He received a Bachelor of Arts in Photography from Brooks Institute of Photography in 2005 and specializes in black and white film processing, digital processing, medium and large format, and professional lighting. Calen's photography assignments have taken him to Australia (SWOT, Conservation International), Northern Greenland (High Arctic Institute), Indonesia/Komodo Islands (CRES SD Zoo), Panama/Mexico/Galapagos (Offield Center for Billfish Studies), and Arizona (Bat Conservation).