Sports Photography Workshop in Denver

Jean Fruth

Jean Fruth is an internationally recognized photographer, filmmaker and visual storyteller whose work harnesses the power of images to inspire change. She is the co-founder of two nonprofit organizations, Grassroots Baseball and SEE HER BE HER, which uses sports to empower youth, underserved communities, and women globally.

Jean 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 quickly 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.

Jean made her film debut in 2024 as Director and Producer of SEE HER BE HER and is the Author/Photographer of three books in the Grassroots Baseball Series: Where Legends Begin (2019), Route 66 (2022) and See Her Be Her (2024). Jean is honored to be designated by Sony as one of its select Sony Artisans of Imagery.  In recognition of her impact as a visual storyteller and changemaker, she was honored with the 2025 United Nations International Photographic Council Achievement Award.

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.

Mark Reis

Mark is passionate about photojournalism and loves to tell people’s stories through his photographs. He was Director of Photography at the Gazette in Colorado Springs for more than 30 years and has covered ten Olympic Games and six Super Bowls. He won the Olympic Media Association Gold Prize for his coverage of the Nagano Games.

His career has given him a ringside seat to everything from local news and features to the 2004 Asian tsunami. In 2009 he was the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Regional Photographer of the Year.

Mark’s clients include the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, US Paralympics, UCHealth, US Figure Skating, The New York Times and Pikes Peak Community College.

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.

Matt Hernandez

Sam Craft

Sam Craft is a visual storyteller and strategic communicator with a passion for crafting authentic narratives that connect people, ideas, and communities. His work spans editorial, commercial, and organizational initiatives—always grounded in creativity, empathy, and impact.

Sam currently serves as a Senior Account Executive at PhotoShelter, where he helps organizations build smarter, more efficient workflows for managing, sharing, and activating their visual assets. Drawing on more than a decade of leadership in marketing and communications, particularly in higher education, he has guided creative vision, built collaborative teams, and delivered initiatives that elevate brand visibility and engagement. He thrives on solving complex challenges, mentoring others, and developing strategies that drive growth and success.

Organized, proactive, and people-focused, Sam merges creativity with strategy to deliver work that resonates and inspires. Whether leading teams, teaching, or innovating solutions, he remains committed to empowering others and advancing meaningful storytelling in all its forms.

In addition to his leadership and creative work, Sam maintains an active freelance photography business, covering 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 SEC, various college athletic programs as well as publications like the Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle, among others.

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.

Chris Steppig

Chris is the owner and director of Summit Workshops. Summit was his first job out of college and nearly 20 years later, this is home.  He 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 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.  He is also a professional advisor for Outdoor Photographer magazine.  Through collaboration and great communications with the editor of the magazine, there have been countless articles written by Summit Alumni in the magazine over the years.