Speaker Presentations
Schedule coming soon
Albert Dros
Learning to See - Finding an Image Wherever You Go
Is about training your eye to recognize photographic potential in any environment, not just iconic landscapes or perfect conditions. It encourages a mindful, observational approach, slowing down, noticing light, texture, and composition in everyday scenes. You can create compelling images anywhere you go.
Beth Buelow
Exploring Nature Through a Non-Literal Lens
When is a tree more than a tree? A river more than a river? When we stop seeing them as “tree” or “river” and meet them again for the first time. Nature is constantly evolving and showing us new sides of itself. How can we open ourselves to its—and our—fullest expression? We’ll (re)discover ways to challenge our mindset and our skills in the spirit of moving through cliché captures and toward more personally meaningful photography.
Brooks Jensen
Using examples from my work, we will examine a selection of interconnected themes: what draws us to photograph specific scenes, how different landscapes speak distinct emotional languages, the powerful moment of recognizing a landscape or subject that resonates with our internal condition, and the transformative process of creating images.
Finding the Picture
Cole Thompson
The Stories Behind the Images and the Lessons I’ve Learned
I’ve been so fortunate to have created images that I love, but just as important are the experiences that accompanied those images and the life lessons they’ve taught me. Some of the experiences have been humorous, others were sad, and some were even hard…but I have learned something from each one of them. I hope to entertain you as I share the stories behind the images.
Derek Sturman
Finding your Way in the Dark - Keys to your Best Astro Images
Astrophotography is often a barrier many beginners and daylight photographers initially are afraid to take on or find frustrating. These situations usually push cameras to their limits, and the lack of natural light can make it more complicated to get clean images. Even the best photographers can find themselves puzzled when there is so little light to work with, However there is nothing to fear here. Beginner or professional, Derek will show you simple tricks that make it easier to deal with such low light situations. The gear, the techniques for shooting and some of the techniques to help recover and edit these files.
Dusty Doddridge
Autumn in the Aspens - Connecting Place and Season
A walk through a 15-year journey photographing in the mountains of Colorado. Exploring light and composition while connecting to the magic of autumn.
Huibo Hou
Evoking Mood through Black and White Seascapes
Seascape photography is more than just capturing waves, rocks, and the sky—it's a way to express emotion. In this presentation, I will explore how to create powerful and emotive black-and-white seascape images. I will discuss how different shutter speeds influence mood—from the calm of long-exposed still waters, to the graceful, flowing movements, and to the drama of crashing waves. I will also share techniques for enhancing depth and emotion through tonal contrast and textures in post-processing.Seascape photography is more than just capturing waves, rocks, and the sky—it's a way to express emotion. In this presentation, I will explore how to create powerful and emotive black-and-white seascape images. I will discuss how different shutter speeds influence mood—from the calm of long-exposed still waters, to the graceful, flowing movements, and to the drama of crashing waves. I will also share techniques for enhancing depth and emotion through tonal contrast and textures in post-processing.
Ian Plant
The Art of Photography
Great photography happens when you show people something they haven't seen before. But making great photos isn't just about literally finding things that people haven't laid eyes on before; it involves seeing things differently, and learning how to translate your creative vision into something that can be appreciated by others. This is the very essence of what makes photography special and unique among art forms. And, it all starts with learning how to see the world with fresh eyes. In this inspiring presentation, pro landscape and wildlife photographer Ian Plant draws on his deep well of 20 years of experience and hard-earned wisdom to share with you his deepest secrets for crafting meaningful and impactful images of our natural world. He illustrates his talk with some of his favorite photos from his travels around the world, and will share pragmatic tips you can use to elevate your own craft.
Matt Payne
The San Juan Mountains - How a Lifelong Connection Shaped my Photography
What happens when you fall so deeply in love with a place that you have no choice but to move there, live it, breathe it, and let it shape your work? In this presentation, I’ll explore the journey of making the San Juan Mountains not just my home, but my artistic muse. I’ll discuss how a profound connection to a landscape transforms the way we see, feel, and create—leading to more authentic, personal, and deeply meaningful photography. Through stories, images, and reflections, I’ll share what it means to not just capture a place, but to truly belong to it.
Michael Bollino
The Influence of Time on our Photographic Practice and Vision
One of the most fascinating aspects of being a photographer is our unique relationship with time. Unlike many other arts, photography requires us to work directly with time as we capture fleeting moments of lived experience to create personally meaningful images. In this presentation, Michael explores the multifaceted role time plays in our photographic practice — technically, creatively, and even philosophically. He reveals how we can use time to help match our creative vision to image outcomes, how time’s cyclical nature provides important opportunities to view our world with fresh eyes, be reinspired, and chart progress, and how allowing ourselves to follow time’s lead as it slowly unfolds while working in the field can push us toward unexpected and exciting creative discoveries.
Michele Sons
Emotional Terrain - The Landscape as Mirror
Using examples from my work, we will examine a selection of interconnected themes: what draws us to photograph specific scenes, how different landscapes speak distinct emotional languages, the powerful moment of recognizing a landscape or subject that resonates with our internal condition, and the transformative process of creating images.
Sarah Marino
Mindset Practices to Elevate your Photography
Your mental habits have the power to heavily influence your experience outside and your photographic results. In this talk, Sarah will discuss how approaching your craft with an expansive mindset can elevate your work, including the importance of looking for opportunities instead of accepting limitations; tuning into your instincts and intuition; being open to a broader range of light and subjects; and leaving expectations at home. Sarah will also talk about getting away from rules, preconceptions, expectations, other people's ideas, and judgements about what is the "right" or "wrong" approach and instead developing the creative space to experiment, take risks, follow sparks of inspiration, and find your own voice. Using a lot of examples and case studies, Sarah will share practical and inspiring ideas about how photographers can be more open-minded and find greater satisfaction in both their work and their time outside.
Talor Stone
Visual Storytelling from the Edge of the Earth
Description: Talor shares what it was really like living in Greenland among the world’s northernmost hunters. Daily life in the Arctic came with many unpredictable challenges and hard-won victories all while working in one of the harshest environments on Earth. These unique experiences offered lifelong lessons about the art of visual storytelling that can be applied to any photographic project at home or abroad.