Convention Speakers

David Akoubian
www.bearwoodsphoto.com

The Creative Landscape

David has been a professional nature photographer for almost twenty years.  He has studied under and taught beside some of nature photography's best: John Shaw, Art Wolf, Galen Rowell and Bryan Peterson.  He has led workshops throughout the most scenic locations in the United States.

David will discuss the importance of composition in creating a unique image.  He will also discuss the different techniques available to the photographer, such as HDR and image blending, to add that special flare to an image. Key elements in his presentation will include 1) taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary, 2) finding key elements in a composition, 3) learning to pre-visualize the finished image.

Jillian Bell
 Tamron-USA

Photography Made Easy With the Right Technology

Jillian Bell, a Technical Representative for Tamron USA, Inc. has many years of experience in public speaking, retail sales, and management. Currently, Jillian considers herself a product specialist. She travels the country to educate, inspire, and explore.

Jillian will discuss the importance of using technology to improve your photography. The better the technology, the faster you can achieve better photographs.  This seminar discovers options that meet your growing needs. Achieving that final image is always a process. Ideally, the goal is to make the process from pixels to print efficient and simple. With the right knowledge you can spend less time in front of your computer and more time behind your camera where you want to be.

David FitzSimmons
www.fitzsimmonsphotography.com 
www.sigmaphoto.com 

One of four Sigma Pro photographers in North America, David FitzSimmons from Bellville, Ohio, enjoys free-lance photography, writing, and teaching. His work has appeared in various publications, including Popular Photography, Professional Photographer, Outdoor Photographer, and Shutterbug. His creative efforts also extend to books, most recently Animals of Ohio's Ponds and Vernal Pools (Kent State UP, 2011) and Curious Critters (Wild Iris, 2011). The latter book has received a silver medal in the 2011 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards because its "eye-catching photography and playful prose, prove science can be fascinating and fun." A former high school English teacher, David has been teaching for 20 years. Today he remains a professor at Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio. Such experience explains why he is a "natural" in the numerous seminars and workshops he presents to a wide variety of audiences. A preview of David's work at www.fitzsimmonsphotography.com  and www.curious-critters.com suggests the impact of this unique presenter.

Session - Curious Critters: From Animal Portraits to Picture Book

Sigma Pro photographer David FitzSimmons offers a fun-filled donation of beautiful and bizarre curious critters. As he shares his unique animal photos, he will tell how he turned these mesmerizing portraits into the award-winning children's picture book, Curious Critters. After explaining the history of the project, David will talk about the techniques, challenges, and purposes for photographing creatures against white backgrounds. Equipment choices and exact settings only partially tell the story that will also feature the keys to publishing success. David will conclude this session with a book signing and what he promises will be door prizes galore.

Sean Fitzgerald  (Two Sessions)
www.seanfitzgerald.com

 Widely respected and published, Sean Fitzgerald is a professional photographer whose work has been featured in Professional Photographer, Outdoor Photographer, the New York Times, Audubon Nature Calendars, and Texas Highways. His stunning prints hang in banks, hospitals, and collections. A presenter with a loyal following, he has taught widely at his own workshops and seminars, at the North American Nature Photography Association Convention and road shows, GSCCC conferences, and individual camera clubs. The geographic diversity of his work takes the viewer from Africa to Asia and, of course, to America...and within that last great landscape to his home state, Texas. A trial lawyer turned photographer, Sean has found the calling that gives fulfillment on a world wide scale.

Session - Putting Artistry into Action

Acknowledging that experienced photographers can get trapped in an all too familiar rut, Sean will begin this session with the big picture of what art actually is. With that broad definition established, he will help participants in their search for vision and style. By doing so, he will make attendees question just what they want to accomplish artistically. His compelling images, complemented by his fascinating dialogue, will ultimately focus on what all camera club members seek - giving images that s omething "extra" to make them super special. Helping shutterbugs as artists is this session's goal.

Session - Image Processing in Lightroom

Because Adobe's Lightroom has become so powerful that many photographers no longer need Photoshop, this session has strong appeal to those who do their own processing. Sean will focus on the proper, efficient processing of digital files using Lightroom. He will explain key points of each tool and then convey a logical workflow with all the processing tools - a method dependent on the needs of each individual image. Then, for those who still rely on Photoshop, Sean will clarify how Lightroom fits into a modern processing workflow with the original Adobe masterpiece.

Philip Gould
www.philipgould.com/

Photographing A Sense of Place and People

Having made Louisiana both his home and his favorite subject, Philip Gould is a cultural documentary and architectural photographer who is based in Lafayette, the hub of Cajun country. His work, now published in over a dozen books on Louisiana as well as various periodicals around the world, is testament to his efforts photographing throughout the state, the South, the nation and beyond. A few of his titles – Acadiana: Louisiana’s Historic Cajun Country, The Louisiana Houses of A. Hays Town, Cajun Music and Zydeco, and Les Plus Belles: Gares de France – suggest the range of his artistic endeavors. Available for stock licensing, his photography has become one of the largest privately held photographic archives on the Bayou State.

A longtime friend of the Lafayette Photographic Society, Philip has judged monthly competitions and shared his inspiring work at club meetings. Thus, his role as a convention speaker confirms a continuing commitment to promote the art form that remains vocation to him and avocation to GSCCC enthusiasts. His upcoming presentation at the Evening at the Shadows, “Photographing a Sense of People and Place,” promises to be an entertaining, educational portrayal of the theme that to him has been a guiding principle. Both witty and gregarious, Philip will – in words and images – stimulate your photographic juices.

Matthew D. White
www.matthewwhitestudio.com

Photographing the Louisiana Coast

Matthew began photography as a teenager in upstate New York, and taught himself traditional printing and technique using Ansel Adams’ three-part series of instructional books. He also holds a master’s degree in music from the University of New Orleans – a summa cum laude graduate in Jazz Studies. In addition to his work in photography, he also teaches courses on music history, art and aesthetics at the collegiate level. He has been photographing Louisiana and the entire Gulf Coast since 2000 and lives in New Orleans.

Matthew will discuss landscape photography techniques and the aesthetics of this field.  This presentation will include images of hard to reach locations along the Louisiana coast.

Ron Wyatt
www.ronwyattphotos.com

Ron Wyatt has come a long way from his first photo experience, an unsuccessful attempt on his honeymoon to film with a borrowed Instamatic camera. An expert’s national reputation has replaced a novice’s camera shake.

Ron, a self-taught photographer, has covered the NBA, NFL, and major league baseball. Accepting an invitation by Kodak, he has photographed the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. These international efforts were featured in the November 2008 issue of Studio Photography and the July 2009 issue of Range Finder (a seven page spread). Some of his other photos have appeared in various publications that include USA Today, Black Enterprise Magazine, Time, Newsweek, and TV Guide. Naturally, ESPN has also displayed his work.

Well traveled from his career demands, he currently covers corporate assignments for Six Flags, Eastman Kodak, Continental Airlines, CVS, PepsiCo, Verizon, and other companies.

From Minor League to the Olympia Games: Journey through the World of Sports Photography

The 57th GSCCC Conference will culminate its two and a half days with a presentation by sports photographer Ron Wyatt at the year-end banquet. The featured guest speaker will discuss capturing the two extremes in sports – the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. For every shutterbug from ambitious beginners to seasoned pros, Ron will share something meaningful about equipment, camera set-up, and shooting strategies. He will emphasize the importance of knowing the game, fun in photographing sports, and coverage of the Olympic Games. Though only a few lucky Gulf States camera club members may be clicking their cameras at the 2012 London Summer Games, this professional will send the majority of listeners home ready to turn the neighborhood ballpark into a treasure chest of prize winning images. What at first seems just an invitation to learn the basics of an exciting photographic genre is actually also a promise to see Ron’s classic, stunning images of milestone sporting events.

Eleanore Avery-Ferg, APSA
Dallas Camera Club

Winter & Summer in Tanzania

A veteran presenter at GSCCC conferences, Eleanore readily has shared her favorite subject – animals in the wild – through amazing programs that testify to her trips to 64 countries and to Africa, in particular, 21 times! Crediting both Art Wolf and Outdoor Photographer as inspiration, this regional director for PSA exemplifies what it is to be a global wildlife photographer. Her commitment as a presenter at the 2012 and 2012 International PSA Conferences further confirms her well-deserved reputation. Eleanore, currently the GSCCC president with three years of service, uses Photoshop Extended/Nik and Viveza/Photodex Producer to prepare her programs.

Ever so dramatically, Eleanore will show the highlights of her winter visits in southern Tanzania's Selous & Ruaha parks and summers in northern parks. She will feature the gathering of Wildebeest and Zebras in the Serengeti for the annual birthing before the Great Migration. For the “wannabe” traveler whose next vacation may not include a trip to this African country bordered on the east by the Indian Ocean, Eleanore promises “the next best thing.” For the actual photo trekker, she will help to enhance his travel show with a discussion of inserting video clips and producing such a fascinating program.

Charles Martin
vwww.EyesontheBayou.com/

Mark Legrange
vwww.LagrangeImages.com/

Techniques in Swamp Photography

Charlie and Mark are an unlikely team shooting Louisiana’s swamplands. They are well known among Louisiana nature photography circles having spoken to many of the local clubs, and nature organizations. Their reputation continues to grow as the “guides of choice” when sponsors look to entertain visiting photographic speakers, and premier photographers … offering them a Louisiana swampland experience to remember. Neither professional nor amateur, they are best described as “out of control enthusiasts.”

Their work has appeared in Louisiana Life, Audubon Magazine, Nature’s Best, the Heard Museum, and Range Magazine.

This tandem "How To" presentation will be special. Louisiana’s swamplands are a place of mystery, expressing itself to those few who choose to challenge its difficult access. Charlie and Mark will share some of the special techniques that help in such a unique environment.

Carol McCreary, APSA, PPSA
Oklahoma Camera Club

Portrait Basics - Image to Finished Photo

Carol epitomizes the committed camera club member, for she does not merely belong to the Oklahoma Camera Club and the Photographic Society of America: She serves in many ways. Since 1975 she has been the director/category director of the Oklahoma PSA International Exhibition of Photography. She also serves as the director for the PSA Portrait Portfolios and the director for the PSA PJ Interclub Digital Competition. As the GSCCC newsletter editor for over five years, she maintains the lifeline of this regional organization.

Participation complements her service. Competitively, her fourteen Best of Show awards in PSA Salons suggest the extent of her expertise. Likewise, her classes on Photoshop and Elements and programs for the Oklahoma Camera Club and GSCCC conventions indicate what she has learned through her six years in the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. Finally, the experience she and Tom have gained in their photo studio makes her the perfect candidate for this program.

Carol will present a primer on portraiture, a session whose examples will convey the rewards of good technique. After explaining a basic studio setup, she will then emphasize creativity through the use of special props -- hats, gloves, jewelry, umbrellas, and other ladies’ items. Naturally, she will include some basics of Photoshop and Elements for improving a portrait. She will conclude with a display of different plug-ins and software that can transform an ordinary portrait into an unforgettable keepsake of someone special. True to her salon record, she will – throughout her discussion -- address competitive portraiture.

Guy Huntley
Plano Photography Club

A member of the Plano Photography Club, Guy Huntley brings a rich background to his avocation. Ten years ago he concluded a career as a telecommunications network engineer that spanned over three decades. From the beginning he was a mastermind behind microwave networks, engineering and installing them in far off scenic areas like Viet Nam, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, in addition to the continental United States. During the last twenty years he engineered and installed data networks, including the early broadband IP systems. His work experience and master’s degrees in telecommunications, electrical engineering and business administration have enhanced his understanding of the technical issues of photography.

Now calling himself “a recovering engineer,” this presenter admits that his once interesting career is behind him. Today he has immersed himself in the hobby that originally budded while taking photos – slides, in particular – to share his adventures in Viet Nam with folks at home. The interest in cameras that waned until he purchased his first digital camera, a Canon G1, and a copy of Photoshop now flourishes as Guy creates landscape, travel, and wildlife images. He has further expanded his capabilities by participating in conferences hosted by NAPP, SWPPA, NANPA, and the Plano Photography Club.

Session – High Dynamic Range for Everyone
                
In this session Guy will make HDR a possibility for all – both those intimidated by its technology and those already immersed in its magic. After addressing what HDR does, he will explain why photographers need HDR, when they can use it, and how they can achieve its effects. Realizing the ease of creating HDR images, attendees will leave this session ready to incorporate this approach more fully into their photographic arsenal.

Kathy Adams Clark
www.kathyadamsclark.com

A professional nature photographer since 1995, Kathy Adams Clark runs a stock agency that represents the work of fifteen outstanding nature photographers. Kathy’s own work has been published in many places including Nature’s Best, New York Times, Birder’s World, Texas Highways, and Family Fun. Her photos have also appeared in numerous books and calendars, including the Barnes and Noble Ireland Countryside Calendar, the cover of the Arbor Foundation Rainforest Calendar, and the 2013 Sierra Engagement Calendar. Her photos appear every week in the “Nature” column written by her husband, Gary Clark, in the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express. Already with four books to their credit, Kathy and Gary have three more in the works that combine their photography and writing skills.

Her career endeavors continue far past publishing. Kathy is past president of the North American Nature Photography Association. In addition to organizational commitment, she teaches photography at local and national events. Adding a final interesting career avenue, Kathy leads photo workshops to Costa Rica, Equador, Africa, Italy, Peru, and Morocco through Strabo Tours.

Session -- Marketing Stock Images:    Breaking In and Surviving
                
Kathy will offer a session filled with know how for the camera devotee interested in stock photography. Comprehensive in her approach, she promises to address the following:

• Breaking into the stock market on one’s own, through a traditional agency, and through micro stock
• Creating a stock catalog
• Attracting clients
• Understanding clients’ needs
• Making submissions with fairly priced images
• Licensing images
• Reading contracts
• Protecting work through proper licensing and copyright