BFA in Digital Photography Faculty
Felicia Kieselhorst,
Department Head of Digital Photography
Felicia Kieselhorst specializes in wedding and product photography but is always willing to take on a photographic adventure of a different subject. Felicia’s freelance photography business FotosByFlee is based in Oakland, CA, a locale whose personality continually provides inspiration, both photographic and personal. Felicia, known as Flee to most, works in digital and film photography, using primarily Nikon, Hasselblad, and an array of toy cameras. She teaches small classes and offers one-on-one tutoring sessions in many different photographic subjects, in addition to hanging personal work in the occasional gallery show. When not busy with all the tasks of small business ownership, the California native can be found hanging out with her hairless pup Qispi, hiking, gardening, kayaking, or just sipping on a cup of tea. Full bio
Vivian Spiegelman
Vivian Spiegelman has over 40 years professional experience in photography and education. She has taught both college and high school students photography and other creative work related courses. In addition, she has exhibited her creative work and earned prestigious honors.
- Master of Fine Arts (Photography), Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ,
- BA, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Dr. Taz Tally
Dr. Taz Tally is the president of Taz Tally Seminars and Taz Tally Photography. Taz is the author of numerous graphics and print production books and instructional videos, CDs, DVDs and online training courses on scanning, prepress and printing, Photoshop, color correction, and font management. Taz is a frequent presenter at seminars and trade shows, a member of the Photoshop Dream Team, and frequent contributor to graphics art publications including Printing Industry of America, Layers Magazine, and Photoshop User. Taz is an adventure author who specializes in black and white landscape photography and whose latest book is 50 Hikes in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula.
- PhD in Geology, University of California Santa Barbara, CA
Natalie La Scala
Natalie La Scala is a Denver-based media artist with 20 years of work experience in creative direction, project management, and higher education. Natalie's passion is to create dynamic content that people can put to use. Some recent clients include Z1CareerZone, Engage, LLC, and the Performing Arts Academy. As an educator she has provided innovative organizations consultancy on instructional design, curriculum development, and software training.
- MFA in Film and Television, Savannah College of Art and Design
- BA in Studio Art, University of Kentucky
Dr. Meryl Epstein
Dr. Meryl P. Epstein is the Dean of Academic Affairs for Sessions College. In her role, Dr Epstein strives to inspire excellence and is consistently focused on supporting the creative and positive environment of Sessions College. Prior to joining Sessions College, Meryl has extensive experience in design, education, and leading academic teams and has served as Dean of Academic Affairs, Program Chair, Doctoral Development Faculty, Art Director, Graphic Design Manager, Faculty member (online and on-ground), and Exhibiting Artist/Photographer. Highlights from her career include implementing and leading the graphic design of three different museums (Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Arizona Science Center, and Arizona Historical Museum) and receiving the first Arizona AIGA fellow award.
- Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership, Argosy University, Phoenix, AZ
- Master of Fine Arts (Photography), Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
Melanie Fiander
Melanie Fiander is a professional photographer and passionate educator focused on student success. She currently runs her wedding and event company from the island of Bermuda. Her work has been featured in Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Abroad, New York Weddings, PDN, The Vendor Report, Scotland Wedding, Tie the Knot Scotland, Ländle Wedding's "Seasons of Yes", Whimsically Wed, Bermuda Weddings and Honeymoons, Bermudian Weddings, How They Asked by The Knot, The Gray Collective, Wedding Wire, United With Love, National Geographic, It Started With Yes, Glittery Bride, 100 Layer Cake, Lets Bee Together, The Newport Bride, and Wedding Chicks.
- Master of Fine Arts, Maine College of Art, Portland, ME
- Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and English, University of Lynchburg, VA
- Photo journalism studies at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, ME
Jill Mott
Jill Mott is a photographer, journalist and passionate instructor dedicated to encouraging life-long learning, developing social and professional skills as well as a mastery of technical skills. Jill brings to her classes 10 + years experience in journalism, both nationally and abroad, and an interactive teaching style that promotes discussion and awareness of current topics and opportunities to think out of the box. Jill enjoys applying a wide variety of presentation techniques based on current professional practices and hands-on exploration, including cooperative and active learning strategies as well as lecture. She was commissioned to develop workshops supporting the objective of nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and other governmental agencies such as UNESCO.
- Master of Arts in Art Education, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
- Bachelor of Science in Photography, Syracuse University, S.I. - Newhouse School of Public Communication, Syracuse, NY
Andrew Shalat
Andrew Shalat has been teaching at Sessions since 2007. He is an author, designer/illustrator, educator, and Mac expert. For a short time, he was an actor in in film and television. Since 1985 he has been designing and writing articles about Graphic Design, Macintosh, Mac software, and publishing technologies that have appeared in Macworld, maccentral.com and macweek.com (for which he was a columnist writing "Shalat's Web"). He holds both a Master’s Degree in English Literature and a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Experience and Graphic Design. To date, he has written three books: How to Do Everything with Online Video (McGraw-Hill, Osborne), Do It Yourself Mac Projects (McGraw-Hill), and MacDesign Out of the Box (Peachpit). His design work has covered a large range of media from print, web, identity campaigns to sometimes just plain old layout. He is currently writing a collection of essays on Design (with a big D).
- MFA in Graphic Design and Visual Experience, Savannah College of Art and Design
- MA in Literature, Brandeis University
Kristen Becker
Kristen Becker is an educator and a graphic and business designer specializing in e-commerce. She developed and marketed a niche e-commerce boutique featured in Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, and In Style magazines. With over 12 years of experience as an award-winning educator, she has developed curriculum and taught courses in graphic design, multimedia, and e-commerce/marketing.
- MA in Digital Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art
- BA in Environmental Systems, University of Maryland
Jordon Schranz
Jordon Schranz is an audio/visual artist and designer whose work has been exhibited internationally in New York, Chicago, El Paso, Berlin, Bogotá, and Ciudad Juárez. He has performed hundreds of shows across the United States as part of the free jazz trio, "The Eastern Seaboard" and in the avant-rock group "Quivers" with Ninni Morgia.
- MFA in Combined Media, City University of New York
- BFA in Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art
Carolyn Zaikowski
Carolyn Zaikowski is the author of the hybrid novel In Dream, I Dance by Myself, and I Collapse (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2016). Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Denver Quarterly, The Rumpus, PANK, West Branch, Dusie, DIAGRAM, Everyday Feminism, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Naropa University's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics and is currently an English professor and volunteer death doula.
- MFA in Creative Writing, Naropa University, CO
- BFA in Psychology, University of Massachusetts, MA