Sunday Programs

Inspiration Track

How to Maintain a Successful High School Senior Business in a Digital World
Presented by Dr. Tomayia Colvin

Sunday, October 17, 2021
8:30 AM – Noon

 SPONSORED BY:

“Are you feeling stagnant in your high school senior business and ready to flourish?
The High School Seniors 201: How to maintain a successful high school senior business, in a digital world is the perfect course for the high school portrait photographer ready to reconnect and relaunch their senior business.”

You’ll learn:

  • Popular social media strategies to attract new clients
  • Practical examples of retaining senior reps and clients throughout the year
  • New ideas to implement for your seniors to attract more clients
  • Reaching underclassmen
  • Selling products in addition to digital files
  • Working with school clubs and organizations

Meet the Speaker:

Dr. Tomayia Colvin, Sony Artisan of Imagery, is a high school senior portrait photographer and photography educator in Houston, Texas. She’s the founder of Tomayia Colvin Education + The Photo Cookout. She is on a mission to celebrate diversity and photographers of color.

She’s the mom of two dynamic teenagers and is often busy shuffling kids from track practice. She lives for the car rider line, Dr. Pepper, and making blue jeans, Converse, and t-shirts the new business casual.

Pro Track

Turning Ambient Light into a Creative Vision
Presented by Alison Carlino

Sunday, October 17, 2021
8:30 AM – Noon

SPONSORED BY:

Join Alison Carlino around the grounds of the hotel and convention space as she diagnoses the quantity, quality, color, and direction of the existing light and then decides how to modify it to create the vision. Alison will demo off camera lighting with strobe, speedlights, gels, grids, and soft boxes. Modern posing will be taught along with how to match the mood of the pose to the lighting. This all hands-on class will help you walk into any space (indoor or out) and confidently create.

Alison will cover:

  • Diagnosing the quality, quantity, color, & direction of the ambient light.
  • How to turn an ambient lit image into something dramatic
  • How gels add drama & grids control the direction of the light
  • Adding a second or third light
  • How modern posing conveys emotion”

Meet the Speaker

“Alison Carlino photographs and educates around the world. As a former master degreed elementary teacher, she is able to relate to students both technically and personally.

In her 18th year of business, she hosts multi and single day workshops on the topics of off camera lighting, modern posing, volume sports/seniors, and night sky photography at her Richmond, Tx studio and beyond.

Tools & Tech

High End Editing Techniques for Timeless Fine Art Portraits
HPresented by Shannon Squires


Sunday, October 17, 2021
8:30 AM – Noon

Take your images to the next level with this high end retouching class. You will learn photoshop techniques not only to create an eye catching look, but also how to go above and beyond to impress clients with small compositing techniques.

Shannon will cover:

  • How to perfect skin for an impactful fine art portrait
  • How to properly contour and enhance facial features
  • Promoting and selling fine art images to clients
  • Learn small compositing techniques

Meet The Speaker

Shannon Squires is a nationally recognized award winning photographer based in Colorado Springs. She is a two time Profession Photographers of America 1st place recipient of the Grand Imaging Award in Children Portraits. In 2021 in addition to her 1st place in Children’s portraits she also won the prestigious over all 1st place trophy among over 5000 images entered.

Shannon has been featured on the cover Professional Photographers Magazine on multiple occasions and holds a Master Photographer degree, and is also a Certified Professional Photographer through The Professional Photographers of America. In addition she also has an Associates in Applied Arts Degree for Commercial Photography form the Art Institute of Seattle.

When not working with clients she gives back to the photographers.

Lunch

Sunday Programs

Inspiration Track

The Family Advantage
Presented by Allison Russell and Katherine McClure

Sunday, October 17, 2021
1:30 PM – 4:00 PM

SPONSORED BY

“How gifting a family session to high school senior clients pays off big!

We will share a specific process that has high impact for boutique high school senior photographers. Many spend years honing their marketing to attract high quality clients, and just hope to get a sibling further down the road. We will teach our process for converting each senior client into life long family clients, making the sales averages soar with repeat business.”

This program will cover:

  • Learn how to convert high school senior customers into lifelong clients
  • Watch your sales averages soar by adding 15 minutes to your senior sessions
  • Use marketing to attract high quality clients and keep them by serving ALL of their needs
  • Gain confidence in the sales room with selling images from both sessions

Meet the Speakers:

Katherine has curated a select client base that craves her museum quality painted art pieces within her community and beyond. She is passionate about business longevity and guides new photographers in creating growing, sustainable businesses. Her journey from starving artist to profitable business owner enables her to equip other photographers to find their own version of success.

Allison started her boutique studio in 2012, and as a full time photographer understands the challenges of running a successful studio as her primary income. She is passionate about having a financially sustainable business and helping other photographers to experience the same success. She specializes in family and children photography, rounding out her business with commercial, senior, and sports portraits.

Pro Track

Navigating the Print-On-Demand Marketplace
Presented by Stephen Stookey

Sunday, October 17, 2021
1:30 PM – 4:00PM

“Print-on-Demand (POD) companies offer artists the possibility of online revenue streams with the ease of outsourced production, distribution, and customer service. Artists face a plethora of POD provider and product choices. Finding the right fit for one’s studio is essential to a positive online POD experience. This seminar offers a primer on entering the POD marketplace and charting a path toward online sales success.

Stephen Stookey wandered into the POD marketplace in June 2013 with a handful of images to list and plenty of curiosity. It took a bit of exploration to discover the right mix of product, pricing, and promotion for POD success. Working with POD sites like Fine Art America, Stephen discovered a pathway to a profitable POD presence. Additionally, his POD presence opened the door to image use in Hollywood productions, hotel and business installations, and private commissions. Stephen’s POD annual income supports his work & travel with global ministry organizations, funds family activities, and pays for equipment upgrades–all of which make his CPA (wife Beverly) very happy.”

This program will cover:

  • Understanding the POD marketplace: vendors & products; pros & cons
  • Strategies for starting a POD business
  • Understanding what sells in the POD marketplace
  • Strategies to help buyer’s find you: pricing & promotion
  • Sales opportunities generated by POD presence”

Meet the Speaker

Stephen Stookey, Ph.D., is a university dean/church history professor at Wayland Baptist University and an ordained minister by day and photographer by night. Well, not just nighttime; you get the picture. His love for photography began with a Kodak Instamatic 104 and a handful of GE flash cubes. Now with Canon equipment in hand, Stephen captures visual stories from locations of natural beauty, historical importance, and spiritual significance. His images appear in publications and Hollywood productions and hang on the walls of businesses, homes, and high-end hotels. Stephen operates Stephen Stookey Photography, an online print-on-demand business.

Tools & Tech

Finishing Touches for Your Floral Fine Art
Completing the Creative Process in Photoshop
Presented by Teri Whittaker

Sunday, October 17, 2021
1:30 PM – 4:00PM

So you have taken your flower photographs, but do you still feel there is a bit more to be done and you are not quite sure about the next step? Bring an image and your computer and join Teri as we work through some of the possibilities available to put the finishing touches on your work of art. (Or Teri will provide you with a copy of the image she will be using for demonstration).

We will discuss the considerations for your image such as increasing/decreasing contrast and saturation, taking your image black and white, eliminating distracting elements, simplifying backgrounds and more.

Teri will also cover:

  • Why and how to clean up an image.
  • Evaluating and potentially removing distracting elements.
  • Extracting and modifying a background.
  • Using Photoshop and/or Topaz Impressions to enhance an image.
  • Using textures and mat options to complete and image.

If you don’t have DxO Nik Collection or Topaz Impressions, you might consider downloading a trial version. A Wacom tablet is recommended. Don’t want to bring your computer? Just come and take notes!

Meet the Speaker:


Contrary to most photographers’ history that she hears, Teri Whittaker did not grow up with a camera in her hands. She was well into adulthood when, out of desire to accomplish a specific goal, she started researching cameras and lenses that would help her accomplish her mission.

Teri is a wife, a mom, and a mia (her grandmother name as she did not want to be called grandma). She and her family have had the opportunity to live in places such as Alaska and Africa, and to travel much of the United States.

Teri is a homebody that loves, loves, loves Thai food.