kalia vang

photographer

photographer

BIOGRAPHY

Kalia Vang is a portrait photographer and visual artist based in Minnesota, whose creative practice is deeply rooted in cultural identity and community representation. She was introduced to In Progress through her cousin, Malia, who shared the many opportunities the organization provides to emerging artists. Inspired by this supportive environment and its mentorship offerings, Kalia joined In Progress to further develop her artistic voice and strengthen her technical skills.

One of Kalia’s central artistic goals is to document and celebrate cultural heritage through portraiture. In November 2020, she launched a personal photography project that focused on capturing individuals in traditional attire from her own Hmong community. The enthusiastic response to this work reinforced her belief in the power of representation through imagery. Since then, Kalia has been working to expand the project to include portraits of people from various cultures, using photography as a tool to honor identity and foster cross-cultural appreciation.

Through her lens, Kalia seeks to amplify beauty, pride, and belonging, while creating space for underrepresented voices to be seen and celebrated.

Qualifications

Kalia Vang is highly skilled in portrait photography and is proficient in operating DSLR cameras, including both their software settings and hardware configurations. She has a strong foundation in photographic composition and post-production techniques. Kalia is experienced in using a wide range of professional software applications including Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Illustrator, and Luminar AI. These tools allow her to bring creativity and precision to her editing process, enhancing her ability to tell visually compelling stories.

skills

  • portrait photography

  • DSLR camera photography

  • hardware set-up

  • compositional skills

  • software applications: Photoshop, Lightroom, Indesign, Illustrator, & Luminar AI

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