The Canon Experience

At ShutterFest 2025

Learn.

Create.

Get inspired.

Welcome to The Canon Experience—get your hands dirty and your minds fueled in this creative space.

Come to learn, create, and be inspired. This is an immersive experience designed to challenge you, fire you up, and leave you walking away with real, actionable skills.

Learn with Canon Pros & Explorers of Light

How I Got The Shot -
Raw, Real, No fluff

You see the final shot. You love it. But do you really know what went into it? Our Canon pros and Explorers of Light break it all down—lighting, camera settings, composition, the thought process—so you can actually apply it to your own work.

The Creator Series Challenge with Sal Cincotta

Think you’ve got what it takes? This is high-energy, high-pressure, and all about getting the shot—fast. Sal is throwing down creative challenges that force you to think differently, work fast, and prove you’ve got the skills to make something epic. 
“Hey Siri, set timer for 60 seconds…”

Classes with
Canon Pros

No fluff. No theory. Just straight-up, real-world education from shooters who actually do this for a living. Whether it’s lighting, posing, storytelling, or pushing your creativity, these classes are built to make you better, period.

Printing Demos & Education -
Because print is king

There’s nothing that compares to printing your own work. Canon’s printing experts will show you how to take your digital files and turn them into something tangible. Color management, paper choices, print settings—it all matters. Learn it. Own it.

Getting out of a creative rut - no excuses

We’ve all been there. Stuck. Uninspired. Over it. But the best photographers don’t wait for creativity to hit—they chase it down. This session is all about breaking through that mental roadblock and getting back to creating work that actually excites you.

Making Something Out of Nothing - Live Demos

No fancy location? No problem. Watch the pros show you how to turn the most basic, boring setups into absolute fire. It’s about mindset, creativity, and knowing how to work with what you’ve got—because real pros don’t make excuses, they make killer images.

Get hands-on with
Canon gear & services

Service & Support -
keep your gear running smooth

Got a dirty sensor? Need a gear checkup? Bring your Canon gear in for a cleaning and inspection by Canon’s expert technicians. Because nothing kills a great shot like a dusty sensor.

Print your images
from ShutterFest

You shot it, now see it in print! Bring your best images from ShutterFest and print them on Canon’s top-tier printers.
Walk away with a pro-level print and see firsthand why 
print is not dead.

Lens & Camera Rentals -
Test drive the best

Want to try out the latest Canon gear? You can rent select Canon cameras and lenses inside the Creator Lab—perfect for pushing your creative limits in a controlled, professional environment. (Rentals are not available on-location, so plan accordingly!)

Shooting Bays -
3 Fully Stylized Sets

Step into three fully built-out, stylized shooting bays and create next-level images. Whether you need a fresh portfolio piece or just want to experiment with different lighting and setups, these curated sets are designed to help you make magic.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Be part of the Canon Experience!

REGISTER FOR SHUTTERFEST

SKILL LEVELS

Beginner: Just starting out or relatively new to a given subject matter. Basics will be covered and the course will move at a slower pace. The instructor will spend a little more time trying to explain concepts to ensure everyone is following. On a scale of 1-10 consider this level a 1-3 on the given topic.

Intermediate: Has a grasp of some basic concepts. This course level will move at a faster pace and assume you have basic knowledge covered on the given subject matter. On a scale of 1-10 consider this level a 4-6 on the given topic.

Advanced: You have working knowledge of the given subject matter, but are looking for more fine-tuning and some advanced topics to take your work to that next level. DO NOT expect instructors to explain basic concepts in this course. On a scale of 1-10 consider this level a 7-10 on the given topic.

Class Types

Hands-On

These are shooting courses. You will be shooting and working. Bring your camera, gear, or whatever you need for the course and to create create images. Expect to have some level of shooting.

Live Demonstration

These are instructor-led courses where you will see a live demonstration of what the instructor is teaching. You can still bring your camera to these courses and you can photograph, but the goal of the course is NOT for you to shoot or to ensure you get a shot. The goal is for you to see how and why the instructor does what he/she does in order to get the final result.

Lecture

These are non-shooting courses. Typically classroom-based, bring your laptop and notepad and focus on learning!