Presentations
From Chaos to Clarity: Composing the Photograph
Jennifer King
Discover how a strong composition can transform any subject or scene into a powerful, deliberate work of art. The art of composition tells us secrets about how to elevate our photography to a whole new, sometimes unexpected level. Whether you’re new to photography or ready to refine your craft, understanding structure and flow within your photographs will allow you to positively strengthen your compositions.
Jennifer King will review how choices such as visual hierarchy, dynamic balance, rhythm and use of space can affect the outcome of your image both in storytelling and visual impact. Through guided examples and practical exercises, you will learn to see these outcomes in the field to help you refine your vision with intentional decisions behind the lens.
Whether you photograph landscapes, portraits, street scenes or abstracts, you’ll leave with a renewed clarity and a stronger ability to create photographs that feel both effortless and are better than ever!
In Perfect Harmony: What I’ve Learned about Photography by Making Music
Colleen Miniuk
In this illuminating presentation, outdoor photographer—and emerging musician—Colleen Miniuk will share how learning to make music has struck a deeper chord in her visual work, from creative risk-taking to composition and processing.
By drawing parallels and applying musical concepts such as harmony, counterpoint, space and movement, this session invites photographers to compose with intention and to honor their emotional relationships in their art in practical ways. Regardless of your skill level, camera or background, you’ll learn how to tune in, trust your instincts and approach your creative practice with greater confidence—so your images don’t just look good, they resonate.
The Photographer’s Eye in Black & White
Jennifer KinG
A visual exploration of how the art of black and white photography sharpens our visual perception and transforms ordinary scenes into powerful and dramatic images. Jennifer King will examine the language of fine art, as well as ways we can use contrast, texture, light and shadow to create an image filled with emotion and depth.
Through imagery and insight, the audience will learn how to:
see differently when color is removed
use light and shadow as storytelling tools
build stronger compositions through shapes, lines, and patterns
create mood and atmosphere with contrast and tone
capture emotion in a more intense, focused way
Whether you’re a beginner learning the basics or an experienced photographer seeking new creative direction, this presentation will deepen your understanding of the power of visualization and inspire you to see the world in black and white.
Perfecting Tone and Color
Tim Grey
We all know it is best to get the photo as close to perfect in the camera, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some work to be done to optimize the photo after the capture. While overall tone and color may represent some of the most basic attributes of an image, they can also be among the most important.
Tim Grey will guide you through the key tonal and color adjustments that can help make any photo look its best. He’ll go beyond just showing you how the adjustments work and will provide insights into how to approach these adjustments in the context of both your preferences as a photographer and the specific mood of a photo.
The presentation will revolve around Lightroom Classic, but the same techniques are applicable to other applications such as Camera Raw and the other tools in the Adobe ecosystem.
Personal Space: Macro to Close-up to Intimate Scenics
Tony Sweet
After becoming a photographer, Tony Sweet migrated from traditional landscapes and wildlife to macro, close-up and small scenics, which he found more conducive to interpretation and self-expression, more like having his own personal space.
In this presentation Tony will focus on interpretive flower photography, small scenes, creative techniques, special effects, suggested projects and more. It is the intent that the photographer gain a greater sense of self expression and a deeper sense of vision. Questions are encouraged throughout the presentation and at the end.
Photographing Waterfalls Like You Never Imagined
Kevin Adams
Kevin Adams is well-known for his day and night waterfall photography and his waterfall programs over the past three decades. At Photo Fest, you’re in for a special treat, as Kevin will present a totally revitalized program covering all aspects of photographing waterfalls, including new techniques and images. With a subject as popular as waterfalls, you may wonder if there’s anything new to talk about, but after this program Kevin will have you photographing waterfalls in ways you’ve never imagined!
Three (or so) Keys to Learning Night Photography
Chris Nicholson
Have you thought about trying night photography, but feel like you’re in the dark? Have you already tried night photography, but have hoped someone could shed more light on the topic? Chris Nicholson will break down the basics of what you need to know into three categories: exposure, composition and focus.
He’ll discuss how choose shutter speeds for freezing star points or creating star trails, how to deal with different types of noise prevalent in low-light photography, how to choose a composition and focus when you can’t see anything, the basic gear needed for success, and more!
After this presentation you’ll have the knowledge and the confidence to tackle life in the dark.
Total Control with Targeted Adjustments
Tim Grey
When it comes to exercising control over the look of a photo, applying adjustments that affect a specific area of an image perhaps represents the pinnacle of that control.
In the context of Lightroom Classic and Camera Raw, this largely involves creating a mask that defines the portion of the image you want to adjust and then refining the adjustments for that area. Of course, this type of advanced control comes with the challenge of perfectly matching the right mask shape with the right adjustments.
That’s exactly what Tim Grey will guide you through in this informative and entertaining presentation. You’ll learn how to choose the type of mask to create, gain a better understanding of the techniques for advanced mask refinement, and learn about the adjustments available in the context of masking. In the process, you’ll learn to exercise maximum control over your photos to better realize your photographic vision.
Visualization: Picturing the Possibilities
Colleen Miniuk
When a scene excites us, we often feel compelled to grab our camera out of our backpacks and shoot, shoot, shoot! But what if there was a more productive way than “spraying and praying” to make images you are proud of?
Join outdoor photographer/writer Colleen Miniuk for an enlightening talk on how visualizing your photograph before you begin photographing—whether at home, at work or in the field—can help you make more expressive and meaningful visual expressions. She’ll share what visualization is (and isn’t) and how to dry shoot, approach your scenes with mindfulness, gather inventories and translate our experiences (not necessarily what we “see”) into pixels before ever holding a camera in our hands.
The Wide World of Panoramic Photography
Tony Sweet
From panoramic cameras to various ways to create panos to specific gear for more complicated panos to stitching software from single-row to multiple-row panos—Tony Sweet will offer a compendium on most things panoramic. Also, reshaping, resizing and creating abstract panos known as Little Planets.
An informative and eye-opening presentation into the brave new world of digital panoramic photography.