While John’s love for wildlife, the outdoors and photography has certainly fostered the photographic pursuits of his kids, it’s actually Jenaya that brought John back into photography full-time!

Growing up immersed in art as the son of an art teacher, it wasn’t long before his passion for art found its ultimate expression in photography. Like his daughter would later, John fell in love with photography as a young teenager and left high school self-employed in the craft. John and Melanie forged a successful business in commercial and fine art photography, which included having a line of limited edition nature prints represented in galleries across North America. His work has appeared in dozens of publications including Arizona Highways, Western Horseman, Equus, Canadian Geographic, and Canadian Wildlife Federation’s WILD Magazine.

John undertook graduate studies in leadership and speaking in the late-90’s and went on to serve in pastoral ministry in Western Canada for nearly a decade, which meant very limited involvement in photography. His passion for wild animals and wild places led him to own and operate a successful fly fishing outfitting company, which gave him the opportunity to spend nearly every day in the wilderness of the Canadian Rockies while developing a genuine love for guiding.

More recently, John had the privilege of serving as the president and CEO of an international non-profit organization focused on mentoring the next generation. During this time, Jenaya’s love for wildlife photography became apparent and then flourished, and she dragged him not-so-reluctantly back into the craft.

In late-2014, John transitioned full-time back into the photography business to spend each day alongside his family as they pursue their passion together. He is grateful that his journey outside of the photography industry has equipped him with skills in writing, speaking and business administration that he can make use of to share his family’s passion for wildlife and art.

You can follow John and the rest of the Launstein family of photographers on Twitter @LaunsteinFamily and Facebook at Launstein Imagery. Be sure to follow us on our blog and we’d be delighted to share news items and special offers with you by subscribing to our newsletter below.