Summit Workshops 

Chris runs the annual series of workshops and is in charge of all workshop operations, scheduling, logistics, faculty, social media, marketing and sponsorship. Chris has a passion for conservation, travel, and education and the workshops are a dream platform to help others reach new heights as not only photographers but as people. Chris is also an affiliate of the International League of Conservation Photographers. The iLCP is a U.S. based non-profit whose mission is to further environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography. This affiliation provides a tremendous opportunity to help deliver great content and also be an advisor on matters large and small.

Catherine is an outdoor adventure, action sports and conservation photographer and filmmaker based in Hermosa Beach, California. From the beaches of Israel to the slot canyons of Utah, from remote islands in the Pacific to as far as Western Australia, Catherine’s explorations through the lens have taken her around the world. She has shot projects for clients including Red Bull, GoPro, LifeProof and Aspen Skiing Company. She thrives with a camera in hand — and lives the adventures she captures. When she’s not shooting, she’s playing in mountains, deserts and oceans far away from crowded cities and civilization.

A Nikon Ambassador and one of the pioneers in the conversion to all-digital photography, Dave Black is best known for his sports photography including covering Olympic games for more than 20 years for Newsweek. Constantly reinventing himself, he’s currently pushing new frontiers in combining lightpainting and western imagery, photography well suited for a gallery wall.

Clay Bolt is a Natural History and Conservation Photographer specializing in the world’s smaller creatures. He regularly partners with organizations such as the National Geographic Society, National Wildlife Federation, and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. He is an Associate Fellow in the International League of Conservation Photographers and past president of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). His current major focus is on North America’s native bees and the important roles that they play in our lives. He was a leading voice in the fight to protect the rusty-patched bumble bee as a federally protected species under the Endangered Species Act, which became North America's first federally protected native bee in 2017. In 2019, Bolt became the first photographer to document a living Wallace's Giant Bee-the world's largest bee-as a part of a four person exploration team to rediscover the species in the Indonesian islands knowns as the North Moluccas.

Michael wasn’t always a globe-trotting travel photographer and filmmaker. After working in the tech industry during his early 20’s, he discovered that the tech life wasn’t for him. On a whim, he obtained his first passport and traveled to Costa Rica with a 6-megapixel point and shoot camera. On this trip, he was determined to teach himself how to document his first international travel experience through photographs of the people, landscapes and culture. He quickly became obsessed with telling the stories that unfolded in front of him without the use of words. Even though the photos from that trip were lackluster, the passion was born. Over a decade later, he is an internationally published travel photographer and filmmaker, even having achieved the ultimate photographer’s dream of having a full two-page photo spread in National Geographic. Michael has worked with dozens of tourism boards, lifestyle brands, and photography companies around the world, both through his own company.

Bo Bridges is a world-renowned advertising and fine art photographer. His passion for adventure drives the dynamic imagery he produces. His portfolio covers a spectrum of subjects ranging from professional athletes and celebrity portraits, to film and television campaigns, as well as beautiful scenes from around the world that are sold in his galleries located in Manhattan Beach, California and Vail, Colorado.

Michael is an internationally published adventure photographer specializing in adventure sports, travel, and landscape photography. He produces intense, raw images of athletes pushing their sports to the limit and has risked life and limb on numerous assignments to bring back stunning images of rock climbers, mountaineers, kayakers, mountain bikers, big-wave surfers, sky divers and many more other extreme sports athletes, often working in remote locations around the world.

Savannah is a photographer and filmmaker based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Raised in the suburbs of Cincinnati, she grew up playing in the creek in her backyard. At 16, she had her first “real” outdoor experience, in Northern Minnesota, and since then she has been committed to combining her passion for the outdoors with her profession. When she picked up a camera for the first time in 2014, she knew she had found her niche. She was taken on to the North Face team in 2017, and in 2017 alone joined legendary climbers Alex Honnold, Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker on an expedition to Antarctica, documented Katie Bono’s speed record on Denali, and traveled to the Kashmir region of Northern India on an all-female first ascent expedition. Her clients include Google, The North Face, La Sportiva, Five Ten, Black Diamond, Canon, Osprey, REI, Darn Tough, Point6, Big Agnes, Stio, PrAna, Patagonia, Climbing Magazine, Rock and Ice, Alpinist, Gripped Magazine, Women’s Health, Native Eyewear & Arc'teryx.

In a practical sense, Jen Edney is a photographer and burgeoning filmmaker. But use a wider scope; these are just titles for a person set to take us on a visual journey. A self-proclaimed “water baby,” Edney is an adventurer and a storyteller whose aim is to capture the expeditionary heart of any situation she shoots. She is a sailor, a traveler, and thus a participant in the images she captures and the stories she tells, from mountains to seas—all begninning from her home on the Plains of Nebraska. Jen was named to a list of the “Nine Top Female Adventure Photographers” by National Geographic. With over 40,000 nautical miles sailed en route to visiting over 30 countries, there is no doubt as to her adventurous spirit. Edney has been selected to the OBR squad for the Volvo Ocean Race 2017/18 and is the only female on the squad.

A Nikon Ambassador, Deanne is a photojournalist and multimedia storyteller with a passion for humanitarian documentary photography, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005. Formerly, a staff photographer at the San Francisco Chronicle, she has experience photographing a wide range of subjects including news, politics, sports, and entertainment.

Doug is a conservation, wildlife and animal welfare photojournalist, with a focus on Australian issues. His work has been published by National Geographic, BioGraphic, Australian Geographic, Ranger Rick, The Big Issue and in papers such as the NY Times and The Australian. His recent work has focused on the conservation and animal welfare issues that face the platypus, the Grey-headed Flying-fox, and the little blue penguins of Melbourne. He is an Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and is also governor of the World Wide Fund for Nature (Australia). A contributing photographer to National Geographic Creative and the Nature Picture Library, Doug has been a finalist in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the Big Picture Natural World competitions, has won the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year ‘Our Impact’ category, and most recently, won the inaugural Wildscreen Panda PhotoStory Award.

Morgan (Mo) Heim raises a camera for one purpose – to capture moments in an animal’s life that will make us consider what that life means. Inevitably, those stories involve people as much as wildlife. How we treat them. Why we need them. What we love, or hate about them. Mo, used to work as a wildlife ecologist for NOAA on things like killer whale surveys and the Elwha Dam Removal project. She later earned a Master’s in environmental journalism and is a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). She has covered endangered fishing cats and shrimp farm development, and the environmental impacts of marijuana grows in our nation’s forests. In 2016, she became a National Geographic grantee for her collaboration on urban coyotes. Her photographic work has appeared in outlets such as Smithsonian, Discover, NationalGeographic.com, Nature Conservancy Magazine, and bioGraphic.com.

Lucas Gilman is one of the leading adventure photographers and filmmakers in the industry. He currently resides in Pismo Beach, CA. His powerful and incisive images run in top publications & advertisements worldwide. A love of adventure and an addiction to color creates his distinct style of photography and filmmaking. Lucas documents subjects ranging from expedition kayaking in India and Costa Rica, Surfing in Brazil to backcountry skiing in Wyoming, Alaska and South America. He has covered international events such as the Tour De France, Kentucky Derby, ESPN X-GAMES, IRONMAN® and NFL Playoffs. Lucas regularly works with advertising and editorial clients that span the globe including: Land Rover, Nikon, SanDisk®, Red Bull, G-Technology, Garmin™, GORE-TEX® National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, ESPN Magazine, ESPN.com and Outside Magazine. Lucas was featured by Apple in their Keynote launching the new Mac Pro.

Matt is a portrait photographer based out of Kentucky who specializes in on location creative lighting focusing on seniors and athletes. He began his career as an award-winning graphic artist, and has since used those skills to help launch a very successful photography career. He has won multiple awards including the “People’s Choice Award” at the 2012 Google+ Photographer’s Conference, and The “Most Creative Award” at the 2013 Las Vegas Photoshop World Westcott Shootout. In 2013 he was chosen to represent F.J. Westcott as one of their “Top Endorsed Pros.”

Ted is a freelance adventure photographer, focusing on rock climbing and alpinism. His work has been published by National Geographic Online, Outside Magazine, Rock and Ice Magazine, The Alpinist Magazine, Escalando climbing magazine and various others. Ted has worked on assignment for The North Face, covering some of the company’s highest profile expeditions in Nepal, Angola and Kenya. He shoots TNF’s athlete summits each year. Ted also works closely with Black Diamond Ltd, shooting commercial photo and video projects throughout the year. He is an official ambassador for Goalzero and Boulder Denim. Other clients have included Columbia Sportswear, DJI, Travel Alberta, Destination BC, ReelRock Films, Royal Robbins, ThermaRest, Cascade Designs, Utah Tourism, Feathered Friends & La Sportiva. Prior to focusing full-time on photography, Ted worked for nearly a decade in the clean energy industry. He received a masters degree in renewable energy engineering from Stanford University.

Kim Hubbard is the Photo Editor for the National Wildlife Federation. She is based in the Berkshires, in West Stockbridge, MA. She has worked as a picture editor at National Geographic Magazine, Discover, Audubon, and the White House.

Reid is an engineer and co-founder at Drawbridge Digital, a software and solutions company focused on providing storage, workflow and project management services to the sports and entertainment markets. Prior to starting Drawbridge Digital he worked on numerous workflow and technology projects across the photography and media landscape including for the NBA, USTA and numerous Fortune 500 companies. This is when he linked up with his co-founders Jennifer Pottheiser and Nathaniel Butler where they began to seed the beginning pieces of Drawbridge Digital. He is a US Army Combat Veteran.

Sebastian is a wildlife and conservation photographer with over fourteen years of experience visually covering wildlife and environmental issues internationally, focusing in particular on wild cats. He has produced high quality editorial photos, time-lapses, videos, and web content featured in and by BBC Wildlife, Smithsonian, The Economist, Science, and Conservation International, among others. Using highly customized SLR camera traps, along with conventional photographic techniques, he works closely with field biologists to both effectively and ethically capture photos of some of the rarest cats on the planet while also highlighting the threats they face. Working for conservation organizations and on magazine assignments, He has photographed twenty-three of the forty species of wild felids, in twenty-nine different countries. Sebastian graduated with a BS in Ecology and Evolution from UC-Santa Cruz, won NANPA’s emerging photographer award, and is an associate fellow with the iLCP.

Joe is a photographer, educator, and author. As a commercial photographer, Joe has spent roughly thirty years capturing the essence of food. These years of focusing on the details, which involved frequent experimentation and problem-solving, have made him an expert in understanding his subjects, digital imaging, and creative lighting techniques. Joe's clients include Coors, Betty Crocker, General Mills, Coca-Cola, Pillsbury, Coleman Foods, Yoplait Yogurt, Peaberry Coffee, and Celestial Seasonings. Joe has taught lighting and digital imaging at multiple universities and during his time as the Manager of Educational Services at Profoto traveled across the US giving lectures on lighting and the world of professional photography. He began teaching Photoshop version two in 1991 and Lightroom soon after its release in 2007. Joe is an Adobe Community Professional and Adobe Certified Expert. Joe's goal is to provide people the tools to achieve their goals in photography.

Ben Liebenberg is a 2-time Emmy award winning, Los Angeles based photographer. Photography has always been his number one passion. What began as a hobby at a young age, quickly became his career. His passion and drive has allowed Ben to travel the world. For the last 14 years, Ben has worked for the National Football League as the Director of Photography and Lead Photographer. He has covered and managed the imaging of hundreds of games and professional media events, including many Super Bowls. Ben's newly found hobby of dirt bike riding, has extended his dynamic photography skills.

Allen Murabayashi is the Chairman and Co-founder of PhotoShelter, the worldwide leader in photography portfolio websites, photo sales, marketing and archiving tools for photographers. Allen previously served as a founding employee and Senior Vice President of Engineering at HotJobs.com.

Kristi Odom is an internationally acclaimed photographer, a Nikon Ambassador, and a motivational speaker. She makes her home in the Washington DC area and travels the world shooting, teaching, and sharing her insights so she can help make our planet a better, more loving place. With a background in sports, concerts, and wedding photography, she now works solely on her biggest passion, which is wildlife. A photographer and filmmaker, her work focuses on connecting people emotionally to animals and celebrating those who have a connection to the natural world. Her accolades include over 60 international photography awards including 2 Nature’s Best Photography awards. Her work has been exhibited twice at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Her work has been featured by Microsoft, Forbes, Outside Magazine, Nikon, and Rollingstone.com.

Jennifer Pottheiser is a commercial photographer based in the New York area. Often photographing with athletes and entertainers, Ms. Pottheiser’s list of corporate, commercial and non-profit clients is a venerable Dream Team. She produces and shoots large scale projects for the National Basketball Association, United States Tennis Association and Memorial Sloan Kettering’s non-profit Cycle for Survival among others. Her images have appeared in countless books, publications and advertisements and her assignments have taken her throughout the world. Pottheiser’s campaign with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners for the National Basketball Association was recognized as one of the best print campaigns of the decade and her work has been acknowledged industry wide including recognition with a Communication Arts Advertising Annual and a Silver International Andy award.

Mark is the former deputy director of photography of the Colorado Springs Gazette — and certainly one of the finest newspaper photographers working in the nation. Mark has now entered the world of freelance photography where he will undoubtedly be highly successful.

I'm a photographer, director, and Nikon Ambassador based in South Lake Tahoe, California. In addition to being a Nikon Ambassador, I'm also a member of the SanDisk Extreme Team. I'm also a professional partner with AquaTech, FreeFly, G-Technology, Kessler, Lite Panels, Lowepro, Manfrotto, and SmallHD. I've worked on projects with Anheuser-Busch, Apple, Columbia Sportswear, Discovery, Energizer, Ford, Mazda, NBC, New Mexico Tourism, Nevada Tourism, Nike, Nikon, The North Face and Patagonia. My work has appeared on close to 100 magazine covers, including the pages of the New York Times Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and National Geographic.

Jim has work appearing regularly in National Geographic magazine and National Geographic Traveler in addition to Geographic books. Jim is on assignment for Nat Geo projects almost full time and for good reason. Richardson, a onetime newspaper photographer in Kansas and Colorado, brings amazing story-telling techniques along with detailed research to his pictures. Thirty years ago, he began photographing the area around his hometown in north central Kansas.

An advocate for the planet’s most at-risk species, Katie operates at the nexus between science, empathy, and storytelling. More than a decade of filmmaking across six continents has afforded Katie expertise in the field and in the editing room. Using her signature storytelling flair, Katie’s films explore how we live alongside nature, garnering accolades, accruing millions of views, and inspiring meaningful conservation victories. Her production company, Coral & Oak Studios, has partnered with many of the best names in wildlife filmmaking, including National Geographic, Smithsonian, BBC, HBO, and PBS. Katie’s film, Pangolin, is the winner of six best short awards including Jackson Wild’s 2017 Best Short category. Since its premiere, Pangolin has been translated into four languages, reaching over 75 million people while serving as an important tool for conservation. Katie is a National Geographic Explorer, a graduate of the Corcoran College of Art and Design, & a member of the iLCP.

Dave Showalter is based in Colorado and focused on the American West. Dave has published two books – Sage Spirit, The American West at A Crossroads by Braided River (2015); and the award-winning Prairie Thunder by Skyline Press (2007). Dave's photographs and articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Audubon, Conservation Biology, Outside, Outdoor Photographer, National Parks Magazine, High Country News, Wilderness, Colorado Life and elsewhere.

Brad Smith Brad Smith is an award winning photo editor, with 35 years experience in visual storytelling. He's the former Director of Photography at Time Inc., Sports Group, which included Sports Illustrated and Golf Magazine. He was also with the New York Times as the Senior Sports Photo Editor and Assistant Director of Photography for the White House during the Clinton administration. He's on the Board of Directors for the National Press Photographers Association and Photo Start, as well as the Creative Board for NYC Salt. He's on the faculty for the Summit Photo Workshops, FOTOFusion, and Southwestern Photojournalism Conference. He's the founder and director of Brad Smith Creative, a visual consulting group. Currently, he's the Vice President for Photography for the WWE.

Ryan is an action sports photographer and commercial cinematographer based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Focusing on wakeboarding and snowboarding, Ryan strive's to create something new and unique every time he shoots -- this often means implementing new lighting techniques as well as working with athletes to think of new creative ways to showcase their sports.

Recently appointed as a Nikon Ambassador, Joey is a Los Angeles-based corporate and editorial photographer with a long and varied career in photography. In recent years Joey has migrated towards his passions for environmental portraits and studio/location lighting. A prior attendee of the workshops in the mid 1990s, he’s now a regular faculty member, with a talent for effectively communicating the principles of controlled lighting in terms anyone can understand. His portrait talents are regularly tapped by commercial clients as well as Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, People and other leading publications.

Jeff is a commercial sports, action and portrait photographer based in Toronto, Canada. Jeff spent decades working in the computer industry before becoming a full-time photographer and has quickly built a roster of clients that have included Swimming Canada, Golf Canada, Skate Canada, Diving Plongeon Canada, NFL, Fox Sports, Under Armour and Arena Water Instinct.

Maxx has been one of the top editors at Getty Images for 13 years. As Managing Editor for Sport in North & South America he is onsite at the biggest sporting events all over the world. Maxx will be leading the Getty Images team at his 11th Super Bowl and then leading the editing team at his sixth Olympic games in February. He also works directly with staff and freelance photographers assigning events and hiring photographers to cover events in his region. Through his work with many sports leagues, Maxx possesses a deep institutional knowledge of the industry.

Darren is an accomplished sports action and portrait photographer, having done editorial work for the likes of Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Golf Digest and the NBA for over 20 years and commercial campaigns for Dick’s Sporting Goods, ClubCorp, and Golf Galaxy, among others. He serves as a photography consultant to the PGA of America, and is also part of the photography team for both the U.S. Open Golf and U.S. Open Tennis championships.

Gary Bogdon is a photographer, director, and FAA licensed drone pilot based in Orlando, Florida with over three decades of professional experience. He has a natural journalistic instinct, an eye for a great image, and a true love of people. Whether he’s photographing or filming world-class resorts, America’s top sports figures, or directing advertising shoots in exotic destinations, his ability to connect with his subjects is the key to great images. Gary’s professionalism, love of life and sense of humor is infectious and has earned a loyal and enthusiastic client base. Gary creates still and video content for the hospitality industry’s most iconic brands, including Hyatt, Starwood, Hilton, Marriott, Palace Resorts, One & Only, Sea Island Resort, Atlantis Bahamas and Visit Florida. Gary’s non-tourism clients include Dick’s Sporting Goods, Nike, Adidas and Sports Illustrated. His background is photojournalism and his passion is visual story telling.