Neil Zeller
The COVID-19 pandemic has meant both a high and a low for Neil Zeller.
A low because a photography business he worked so hard to nurture has seen a downturn, but a high because he was able to visually document the experience of Calgarians in the pandemic.
Zeller created Porchraits — Calgary families in isolation — which in September became a photo exhibit at the Glenbow Museum and is also a 352-page hardcover book.
He began his career as a photographer eight years ago, when at 40 he switched from contract office-furniture sales. He was doing major events, products for large companies, and travelling and touring amateur and professional photographers around the world on photo workshops. Then the pandemic hit.
“My photography business was going to have a banner year,” he said. “On March 13, I had my vehicle loaded and I was driving to Saskatoon to be the photographer of note for the winners' portraits for the Juno Awards. I got a phone call before heading out and they pulled the pin.”
He and his wife, who is also his business partner, “sat and said, `Now what?' It was a bewildering and scary time. Your mind races, you try to figure out what you can do. One of my colleagues in Yellowknife started isolation portraits up there, beautiful photos at the door and through the windows, and I said, `That's it.'”
He has also co-written a scientific paper in NASA journals on the aurora borealis, which he has passionately shot for years. He's been credited with starting a study of a phenomenon in the sky that wasn't recognized before.
Zeller, who was born in B.C., grew up in Saskatchewan and has been in Calgary for 23 years, is hoping for some normality for his business in 2021.
“The challenge is trying to keep the wheels turning as a company,” said Zeller, who is planning workshop tours to the Yukon. “I believe with the positivity I've tried to project … that when we come out of this, we'll be well-positioned.
“We're excited to see what that will look like.”