*Please note: Registration information is located directly below each day. There is only one registration needed per day! That link will give you access to all of these seminars.
Friday November 5th
3pm: Rinzi Ruiz-Street Photography
Sponsored by Fuji
Description: Fujifilm X-Photographer, Rinzi Ruiz, will share his insights on street photography, share his photos and answer questions. He’ll go though his experiences and what he’s learned along the way about using available light to enhance composition, create mood and add dimension. Rinzi will also go though what he’s learned about people and the mindset to begin with to get out to shoot in order to get more comfortable and confident with shooting street photography.
Bio:
Rinzi Ruiz is a Fujifilm X-Photographer / Global Ambassador and freelance photographer focused on weddings, events and portraits based in Los Angeles, California. He originally studied graphic design and computer animation at the Art Institute of Los Angeles but after 12 years in the design industry found a passion for photography and made the switch. He is known for his street photography with his focus on light and shadow and the human condition. Rinzi was a featured photographer in the LA Times Framework and has had various photographs featured in the LA Times SoCal Moments. He has also been featured in Light It Magazine, The Candid Frame Podcast, Inspired Eye Magazine, Art Photo Feature, Fotoflock by Epson and Backyard Opera. His work was exhibited at the Hatakeyama Gallery and The Think Tank Gallery. His work was published in Arte Fotográfica Magazine, Rangefinder Magazine and Eloquence International Creators Magazine. His rapid development as a photographer is informed from a commitment to make time for his art, as well as developing a critical eye for what works and what doesn’t. Inspired by both contemporary and master photographers, his understanding of the tradition of photography is helping him to develop a distinct voice.
5pm Kristen Ryan-Creatively Capturing the Magic of Winter
Sponsored by Sigma
Description: Winter is an incredible time to get out into the landscape with your camera. Proper clothing and gear, as well as an open mindset, will prepare you to photograph the magic of the season. Gorgeous light, shorter days, sparkling details, and quiet solitude offer unique opportunities in the snowy landscape. In this session, Kristen will share tips for creatively capturing the beauty of winter with a variety of focal lengths and techniques.
Bio:
Kristen Ryan is a professional landscape photographer & educator specializing in capturing the grand and intimate beauty of our natural world. She is passionate about encouraging others to find creativity and connection out in nature. Kristen leads ladies’ landscape photography retreats in the U.S. and Canada and hosts Women Capture Magic, a female online photography community. See more of her work at www.kristenryanphotography.com
You can register for Friday’s seminars at this link.
Saturday November 6th
9am: Ben Knoot-Unique Birding and Photography Locations in the US
Sponsored by Olympus
Description: More often that not I will run into a new birder or a photographer who can’t stop talking about their trip to Africa, South America, Australia, or other exotic places. When the time is right, I usually like to bring up a few key adventures in the US that I believe all people should experinece and nine times out of ten the reply is the same, “Oh ya, I haven’t done that yet!”. This has always baffled me and I think to some degree it is because most of the potential in the US is unknown to most new birders and photographers. In this presentation, I will go over a few of the US based adventures that I truly believe are essential for any birder or photographer.
Bio: Ben is a 25 year old nature photographer originally from California. Before graduating in 2018, he studied Environmental Policy and Environmental Education at Western Washington University in Bellingham Washington State. Ben now leads educational and instructive photography, birding and birding with a camera (BWC®) tours and workshops for Tropical Birding Tours; http://www.tropicalbirding.com Ben’s goal while guiding is to provide a memorable, exciting and successful experience so that other people can enjoy photographing earths beauty as much as he does. Ben has been published by several organizations including, Natures Best Photography, Audubon, Ranger Rick, NANPA, Wildlife Photo Magazine and the BBC. His deep love and passion for nature has guided and will continue to guide the way he chooses to live his life, with a sense of wonder and curiosity of all things new and exciting. Ben is privileged to use work closely with Olympus camera’s and Swarovski Optik gear.
11am: Ron Magil-Using Photography to Protect Wildlife through Storytelling
Sponsored by Nikon
Description: This presentation will illustrate how images can be your best tool in telling stories that will engage and inspire people to protect and preserve our world’s wildlife for future generations. From the swamps of Botswana to the mountains of Mexico, to your local zoo, I will use images to take you on a journey that will fill your mind with some of the wonders that are the beauty of our natural world while also explaining how I captured them!
Bio:
Ron has worked with wildlife for over 40 years. He is the host of HITN’s national wildlife documentary program, “Mundo Salvaje con Ron Magill.” As Zoo Miami’s “Goodwill Ambassador”, he has made frequent television appearances on many programs including, “National Geographic Explorer”, the Discovery Networks, the “Today Show”, “Good Morning America”, “The Late Show ”, “CBS’ This Morning”, “Dateline” and “CNN” as well as on Spanish networks Univision and Telemundo. In addition, he has written and produced many wildlife articles and award-winning photographs that have appeared in publications and galleries around the world. He has traveled extensively throughout Africa, Asia and Tropical America while developing and directing conservation projects and Emmy-Award winning documentaries focusing on the wildlife of those regions.
Other than Zoo Miami and the Zoo Miami Foundation, Ron has worked with several children’s charities with a special dedication to the Make-a-Wish Foundation where he helps to grant wishes for children facing life-threatening diseases. In addition, he is a regular speaker at schools and civic organizations throughout South Florida in hopes of inspiring our youth to follow their dreams while showing them the importance of protecting our world’s wildlife for generations to come.
Ron’s proudest professional accomplishment is the establishment of the “Ron Magill Conservation Endowment” at the Zoo Miami Foundation. This endowment is the largest of its kind at the zoo and provides tens of thousands of dollars annually to wildlife conservation by providing annual scholarships as well as supporting field conservation projects designed to protect wildlife in the wild areas where it is naturally found.
12:30-1pm: The Canon R-Series Lineup: Come learn about the latest offerings from Jeff Leimbach at Canon with a focus on the EOS R system including their brand-new EOS R3 and the rest of the lineup!
1:15-1:45pm: Unique Lenses with Laowa: Join Stephen Neff from Laowa as he breaks down what makes them so unique and stand out from the crowd. Stepehen will be doing a live demo showing off how the lenses work and their unique capabilities!
2-2:30pm: Zeiss Optics- Binoculars and Scopes:
Join William Graham from Zeiss optics as he goes through their optics lineup from Binoculars to Scopes and everything in between! Bill will also be showing off several products live and talking about their benefits!
2:45-3:15pm BenQ: This session will introduce you to the world of pro displays, specifically one made for color accurate photography workflow. Learn about the different types of displays that are available, software vs hardware calibrated displays, which one to choose? Important criteria to consider when choosing a color accurate display such as color gamut coverage, resolution, uniformity, matte vs glossy coating, to name a few. And find out how to get started with the display calibration process, some of the crucial settings to dial in and more in this talk
3:30pm: Evan Parker-DIY Fine Art Printing: Learn to love your printer
Sponsored by Moab
Description: Many photographers look back with nostalgia to the process of printing film negatives in the wet darkroom. In this interesting and compelling lecture and demo, Evan Parker will reveal how to bring that love of process and technique into today’s digital darkroom. He will share how printing with archival inks on a variety of substrates can be creative extensions of your photographic work that can open doors to new ways of realizing projects. He’ll discuss creative aspects of printing workflow, and how these play into creating terrific prints. He will also simplify the printing process with things you can do in your studio to help color accuracy, accurate image reproduction, and more. We’ll tackle your printing questions, and leave you confident in the printing process.
Bio:
Evan is a professional photographer and custom printer in Seattle. He has specialized in architecture and interiors for the past 14 years, and works with fellow photographers to help them create the best prints possible. Though he began in the darkroom, he has come to prefer the possibilities and relative simplicity of inkjet printing. His goal is to demystify the printing process, and make it part of the creative process.
5:30pm: Anne Belmont- Capturing the Beauty of Flowers with Lensbaby
Sponsored by Lensbaby
Description: Join Anne Belmont as she shares her passion for Lensbaby lenses in her flower and botanical photography. Anne will give you a peek into her approach to flower photography, how Lensbaby helps her create impact and emotion in her images and why these lenses unleash creativity. She will give detailed descriptions and tips for using a few of her favorite lenses for flowers, helping you to under-stand and master these unique and artistic lenses.
Bio
As a nature photographer specializing in flower photography, Anne’s greatest passion lies in seeing and capturing the beauty of flowers and botanicals up-close. It is the small, often unnoticed details that draw Anne to her subjects – the lines, patterns, textures, curves and unique personality of each subject. It is her belief that if we slow down and look at nature in a more contemplative way, we will find subjects that convey impact and emotion.
With a lifelong involvement in the arts and a deep love of nature that started in childhood, pho-tography became a perfect way for Anne to share her vision of the natural world with others. She has been photographing since she was given her first camera at the age of ten. Her career as an art therapist reinforced her belief in the healing power of both art and nature. Anne’s goal as an educator is to help others see in new ways, unleash their creativity and bring their heart into their photography.
Anne is a team member and instructor for Out of Chicago Photography. She also presents at con-ferences throughout the country and teaches private workshops. As a Lensbaby Ambassador, she is passionate about using and teaching others about their creative lenses to enhance artistry and bring emotion into their work. She is firmly committed to the idea that we should never stop learning, growing, experimenting and having fun with photography.
You can register for Saturday’s seminars at this link.
Sunday November 7th
9am: David Akoubian-Backyard Bird Photography
Sponsored by Tamron
Join Professional Nature Photographer and Tamron Image Master, David Akoubian, as he shares his tips and experiences with photographing birds in a backyard “studio”. David has created a studio within an area of his Audubon Certified Wildlife Sanctuary that is perfect for easy bird photography. The same principles can be applied regardless of the size space you have as well. David will share his gear, settings and special tips to make the photography easy. Grab a cup of coffee and join us!
Bio:
Bear Woods Photography is the photography of David Akoubian. David resides in the mountains of North Georgia with his wife Evelyn.
David has been a photographer since 1972 but his career in photography started in 1992. David learned his craft originally as a painter and from his father. Early in his career traveled with, learned from and taught beside some of the masters of nature photography including John Shaw, Art Wolfe, Galen Rowell, Bryan Peterson, Pat O’Hara, and Rod Planck. David has been teaching photography since 1994 in the classroom and leading workshops around the United States. His focus remains on the Southeastern United States, where he calls home, but does workshops and lectures all of the United States.
David’s clients have included, but are not limited to Coca Cola, PNC Bank, Tamron, Sirui, Lensbaby, The Nature Conservancy, and Gibbs Gardens. His photographs and articles have appeared in publications such as Nature Photographer, Audubon Magazine, Blue Ridge Country, Birder’s World, Outdoor Photographer, Backpacker Magazine, and many local publications. His work his appeared in several feature books in addition to instructional guides on scenic locations. David works with several organizations volunteering his photography among them, Angels on Horseback and the Mountain Conservation Trust of Georgia. David is a Tamron Image Master.
11am: Panel Discussion-Martin Culpepper, Reed Robinson, and Noah Buchanan
You can register for Sunday’s seminars at this link.