Workshop Faculty

Jean Fruth

Photographer Jean Fruth does more than take pictures.  She tells stories — of vibrant personalities, local cultures, and distinctive communities.  From a small darkroom to the most iconic stadiums flooded with lights, Jean’s trajectory as one of photography’s preeminent visual storytellers has taken her on a round-the-horn tour of the world’s most indelible landmarks – from the world of baseball to the world at large.  Sports have always been Jean’s most compelling subject, and from her earliest days in sports photography, she covered everything from wrestling to sailing to basketball — and on any given Friday, she could be found taking full advantage of those Friday night lights, shooting northern California’s storied football rivalries.

Soon Jean was called up to the big leagues herself, as she spent nearly a decade shooting the crown jewels of Bay Area sports — the Giants, the A’s, the 49ers.  Her portfolio quicky expanded when she was invited to Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, where she helped build the museum’s archive and bring to life the story of baseball.  America’s most eminent historical institutions – including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and the Smithsonian — have featured her work.

What drives Jean now is to serve communities through her storytelling – as the co-founder of Grassroots Baseball, a non-profit that promotes participation in baseball at the youngest levels, and as a traveling photographer for La Vida Baseball and La Vida Sports, digital media companies that shares the stories of Latino sports around the globe.  As one of Sony’s select Artisans of Imagery, and through her popular workshops, she shares her techniques, her insights, and her love of images — both the power of pictures and the stories they tell.

Jean’s first book, Grassroots Baseball: Where Legends Begin, was released in 2019. Her latest, Grassroots Baseball: Route 66, was published in spring 2022, with proceeds benefitting the non-profit program.

Workshop Faculty

Jim Richardson

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.

Workshop Faculty

Melissa Groo

Melissa is a wildlife photographer, writer, speaker, and educator. She’s a contributing editor to Audubon magazine, writes a column on wildlife photography for Outdoor Photographer magazine, and is an Associate Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers. She speaks and writes extensively on issues of ethics and conservation in wildlife photography, and leads workshops in the U.S. and abroad. Melissa was Chair of the Ethics Committee for the North American Nature Photography Association from 2014-2018. Her work has been published in numerous books and magazines, such as Smithsonian, Audubon, National Wildlife, and Natural History. Melissa is represented by National Geographic Image Collection and has a long-term gallery at Audubon Greenwich in Connecticut.

Workshop Faculty

Michael Forsberg

Mike is a senior fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers who has focused his career on North America’s Great Plains, its prairie wildlife, and watersheds. His work has appeared in National Geographic and Outdoor Photographer, and his books on On Ancient Wings and Great Plains – America’s Lingering Wild have been turned into documentary films for PBS. Mike is co-founder of the Platte Basin Timelapse Project, and currently serves as faculty with the University of Nebraska.

Workshop Faculty

Jen Pottheiser

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.

Lead Instructor

Matt Hernandez

Workshop Faculty

Darren Carroll

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.

Jen Guyton

Dr. Jen Guyton is a photographer and ecologist with a passion for science communication and telling stories at the junction of global environmental change and human culture. She is a National Geographic Explorer, a 2019 Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellow in Mozambique, and a member of Women Photograph. Her work has been published in National Geographic Online, bioGraphic, BBC Wildlife, and others, and has won awards in several competitions, including as a category winner in Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Workshop Faculty

Mark Reis

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.

Allen Murabayashi

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.

Workshop Faculty

John McDonough

Based in southern California, John W. McDonough is one of the main contributors to Sports Illustrated. Before working at Sports Illustrated, John freelanced for SPORT Magazine and worked at the Los Angeles Times and Arizona Republic as a staff photographer.

Workshop Faculty

Dave Black

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.

Andy Kuno

Andy Kuno is a San Francisco based sports photographer. He cut his teeth in the 90’s freelancing for wire services and newspapers which eventually lead to his position as the team photographer for the San Francisco Giants (1996 – current). The native San Franciscan enjoys capturing action, emotions and portraits while continually chasing light.

Workshop Faculty

Dave Showalter

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.

Workshop Faculty

Morgan Heim

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.

Workshop Faculty

Maxx Wolfson

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.

Workshop Faculty

Katie Schuler

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 most recognizable 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. Two of her latest films, Where Life Begins, and Nigerians Fight to Protect the World’s Most Trafficked Mammal, have won awards at festivals in 2019. Katie is a National Geographic Explorer, a graduate of the Corcoran College of Art and Design, a Henry Luce Fellow, and a member of the International League of a Conservation Photographer’s Emerging League.

Workshop Faculty

Clay Bolt

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 (iLCP) 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. Learn more at www.claybolt.com.

Workshop Faculty

Savannah Cummins

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, Gnarly Nutrition, Arc’teryx, Mad Rock, and Eider.

Workshop Faculty

Ryan Taylor

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.

Workshop Faculty

Ted Hesser

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, and a bachelors degree in Physics from Colorado College.

Workshop Faculty

Michael Clark

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.

Esther Horvath

 Esther works in some of the harshest environments in the world. Covering scientific research and exploration in polar regions. She has been frequently published in National Geographic, the New York Times, and many other prestigious publications. She has also served on the jury for competitions such as World Press Photo and BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition. In addition to being an incredible award-winning photographer, she is a generous teacher and mentor who works to help individuals achieve their goals.

Sebastian Kennerknecht

Sebastian Kennerknecht 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 photographs, time-lapses, videos, and web content featured in and by the New York Times, Washington Post, 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 photographs of some of the rarest cats on the planet while also highlighting the threats they face. Working for conservation organizations and on magazine assignments, Sebastian has photographed twenty-three of the forty species of wild felids, in twenty-nine different countries.

Sebastian graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolution from the University of California – Santa Cruz, won NANPA’s emerging photographer award, and is an associate fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Maryanne Golon

Director of photography for the Washington Post, where she leads visuals for one of the nation’s most celebrated newspapers, Golon was formerly the director of photography at Time magazine, where in recent years, great photojournalism is a prized part of the editorial content of a magazine that began as a text-driven journal. Golon is an enthusiastic and discriminating lover of great photographs and as a Summit Workshop veteran, is one of the most popular faculty members.

Workshop Faculty

Suzanna Mitchell

Suzanna Mitchell is the Photography Manager of the San Francisco Giants, a position that spans shooting action, portraits and events while also managing the photography team and the entire Giants digital archive.  A graduate of the photojournalism department of San Francisco State University, Suzanna worked for Alameda News Group before joining the Giants in 2008.  Now as the leader of the photography group within the Giants marketing department, Suzanna blends the storytelling of photojournalism with commercial photography for one of the Bay Area’s greatest sports franchises.

William Albert Allard

One of the National Geographic’s most prolific and talented photographers, Allard’s artistry has resulted in some of the Geographic’s most memorable stories and individual pictures. Full of vigor, Allard’s critiques are classics and his no-mince-words approach embraces insightful and useful advice. He is always one of the Summit’s most popular faculty members.

Workshop Faculty

Thearon Henderson

Thearon has been shooting sports for 40 years.  As a self taught professional, he brings a critical element to the Summit Family.  Having been in the shoes of the students and finding his way is what we all aspire to.   Thearon is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.  In 1980 working in a health club owned by the orthopedic surgeon of the Golden State Warriors, he gained access to shooting NBA games and has since been shooting as a freelance/contract photographer for four decades.  He has worked for Topps Trading Cards, The Sporting News and currently Upper Deck since 1990.  Thearon worked for the AP as a stringer from 1998-2010 and is currently a stringer/contributor for Getty Images since 2010.

Sadie Quarrier

Sadie Quarrier is Deputy Director of Photography at National Geographic. Previously, she was a Senior Photo Editor at National Geographic Magazine where she was in charge of adventure stories in addition to editing a diverse range of other genres. She is a voting member on the National Geographic Society’s Expeditions Council and Young Explorer’s Grant Committee, both of which fund a variety of media-driven projects. An energetic and dedicated editor, Sadie started working at the Geographic in 1992, left to work as a Photo Editor and Designer at Smithsonian Magazine in 1998, and returned a few years later as a Photo Editor for NG Books where she helped produce over a dozen books, two of which received national awards.

Bob Krist

Bob Krist is a freelance photographer and filmmaker whose work has taken him to all seven continents and has won awards in the Pictures of the Year, Communication Arts, and World Press Photo competitions. He was named “Travel Photographer of the Year” by the Society of American Travel Writers three times, in 1994, 2007, and 2008.

His latest book is a black and white monograph of portraits and landscapes called Old Souls & Timeless Places (Brilliant Publishing, Exton, PA 2019).

A late career convert to video storytelling, his short films have been exhibited in film festivals in Italy, Iceland, and the USA and have won several gold and silver Lowell Thomas awards for broadcast travel journalism.

Bob was a contributing editor/photographer at National Geographic Traveler magazine and a columnist for Outdoor Photographer magazine and was recently featured as the instructor in a comprehensive course, called Fundamentals of Travel Photography, produced by National Geographic and The Great Courses.

www.bobkrist.com/

Amy Gulick

Amy Gulick is an acclaimed nature photographer and writer. Her images and stories have been featured in: Outdoor Photographer, National Wildlife, Audubon, Sierra, and other publications.

Her work has received numerous honors including: the prestigious Daniel Housberg Wilderness Image Award from the Alaska Conservation Foundation, the Voice of the Wild Award from the Alaska Wilderness League, and a Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. She is also the recipient of a Philip Hyde Grant for her work in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, and a Mission Award, both presented by the North American Nature Photography Association.

Her award-winning books include The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind (www.thesalmonway.org) and Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska’s Tongass Rain Forest (www.salmoninthetrees.org).  Gulick is a founding Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a Fellow with the International League of Conservation Writers, a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists, and a member of the North American Nature Photography Association.

Workshop Faculty

Elise Streck

Elise is an adventure, travel photographer living in Jackson, WY. Having grown up in the mountains, she is skilled in a number of backcountry sports that allow her to capture unique moments from the wild. Elise’s photography focuses on documenting the connections and interactions between humans and the natural world.

Workshop Faculty

Bo Bridges

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.

Workshop Faculty

Elsa Garrison

Elsa Garrison is a staff photographer for Getty Images based in New York City. She began her career in Los Angeles with the sport photo agency Allsport 1996, which was later acquired by Getty. She was the first woman hired as a staff photographer for both Allsport and Getty Images and has been responsible for covering events such as: the Super Bowl, NCAA hockey and basketball championships, NBA finals, Stanley Cup finals, World Series, men’s and women’s World Cup, Summer and Winter Olympic games and the U.S. Open Tennis. Her work has been published in numerous publications around the globe including: The Sunday Times(London), The Globe and Mail(Canada), The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine and various websites.

Workshop Faculty

JC Carey

Joseph “JC” Carey is a lifetime image maker that like many photographers was terrified of lighting until he was gifted with a class in 2007. The class wasn’t very informative with too many of the “recipes” that people love to share rather than teach how to light, but it lit a fire that has never stopped burning. That gift changed everything. It transformed him from someone that barely took pictures of people and knew nothing about lighting into someone still trying to figure out how to light everything. 

The last 14 years have passed with him being blessed with a daughter, a career doing what he loves, multiple magazine covers, and with meeting amazing people and trying to create great images of them. The art of photography and taking pictures is his passion but the ability to make his vision a reality in a photograph is what truly drives him. 

JC has taught all over the US including being part of the Faculty at Summit Workshops. 

JC joined the FJ Westcott Company in 2020 as their Eastern Accounts Manager and also works as a professional photographer.  

Follow his Instagram at JCPhotoMedia

Workshop Faculty

Deanne Fitzmaurice

As a Pulitzer Prize-winning documentary photographer and filmmaker, Deanne is most known for her visual storytelling and unique ability to go behind the scenes to discover and convey personal, intimate and emotional stories through images. With a focus on contemporary culture, Fitzmaurice, a Nikon Ambassador, represents a wide variety of publications, including creating content for National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and many other respected outlets. Deanne has won awards from American Photography, Pictures of the Year, Communication Arts, PDN Photo Annual, NPPA Best of Photojournalism, UNICEF and the Casey Medal. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Deanne worked as a staff photographer at the San Francisco Chronicle for 18 years and is now represented by National Geographic Image Collection.

Keith Ladzinski

An attendee of the pilot Adventure Photography Workshop that pushed his career to new heights these past few years. With a range of work that spans from mountain bike expeditions for Men’s Journal, fashion shoots for Frontier Airlines, traveling with a Shao Lin Grandmaster through China, big wall first ascents, great white shark breaching in South Africa, to ice climbing on the front page of the New York Times, Keith Ladzinski’s work is both eclectic and global. Having completed countless assignments in his short professional career, Keith has photographed some of the most remote locations on the earth and knows what it takes to break in to the market in today’s competitive field.

Jodi Cobb

Some of the National Geographic’s most unusual stories have been done by this photographer who brings a unique and artistic approach to her work over many years on the magazine staff. Her book, “Geisha,” written and photographed in Japan was widely acclaimed for its beauty and insight. Most recently, she photographed a very different and tough story about human bondage in its many forms from slavery to trade in children. She is a a veteran of many Photography at the Summits.

Andy Bardon

As a former Exum Mountain guide, Andy knows what it takes to get the tough adventure photographs. He has worked with big clients like The North Face on journeys climbing Everest, covering the Tahitian black pearls, and climbing El Capitan. His work has been featured in national brand campaigns and magazines. He currently lives in Jackson, Wyoming and enjoys those ski powder days throughout the winter.

Nate Gordon

Nate is the Director of Photography at the Players’ Tribune, where he oversees all photography for the brand.  Prior to joining the Tribune, he was Deputy Picture Editor at Sports Illustrated. In his 16 years at SI, Nate led its photographic coverage at countless marquee events throughout the U.S. and abroad, including 14 World Series and 4 Olympics. Nate produced multiple video projects for SI, launched the brand’s Instagram account, and directed hundreds of feature shoots and over a hundred covers. Nate is a winner of numerous awards for picture editing and oversaw production of SI’s award winning Live From London app from the 2012 Olympics. A graduate of Wesleyan University, Nate began his career as a photo tech and remains focused on workflow and innovation.​​

Wes Pitts

Wes Pitts is the editor of Outdoor Photographer magazine and the editorial director for Madavor Media’s Creative Division, which also publishes Digital Photo and Digital Photo Pro magazines. Wes has been with OP and its sister publications since 1998, working in a variety of editorial roles. He has a passion for collaborating with photographers and writers to share compelling stories about the art of photography and employing the medium to create awareness and inspire conservation of wild places. Wes is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a degree in photography.

Workshop Faculty

Catherine Aeppel

Catherine Aeppel is a Director, Photographer and Emmy-winning Cinematographer passionate about telling soulful stories. She is drawn to exploring humanity through her lens, and her cinematography breathes life and emotion into the stories she captures. She 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 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.

Catherine won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Camerawork for her role as Director of Photography for Red Bull’s “One Shot.” Her work has been featured by National Geographic Adventure and her awards include first place in the GoPro Mountain Click Photo Competition at the 2018, 2016 & 2014 GoPro Mountain Games. Her short film, “Why I Ride,” was featured at Mountainfilm, and her short film, “My Desolate Eden,” won Best Cinematography during its premiere at No Man’s Land Film Festival. She has shot projects for clients including Red Bull, The North Face, Patagonia, Toyota, Bridgestone, Panasonic, Outside TV and GoPro.

Maddie Meyer

Maddie Meyer is a sport photographer for Getty Images based in Boston, MA. She spends the majority of her time covering professional sports in New England and the east coast. She has photographed sporting events all over the world including the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the Men’s and Women’s FIFA World Cups, and the FINA World Swimming Championships. Though she loves international events some of her favorite assignments are closer to home, including the Head of the Charles Regatta and ski jumping in Lake Placid. Before joining the Getty Images staff she graduated with a photojournalism degree from Ohio University.

Maureen Cavanagh

My name is Maureen Cavanagh but people call me Moe. I am a contributing photo editor at The New York Times, the founding creative director of The Players’ Tribune and a former photo editor at Sports Illustrated. I split my time between NYC and Vancouver, BC.

Workshop Faculty

Steve Fine

Steve Fine was the Director of Photography at Sports Illustrated from 1996 until 2013. Prior to that he was deputy photo editor serving under the legendary Heinz Kluetmeier. More recently he spent six years as picture and sports editor at Flipboard, a mobile news aggregator. Steve worked at The New York Times from 1983-92, first as sports picture editor and then as deputy photo editor under Kathy Ryan at the Sunday Magazine. Currently he is a digital news curator at Facebook. 

Peter Mather

Peter has been deeply involved in conservation photography in Northern Canada for the past 10 years. Peter specializes in working with First Nations people on conservation projects on their traditional lands, celebrating their unique cultures and tying together stories of people, wildlife and landscapes.

Peter’s photography is a cross between photojournalism and fine art. His goal is to inspire people to explore outdoors and to protect and preserve our wildlife and our wildlands.

“Photography gives me the opportunity to capture a unique moment in time. I love it because a single image can tell a story, inform and inspire. When I click my shutter release I’m aiming to do all three.”

He is an Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, represented by Minden Pictures stock agencies, and an ambassador for Panasonic Cameras.

Taylor Ballantyne

Ballantyne began her career in Los Angeles with commercial and creative work in the fashion and design world.  She segued into video production by shooting and editing films for New York, Milan and Paris fashion weeks. In 2013 Ballantyne joined Sports Illustrated as a photographer for all brands within SI. In July 2017, she received her first national cover for Sports Illustrated; becoming one in an elite group of women to receive a national cover in the Magazine’s 60-year history. In February 2018, she produced, directed and photographed her first spread in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and created a short film entitled — “In Her Own Words” – a powerful black-and-white campaign that replaced the traditional Body Paint for the issue. Under Ballantyne’s direction, this was the first black-and-white, no-swimsuit series with an all female crew in the 54 year history of the SI Swimsuit magazine.

In November 2020, Ballantyne directed Jake Hoot in “I Would’ve LovedYou”. The song and video feature his coach, Kelly Clarkson. This is Ballantyne’s directorial debut in the world of music videos. Though her background lies within commercial and advertising, she has created many short documentary narratives. Ballantyne’s goal is to continue on this path as a director, continuing her work in music videos, while moving into commercials, film and television.

Ballantyne studied at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara and holds a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. She is currently based in Nashville, TN but travels across the country and internationally often for work.

Jessica Carroll

Jessica Carroll is the Senior Director of Major League Baseball’s photo department, overseeing all aspects of global photography for the league office. This includes directing photo operations at international and jewel events like the All-Star Game and World Series, coordinating photography with all 30 MLB Clubs, managing business partnerships, hiring photographers, maintaining the historic photo archive and developing league-wide photography policies and procedures. MLB Photos documents the National Pastime for millions of fans with the latest technologies and highest standards in the industry.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s photojournalism program in 2003, Jessica went on to work in the photography departments at the United States Golf Association and Golf Digest. She has been with MLB since 2008.

Junior Instructor

Sam Craft

Sam’s journey into the world of visual storytelling began in high school when he discovered his passion for shooting sports. This passion evolved into a successful career in photojournalism, with over 15 years of experience working for newspapers covering day-to-day life in small town community journalism.

Transitioning into higher education, Sam now serves as the Assistant Director of Visuals and Multimedia for Texas A&M AgriLife in College Station. Leading a team of three multimedia shooters, they create unique assets for four state agencies and the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

In his freelance photography business, Sam covers a wide range of assignments, including commercial projects, breaking news, and sporting events for clients such as the Associated Press, ConocoPhillips, NWSL, ESPN, ExxonMobil, AFP, the Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle, among others.

Amanda Cain

Instructor

Jake Carr

Junior Instructor

Catharyn Hayne

Catharyn got her start in commercial photography in New York City, but relocated to the Bay Area 20 years ago and immersed herself in sports photography. While she has covered all the major sports, Catharyn quickly discovered her passion for all things aquatic. She regularly covers events for USA Water Polo, UC Berkeley athletics and others, and has shot the World Aquatics championships and Len European Aquatics championships.

When not on a deck or on the sidelines capturing the action, she covers the same athletes at Hall of Fame dinners and awards ceremonies for USA Water Polo, the Oakland A’s, and UC Berkeley Athletics Hall of Fame. Catharyn also works as a contract photographer with Drawbridge Digital working for assorted clients, including the San Francisco 49’ers. Her client list includes World Aquatics, LEN European Aquatics, Kap7, Special Olympics, Turbo, Rock Tape, Delfina and Malmsten. Her work has appeared in SI Online, the Los Angeles Times, and Swimming World Magazine, among others.

Doug DeFelice

Rich Seiling

Rich Seiling’s passion for capturing light and beauty with photography has led him on a series of  adventures that have shaped his vision and view of the craft. From a stint at The Ansel Adams  Gallery in Yosemite as an assistant curator, to his pioneering work in digital printmaking,  founding of a leading fine art printing studio, and 22 years living in and photographing the  Yosemite region of the Sierra Nevada, Rich has deeply explored the vision and craft of  photography while continuing to express his own vision.  

He learned photography in the darkroom, seeking to make prints with the rich tonal scale  exemplified by the West Coast traditions of photography. But his frustration with color processes  lead him to explore digital photography starting in the early 1990s. 

Combining his darkroom knowledge with digital tools led to a process for making color prints of  museum quality that pushed the process to new heights. His reputation for making vibrant yet  realistic digital prints allowed him to help photographers like Michael Forsberg, Galen Rowell, Jack Dykinga,  Robert Glenn Ketchum, and many others, make the transition to digital fine art printing. With his  team at West Coast Imaging, he has helped produce numerous museum shows, supplied prints  for leading galleries, and done prepress for art books from publishers like Taschen and  Houghton Mifflin.  

His simple yet powerful Photoshop workflow, tested on tens of thousands of prints at WCI, is in  use by many top professionals, and has been taught to countless students across the country  through workshops and lectures. 

Working in both black & white and color, Rich strives to capture the profound beauty of nature  and communicate it through vibrant, and sometimes large, prints. He considers himself a  student of light, discovering its qualities and how it communicates the inherent realities of a  subject, often seeking out fleeting moments of rare light that make the landscape sing its own  voice. 

Driven by the belief that each photographer has a unique story only they can tell, Rich teaches  the art of photography through workshops and articles. His goal is to help students unlock their  potential to tell their own stories by helping them gain control of the craft, expand their vision,  and most of all, to experience the enrichment and joy that photography brings.  

Rich lives just outside Nashville with his wife and creative partner Susan, and his three children.  

You can see more of his photography at richseiling.com and read his blog for photographers at craftingphotographs.com.

Faculty

Samantha Stephens

Mike Tedesco

Mike Tedesco is a freelance sports and performance photographer based in the Seattle, WA area. He has shot for a number of large clients including Getty Images and USA Today Images, and has had his images featured in internationally distributed publications and sites including The San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, ESPN.com, ESPN Magazine, Yahoo Sports, and CBS Sports.

Whether it’s from the sidelines, a theater, or in a studio, Mike looks to provide photos that are natural, energetic, and capture the personality of people and tells the story of the moment they’re in. While Mike loves taking action shots, his favorite moments are ones captures the reactions of people. Running a customer-friendly and service-oriented business, Mike believes that the best images come from working closely with customers to understand what they’re looking for and how the images will be used.

Jennifer Stewart

Jennifer is an adventurer & photographer who loves helping professional athletes, brands and entrepreneurs create engaging images.

Since 2009, her career has evolved from capturing in-game moments and emotion at professional sporting events for clients including Getty Images, USA Today Sports Images, AP Images and was the team photographer for the Arizona Diamondbacks to commissioned portrait work for MLB Photos, Lululemon, Baseball America, Upper Deck and more.

Jennifer values making a genuine connection with her clients in order to photograph their true essence ensuring they capture images they will be proud to represent their online presence.

Junior Instructor

Ali Gradischer

Ali Gradischer is a one-woman freelance photography studio based in Portland, OR mainly specializing in sports and travel photography. As a self-taught photographer, her work is brought to life through a Swiss-army-like-skillset from her formal arts education background, and her previous life as an interior designer and high-level competitive athlete. Some of her client work includes Oregon State University Athletics, Stanford University, Portland Community Football Club, AirBnB Experiences, Portland Monthly, and more. She is the recipient of numerous small business and arts grants, and is a former student in the Summit Workshop series.

Outside of her freelance photo work, Gradischer has taught photography workshops for universities, small businesses, and continuing education workshops throughout the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, she’s traveled nationally and internationally to artist residencies, including Iceland and Germany, to pursue personal creative projects based on the different seasons of her life. When not behind the camera, some of the things she love’s most include the Olympics, meeting someone’s home for the first time, her dad’s homemade lobster bisque, and music that was born before she was.

Miguel Quiles

Miguel Quiles is a Sony Artisan Of Imagery. He is a beauty & portrait photographer currently residing in Orlando, Florida.  He’s presented on various platforms including CreativeLIVE, Photo Plus, Imaging USA, WPPI, & Shutterfest. He hosts a show on Sony’s official YouTube channel and has a channel of his own where he teaches various ways photographers can improve their photography.

Gary Hershorn

Brooke McDonough

Brooke McDonough is a conservation photographer, filmmaker, and writer based in Richmond, VA. She is passionate about telling stories through multimedia to engage people with the natural world and inspire action. Brooke is a 2022 National Geographic Explorer. She is also a member of the Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW) and a team member at the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). Her work has been featured in National Geographic, Portland Eco Film Festival, and Yale Environment 360. Brooke graduated with a master’s degree in new media photojournalism at GWU’s Corcoran School of Arts and Design in May 2020.

In addition to her own photography work, Brooke has an extensive background in photo marketing. She spent four years running the social media accounts for the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), where she more than doubled the audience and engagement rate. She also manages the social media for Summit Workshops and advises photographers on enhancing their marketing.