OPEN STUDIOS ART TOUR
Frans Lanting Studio, 108 High Road, Santa Cruz
October 5 – 6 and October 19 – 20, 2024, 11 am to 5 pm

Our Studio will be open again to visitors as we participate in Santa Cruz County’s annual Open Studios Art Tour. This is a great opportunity to meet Frans and Chris in person and see a display of Frans Lanting’s iconic images from around the world and close to home. Limited edition fine art prints and signed copies of our books will be for sale.

Frans and Chris will speak about their work and the images on display each day at 1:00 PM.

Our Studio is located just three blocks off Highway One, on the Westside of Santa Cruz.

We look forward to seeing you.

FRANS LANTING: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FRANK HURLEY

An exclusive preview from a new project-in-progress will be on display during Open Studios.

View work prints made with a 100-year-old camera—and see the camera itself.

Photographer Frank Hurley immortalized Ernest Shackleton’s epic Endurance expedition in Antarctica from 1914-1916 with a series of now-classic images that were made under extreme conditions.

Frans Lanting has been retracing Hurley’s footsteps since 1988. He has “crossed paths” with both Hurley and Shackleton in a number of remote locations, and once pitched a camp on sea ice in the Weddell Sea less than 50 miles from where the Endurance got trapped in pack ice and sank.

To get a better sense of what it was like to make photographs in Antarctica one hundred years ago, Frans adopted the same kind of camera Frank Hurley once used, and was even able to wear the same clothing during one of his expeditions. Frans was able to secure a century-old Kodak VPK camera that was still in working condition. The camera features only two shutter speeds, it has no light meter, the focus has to be set manually with a crude slider, and the viewfinder is only the size of a thumbnail. Images are exposed on modern 120 roll film, which can be used by applying spool adapters.

Working with the VPK camera has given Frans a deep appreciation for Frank Hurley’s photographs and he continues to apply this vintage camera to create new images that blend old technology with new ideas.

Beyond the Lens host, Richard Bernabe interviews Frans Lanting

Richard Bernabe the host of Beyond the Lens Podcast recently conducted an interview with Frans Lanting about his life’s work and his approach to making some of his most iconic images.

We hope you enjoy!

Frans Lanting Receives Special Lifetime Achievement Award

Frans Lanting was honored recently by the Crown Prince of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with a special Photography Appreciation Award that recognizes Frans Lanting’s life’s work. During a ceremony held at the Dubai Opera House they were joined onstage by His Excellency Ali Khalifa bin Thalith, the Secretary General of HIPA.

HIPA was established 12 years ago as a foundation that celebrates the art and power of photography. It has become one of the most important photography institutions to elevate the profile of photographers throughout the Mid East and Asia. Its annual photo contest draws huge numbers of submissions from countries that have not been properly recognized for their photographic talent until recently.

Previous recipients of HIPA’s prestigious Appreciation Award award include renowned photographers Elliott Erwitt and Sebastião Salgado.

“Receiving HIPA’s Appreciation Award is an honor I accept with gratitude,” said Lanting. “I use my work to express wonder about the natural world and concern about the perils it faces. This award validates my belief that photography is a global language which can connect people everywhere.”

Go to https://www.hipa.ae/ to learn more about HIPA.

Frans Lanting and Art Wolfe are joining forces for a rare joint appearance March 22 & 23, 2020, in San Francisco. The occasion is OPTIC West, an event sponsored by B&H Photo and Video. We invite you to join them for a presentation of their work and the ideas behind it. OPTIC West will also feature presentations, technical sessions and field trips led by other photographers.

This is a free event, but only a limited number of tickets are available on a first come, first served, basis. Please see the link below. If you can’t attend in person, the event will be streamed live, worldwide. Stay tuned, we will share more details about OPTIC West and the live stream of the event as they become available here on this very page. Please check back soon. 

Check here for tickets and more information:  www.eventbrite.com/e/optic-west-tickets-95506495499

A New Presentation by

Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom

Saturday, February 2, 2019

Two shows: 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM

Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, CA

Tickets: seymourcenter.brownpapertickets.com

The greatest cat in the Americas—the jaguar—is a symbol for strength, power, and wilderness. Jaguars thrive in the fabled Pantanal of Brazil, but in the Ibera wetlands of Argentina, they have been gone for nearly a century. Now one of the most ambitious wildlife projects in the world is working to bring them back—along with a Noah’s Ark of South American wildlife that was lost in a tragic era of exploitation and overhunting. Far-sighted conservationists Doug and Kris Tompkins had a vision of restoring this landscape to its primeval grandeur, and miraculously, it’s working.

Join us for a new presentation by renowned photographer Frans Lanting and his partner, Chris Eckstrom, in celebration of two wilderness areas in South America—Brazil’s Pantanal and Argentina’s Ibera. Frans and Chris recently returned from a month of travel in this unique part of the world with fresh impressions. They will regale us with their images, stories, and videos about the natural and human history of these spectacular wetlands which are home to the “giants” of South America: the giant anteater, giant otter, rhino-like tapirs, colorful macaws—the largest parrots in the world, endearing capybaras—earth’s largest rodent, and of course, the jaguar—largest cat in the Americas. Frans and Chris will share personal observations and highlight conservation successes here that inspire hope.

Special Note: Please be aware there are two shows, 3 PM and 7 PM. Buy tickets to the show you wish to attend. Tickets are not interchangeable between shows.

Proceeds will benefit the marine science education and conservation programs at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at UCSC’s Long Marine Lab.

Tickets available online:
seymourcenter.brownpapertickets.com
and in person from the Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Seymour Center Members $20 / General Admission $25 / Gold Circle $45

2019 Sponsors
Ocean Sponsors:
David Morrell, Santa Cruz Real Estate-C21
Jo Lynne and Fred Jones

Coastal Sponsors:
Bay Photo Lab
Day One Solar
Karon Properties
Santa Cruz County Bank
Shirley and Allen Ginzburg

For more information about the show or how you can become a sponsor, please contact Lauren Donnelly-Crocker at the Seymour Center, 831-459-3800