uniquely crafted for each subject.

My work has been featured in exhibitions across Canada and internationally, including the Capture Photography Festival and The Vancouver Art Gallery. I have received awards and grants, including from the Canada Council for the Arts, and my photographs are held in private collections around the world.

Exhibitions & Representation

CONTACT

Email: jesse@hirudinfilms.com

Phone: (604) 355-5439

Hirudin Films

2611 Fraser St,

Vancouver, BC, V5T 3V5

Canada