Roland Schubert

Roland Schubert, “Smokin’,” 2015, digital photo

Roland Schubert was raised and has lived in the London, Ontario, area for most of his life. He studied photography and photo printing at Fanshawe College in the early 1970s and, on graduation, worked in the professional photo industry as a photographer and custom printer for ten years. In May 1982, he and his wife Myra opened Colour by Schubert. Their first location was at Talbot and Fullarton Street, where they offered custom photo finishing for both commercial and amateur photographers. Starting out with only one enlarger and a 24" processor, they soon became known not only for their commitment to quality but also their devotion to their customers. As a testament to this devotion, they can proudly say that some of the first clients to walk through their doors are still with them today.

Not too long after those first days, it was time to expand. One enlarger just wasn't enough to handle the workload, so they expanded and hired two more staff. Eventually, the Talbot location was sold, and they moved to their current and much larger location at 121 King Street, on April 1, 1987. Colour by Schubert added a larger capacity colour processor, a commercial grade black-and-white processor, and bumped the enlarger count to nine. The writing was on the wall, however. Things were being shaken up in the world of photography. The price of digital cameras and computers was plummeting, and they were skyrocketing in quality. With the advent of consumer-priced digital cameras, computer equipment, and the likes of Photoshop, Colour by Schubert had to adapt. And adapt they did. A quick tour of their shop now shows only remnants of a darkroom, and neither a processor nor an enlarger can be seen (all of it was recycled where possible).

Roland's exceptional skills as a colour printer were recognized by numerous professional artists and the regional art museums and galleries as he became the colour lab for many of London's contemporary photographers and artists working in photography. Having successfully made the transition to digital photography, Colour by Schubert continues to be the premier custom photo lab in the city. A significant feature of Roland's work is working with archival paper and archival inks—creating high-quality art prints for artists. His professional photography has been featured in photo journals and online media. Colour by Schubert has contributed to the community as a business and Roland as a photographer, donating his work to notable art fundraisers and not-for-profit organizations, including UPwithART, in support of the Unity Project for relief of Homelessness and Museum London's education program. Colour by Schubert is one of the Embassy Cultural House's community supporters and partners.