Meet our Idle Eyes Photographers
When we opened our doors in 2020, our core mission was to create an artist collective specifically for photographers to work and thrive from. Our monthly studio membership program was the first of it’s kind to be offered in Calgary to photographers.
Our member photographers are the heartbeat of Idle Eyes. Together, we’re creating new work, sharing skills, and fostering an inclusive artistic collective that gives back to our community. Meet our photographers:
Lionel Migrino
Hi everyone, my name is Lionel Migrino and I'm a photographer in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I’m just an ordinary guy living with a disability called Cerebral Palsy. I do not solely define myself as a person with a disability because I live my life without any limitations. My goal is to show people that your obstacles should not stop you from going on adventures and chasing your dreams. I’m excited to continue growing as a photographer and breaking barriers.
I was first introduced to photography 4 years ago while I was modelling for some of my photographer friends. I was fascinated by how they used their cameras and communicated with their models to get the perfect shot. From that point on, I knew I wanted to try photography myself and so I bought my first camera (a Nikon B500 to be exact) and gave it a shot! I initially saw photography as an opportunity to hang out with friends, but soon after I quickly fell in love with it. I love photography because it allows people to connect with one another and every photo taken has its own story to tell.
My passion is to create content for different individuals and businesses. I love to capture the various lifestyles of individuals and the unique stories of multiple different brands. My mission is to help promote a strong sense of inclusivity in our community through photography.
Emma Mullen
Emma got her start in photography over a decade ago after hijacking her parents camera. Since then she has worked as a freelance photographer and gained an expansive portfolio touching on many different walks of life. An Irish Canadian, Emma has primarily enjoyed travel photography, exploring the arts and culture through her own ancestry and throughout Europe. However, her passion resides in documentary photography through portraiture.
Emma aims to create a lasting emotional response through her work, both through relatability and eye-opening revelations. Raw and unfiltered, she works to create photos that exemplify her subjects' character, be it extensively loud and creative, or stripped down to the bare bones with nothing left to hide behind.
Having spent her career working as a solo artist, she is incredibly excited to join such a talented team and hopes to create deeply emotional, wild, and unique portraits of her community.
Darren Ballingall
Darren is a portrait photographer of both people and animals. His style is a mix of renaissance painting meets airbrushed boogie van mural with a preference towards creative people in their own creative spaces. He has a deep love of using a portable light to capture people perfectly misplaced in a spur of the moment “let’s shoot right here” spontaneity where everywhere is a studio.
Sara Kuefler
Operating under the moniker Grey Hills Studio, Sara Kuefler is a Calgary based photographer. Her fondness for capturing images began with plastic point and shoot cameras as early as grade 2. Progressing in sophistication with the acquisition of her 35mm Canon SLR at the end of high school, followed by dark room classes at the University of Calgary, Sara has been seriously engaged in photography for 2 decades.
While her preferred subject matter has gone through several evolutions over time, currently Sara is heavily focused, and quite in love with, music photography and creative portraiture. Shooting both digital and analogue Sara enjoys exploring new techniques to communicate the energy, emotions, and experiences of her subjects.
Social norms or stigmas are something she seeks to deconstruct, or discuss, through her work. In camera effects on film are a favourite means of exploration. Published in several arts / music based magazines, and recently having begun a personal blog, music journalism is also a focus for Sara as she recognizes the incredible value that a city’s art scene has towards the vitality and quality of life for its occupants.
Doug Wong
Doug Wong is a supporter of the creative arts with a particular interest in photography. He views captured images as a medium for telling a story especially from a historical perspective.
The majority of his work is in documenting experiences of both others and his own. Because of his 40 years in the music and entertainment industries, some of his favorite experiences have been photographing concerts, festivals, fashion shows and special events.
He is delighted to be a part of the Idle Eyes community and looks forward to learning and growing in collaboration with a very talented group.
Heather Saitz
Heather is the founder of Idle Eyes Studios and a veteran photographer with over 20 years of experience working in the industry as a photographer and creative director. Her work is compelling and highly conceptual, rich in both pop culture context & character. Born and raised in Ontario, she studied Photography at Sheridan College and Communications Design at Seneca @ York.
Now at the helm of her own creative namesake company, the majority of Heather’s work involves photography & video direction for musicians and artists, while fashion photography and creative portraiture remain staples in her commercial work.
A few career highlights so far include winning a Gold AMPA Photography Award for her motel series Rooms for Tourists , and publishing The Building Project, a grant-funded photo book featuring portraits of Calgary’s artist community. In 2019, she co-curated an all-female photography exhibition called The Female Lens.