Lisa Balbach

I grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota and received a bachelors and master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. 

I started my career as a programmer/analyst and discovered a love of teaching and training.  I decided pursue a masters degree and once I obtained it, I made the move into teaching at the college level.  

In 1991, I moved to Michigan, got married and started teaching college-level computer courses.  I have taught a variety of computer courses for over 20 years including web programming, traditional programming, database, office and graphic design courses.

I am currently teaching web development/programming and database design courses at a community college and I reside in the Traverse City area with my husband.  I also serve as a subject matter consultant for Pearson/Certiport and work on certification exam questions and technical reviews.  I have several different MTA and MOS certifications in addition to an MCE certification.

In my limited free time, I work out ( cardio and weights) and I enjoy working on my photography, digital artwork, animation and web design work.

When I was ten years old, I received my first camera.  Photography has been my passion ever since. For me, it has always been a form of self-expression. It is a window into my reality and interpretation of the world around me. I use it to explore thoughts, feelings, ideas and perceptions. It allows me to explore fragments of life in an abstract form and to see things from different viewpoints. Nature makes me feel connected to the world around me. It inspires me and it humbles me. I feel a sense of wonder, serenity and peace in nature and I use landscape photography to convey this. I like the challenge of trying to capture the right place, at the right time, with the best angle, distance, and lighting, to convey the feeling of the moment. I am drawn to unique textures, patterns, lighting and interesting shapes and lines. Macro photography lets me convey these intricate details and explore how each element interacts with the other. It allows me to share a hidden world we don’t normally experience. I like to photograph animals and capture whatever emotion they are feeling in their natural habitat.  I also like to capture human dynamics, feelings and emotions when people aren’t aware they are being photographed. To me, that makes the photograph more real and it conveys a story.