Kiran West is a filmmaker, designer and fine-art photographer based in Hamburg, Germany. Originally from Canada, he began his career as a soloist with the Hamburg Ballet under John Neumeier. Over time, his focus shifted from performing on stage to creating images and films, with movement, music and performance continuing to play a central role in his work.

His photography spans ballet, theatre, music and documentary. He has worked in theatres and concert halls around the world, including Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, The Joyce Theater in New York and the Opera di Firenze in Florence. His work in music includes collaborations with major orchestras and musical institutions, including Symphoniker Hamburg and the Berlin Academy of Music, as well as regular work at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and ongoing collaborations with musicians and other performing artists.

Alongside photography and film, Kiran works in editorial and graphic design, creating books, publications, posters, programmes, key visuals and typesetting for print. He also develops films and projections for the stage, allowing photography, moving image and design to intersect across different projects and formats.

His images have appeared in publications including Der Spiegel, ARTE, Dance Magazine Japan, GEO, Lufthansa Women’s Magazine, Die Zeit and Die Welt. A selection of his photographs has also been on permanent display at Hamburg International Airport for the past nine years. In 2024, he was awarded First Prize in the Professional category of the International Photography Awards (IPA).

Across these different fields, his approach remains open and collaborative, responding to the individual character of each project rather than applying a fixed visual formula.