ST. GEORGE — Photographers who seek an “intense” workshop experience will have a chance to do so at the Outsiders Photography Conference March 4-6 in Kanab.
Attendees will hear from over 16 speakers who will conduct breakout sessions on creativity, photo editing, advanced techniques and other topics, according to the Outsiders Photography Conference website.
Among the featured presenters will be National Geographic’s Paul Nicklen as the keynote speaker, according to the Outsiders Photography Conference website.
Those interested may attend in person or virtually. However, photographer David Swindler notes the conference is offering more than $10,000 in giveaways to those who attend in person.
Attendees also can participate in contests, roundtable discussions and photo critiques from professional photographers. The cost to attend is $699.
“The conference content is aimed at landscape, wildlife and nature photographers,” Swindler said. “We have a wide variety of courses over the three days, ranging from very technical topics to creative explorations. All sessions will be recorded, allowing all attendees to watch them up to a year after the event. So nobody will have to miss anything.
“I want to emphasize the three pillars of our organization, which are to connect like-minded photographers and industry advocates, to capture the beauty and nature all around us and then to conserve the wonderful places we call home.”
Connect
Phill Monson, a photographer and conservationist, said he noticed the culture of landscape and outdoor photography becoming more competitive and hopes that the conference will help break down barriers and bring people together.
“You can kind of put away your, you know, any anxieties or apprehensions, or egos especially, and just come hang out, get to know new people, make new friendships and connections and just really have an enjoyable, relaxed, good time and learn from different people,” he said.
“On our opening night, we have the opening night welcome reception, which is literally just, ‘hey, we’ve got food, we got drinks, just come out,” Monson added.
Capture
Swindler’s session, “Integrating Time: Harnessing the Power of Shutter Speed,” will focus on technical and creative techniques for using shutter speed to create certain effects.
“A lot of times they don’t know how fast a shutter speed they need to capture this kind of action,” he said. “Or, if I’m wanting to do a long exposure, how do I calculate that exposure time, or figure out how long it should be to create that effect I’m after? My class is going to break it all down in simple terms.”
In one panel discussion, industry representatives and photographers will discuss the latest technology and gear, and the future of the industry.
“Everything will be on board, from what are some of the improvements we’ll be seeing in cameras, sensors and autofocus designs, and, the size and weight of equipment, all the way down to what’s going to be possible with post-processing technology,” Swindler said.
Attendees can expect to see sponsors and vendors at the conference, including Canon, Sony, Nikon and Fujifilm.
Photo critiques will take place in small groups. Photographers will submit photos ahead of time and then, during the session, two speakers will evaluate both the shot itself and the post-processing technique used, Swindler said.
“We find that this is a very informative session for people because it’s more like a working session, right? Where it’s not like you’re looking at slides that you wrote back home, you’re actually delving into a particular photo and picking it apart,” he said. “Everybody learns different tidbits here and there from either the mistakes people made or the things that they did really well.”
Conserve
During the discussion panel “Influencing for the Right Reasons: Starting the Next Revolution,” Monson and others will discuss how to “flip the script” on social media use, Monson said.
“What type of influencer are we going to be? The type that uses whatever platform we have in a positive way,” he said. “And, especially as photographers and outdoor photographers, how do we use our platform and influence in a way that brings awareness to issues that are taking place? How do we encourage others to take care of our public lands and to do so in a responsible manner?”
Monson added that they carefully sought out speakers who had a “strong conservation-minded background.”
Keynote speaker Nicklen is a documentary photographer and filmmaker who has won over 30 awards and was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame.
Also a marine biologist, Nicklen co-founded SeaLegacy, a nonprofit that uses visual storytelling to inspire action against climate change, according to their website.
Nicklen’s keynote address, “Success Through Failure,” will focus on the merits of determination, passion and learning from failure.
“This captivating speech is both motivating and passionate and will leave audiences with a new outlook on their everyday lives and professions,” the itinerary states.
The Outsiders Photography Conference
The Outsiders was founded in 2018 by David Swindler, Dustin LeFevre, Phill Monson and Ryan Smith, who wanted to create a conference for photographers interested in nature, wildlife and landscape photography.
“We wanted to to make something that was tailored to people that thought like us,” Swindler said. “We thought this would be a really cool way to get a diverse group of photographers together and be able to improve their knowledge base, get them engaged and get them inspired to try some different aspects of photography.”
“We love Utah. We love the public lands that we have here. We’d love the opportunity to host this conference in Kanab, which is, you know, one of the cutest little towns in the desert southwest,” Monson added. “So it’s just an awesome opportunity for people to come together in an enjoyable, relaxed learning environment, get to know each other, and also come away with an inspired vision of how they can impact you know, the future of conservation and public lands and also improve their photography.”
Event details
- What: Outsiders Photography Conference
- When: March 4-6, 2022. Check-in begins at 7 a.m., March 4
- Where: Kanab Convention Center, Kanab, Utah
- Admission: Tickets are $699
For more information visit the Outsiders Photography website.
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