Our Instructors

John Deering (Hunt’s Photo Educator, Boston)

John is a Boston area food and portrait photographer. He completed a MFA in Visual Arts in 2017 at Lesley University. Before that, he taught classes at Winthrop University in South Carolina for several years. He works digitally nowadays, but chemical and darkroom photography have been his area of expertise for years.
John teaches Custom 1-on-1 Sessions in Boston.

Nick Froment (Hunt’s Photo Educator, Providence)

Nick Froment is an independent cinematographer and visual content creator from Massachusetts. For nearly 15 years, Nick has been practicing the art of visual storytelling. He has shot, edited, and delivered hundreds of independent short films, web commercials, documentaries, narratives, and social media content throughout the years. Nick is also an experienced video editor – skilled in color grading, sound design, and various visual effects. Upon graduating FSU with a Film/Video degree in 2016, Nick would go on to win national awards, such as the Sony Creative Challenge in 2018. Being an outdoor enthusiast, Nick implements the earth within his brand, telling engaging stories through powerful visual media.
Nick teaches Video Basics, as well as Custom 1-on-1 Sessions in Providence.

Alex Hochstrasser (Hunt’s Photo Educator, Hanover)

Alex received his Bachelor’s degree in Communications Media with a double concentration in photography and professional communication from Fitchburg State University in 2016. He is a professional photo retoucher and has been an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop CC since 2014. The education department has been a joy for Alex, he loves being a knowledgeable resource for others and is able to break down concepts so they are easy to understand.
Alex teaches Beginner Photography and Custom 1-on-1 Sessions in Hanover and Virtual 1-on-1 Sessions.

Emily Hojnowski (Hunt’s Photo Leader & Lead Educator, Melrose and Manchester…and Beyond)

If you are looking for inspiration for your photography, look no further than Emily, who brings a world of enthusiasm to every class and workshop in which she teaches! Emily is a self-taught photographer, and has specific love for film photography. Emily can teach anything photographically, but she also has a knack for handling dogs in her spare time, and can combine those two passions in a lesson, if so requested!
Emily teaches a variety of group classes and Custom 1-on-1 Sessions in Manchester, Virtual 1-on-1 Sessions, and leads Photo Walks and Workshops. Emily is also available for mentoring sessions.

Ray Levesque (Hunt’s Photo Educator, South Portland)

Ray has been teaching photography for over 15 years and was instrumental in starting the Hunt’s education program. His favorite classes to teach are Lightroom editing and printing. When not teaching, he can be found with a camera on the streets of Portland.
Ray teaches Beginner Photography and Custom 1-on-1 Sessions in South Portland, and a variety of Virtual classes, including Adobe Lightroom Basics.

Paul Nelson (Hunt’s Photo Director of Education & Educator, Melrose… and Beyond)

Paul received his BFA Photography from SUNY New Paltz in 2005 and Masters in Secondary Education (History concentration) from UMass Boston in 2012. He has led the Education Department since 2014. He specializes in flash, lighting, portraiture, and printing. Outside of work, Paul is an avid 4×5 film shooter, loves baking, cooking, and gardening. His current favorite photographic subjects are his strong-willed daughter, Lucy, indefatigable son, Maxwell, and newborn son, Leo. His recommendations: Practice, practice, practice!
Paul teaches Flash, Lighting, Portrait, Printing, and Custom 1-on-1 Sessions, both virtually and at many of our store locations. Paul is also available for mentoring sessions.

Ron Phillips (Hunt’s Photo Walk Leader, Melrose)

Ron is a self-taught photographer based in the metro Boston area. He received his certification in Photoshop from the Art Institute of Boston in 2003. Ron specializes in long exposure photography, and is especially knowledgable about the aspects of focus stacking and masking with layers in Photoshop.
Ron leads Hunt’s Photo Walks.

Michael Rice (Hunt’s Photo Educator, Providence)

Michael Rice is an internationally published fine art landscape artist with a passion for black and white photography reminiscent of the old large format masters. Dramatic light, a smooth tonal range, and textural image details evoking the atmosphere of times past characterize his work. His color work is lush and vibrant, manipulating colors more like an oil painter. Light is playfully manipulated to create drama and intrigue.
He honed his craft through the years working as a commercial, portrait, and wedding photographer, photo retoucher, and printmaker. His philosophy is that most photographers are either camera or computer oriented, meaning that while some photographers excel at taking pictures, others excel at enhancing the images in the computer. He believes that to take photography to the next level; one must pursue both disciplines. The synergy is; knowing what is possible in the digital darkroom, aids in the decision-making process in the field.
His images can be seen at www.twistedtreephoto.com
Michael teaches Beginner Photography and Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop classes, as well as Custom 1-on-1 Sessions in Providence.

Don Toothaker (Director of Hunt’s Photo Adventures, Photo Walk Leader, Melrose…and Beyond)

Primarily self taught, Don enjoys photographing a wide variety of subjects, and instructing, throughout New England and beyond. He approaches photography as a powerful form of personal expression and works hard to inspire others to do the same.
Don leads many of the Hunt’s Photo Walks and Workshops and most of the Hunt’s Photo Adventures.

Rebecca Wade (Hunt’s Photo Educator, Melrose)

Rebecca is a Boston-based wedding and lifestyle photographer. She studied photography and art history at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University, where she earned her BFA.
Rebecca teaches Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop classes, as well as Custom 1-on-1 Sessions in Melrose.