Classes

Union Station provides the perfect backdrop for hands-on learning and spacious classrooms for lecture and live demo classes.
With over 100 classes, there’s something here for everyone!

How do I register for a class?
You will be able to select classes 
IN THE SHUTTERFEST APP two weeks before the event (first come, first serve). READ THE FAQ and/or monitor the private Facebook group for more details.

SF24 Class Lineup

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#ShutUp & Sell.

Speaker: Fernando Ordonez

Lecture   

All Skill Levels   

In this class you will learn to create a professional sales process. You will learn how to present your products, your brand, and your service in order to guide your clients straight to a solid sale. You’ll also learn the most important part of the process: I will teach you when you have to SHUT UP AND SELL!!!
You will learn how to interact with your clients and use some techniques that will increase your ability to sign more contracts.

$5K In 4 Hours Part 1 – Boudoir Posing

Speaker: Ayla Quellhorst

Hands-On   

All Skill Levels   

In this class we will walk you through what a typical shoot looks like at our studio. We will use the 5 base poses that our team utilizes in every boudoir shoot that you then can tweak to fit every client and every body type. Each client walks away with nearly 90 images from their session just from these 5 poses, and using minor changes and moving around the client for different angles allows photographers to harness the full power of flow posing. It creates less stress for the client and makes them feel more comfortable without questioning what they are doing or if they have messed something up.

We will not be discussing lighting or camera settings in this class. Our focus will be on posing.

$5K In 4 Hours Part 2 – Editing For Same Day Sales

Speaker: Ayla Quellhorst

Live Demonstration   

Intermediate, Advanced   

Ready to cut your editing time down to 30 minutes? Utilizing all the power of Lightroom you can cull and edit images in a flash. Bring a shoot you haven’t edited yet or complete one with RAH prior to this class so you can edit along with us! Ayla will show you all the time saving tricks she uses, what she looks for in culling and how she gets images edited to viewing standards from an everyday shoot (around 300 photos) in just around 30 minutes.

For this class you should already know your way around Lightroom. We highly suggest ordering a Lighroom shortcut keyboard cover prior to shutterfest.

$5K In 4 Hours Part 3 – The Psychology Of Sales

Speaker: Ayla Quellhorst

Live Demonstration   

Intermediate, Advanced   

Selling doesn’t have to be scary! Ayla and Kat are going to show you exactly how they complete a sale from start to finish with a real client! Beginning with all the communication that has happened prior to the sale, how it is reviewed and then how it is implemented into the sale. The team will teach the psychology behind selling and how to get those big sales without sounding like a used car salesman. The more you get to know your client the better you can build them up and make them excited to spend money on themselves. The relationship you have with the client in the sales room is key! We won’t forget to show you how we upsell clients and guide them to a $5k collection.

3 Killer Ways To Use Gels To Transform Your Photography

Speaker: Tauran Woo

Hands-On   

All Skill Levels   

Gels are one of the best ways to make your work stand out and an important tool that every photographer should know how to master. This class will explore some exciting and unique ways of using gels so you’ll be equipped to create stunning portraits wherever and whenever you’d like!

We’re going to learn how to create ‘other-worldly’ lighting using color-shifting techniques, as well as some bold ideas on how to create one-of-a-kind portraits that will rock your next fashion shoot or engagement session!

You’re going to have the opportunity to get some hands-on experience and create some modern masterpieces right in the class, and be able to take these skills home with you and apply them to your future work. Don’t spend another day in the same rut. Unlock your creativity with gels and start having fun!

Materials:

A DSLR or Mirrorless camera with manual controls
Tripod (optional)

4 Steps To Getting Emotional

Speaker: Mariea Rummel

Hands-On   

Intermediate, Advanced   

Are you tired of ordering your clients around? “Smile. Now be serious. Hold hands. Now don’t hold hands. Try to be natural!” No more stale and stiff photos! This demo to hands-on course will cover how, as a photographer, we can pull emotion out of our clients and put it into their images. Our class will break into smaller groupings for a more intimate shooting experience.
You will learn:

– How to build trust
– How to empower our clients to relax and pose
– The flow of the shoot
– Coaching methods

5 Techniques To Never Remember Another Wedding Pose Ever Again

Speaker: Alain Martinez

Hands-On   

All Skill Levels   

Bring your camera and favorite portrait lens and I’ll show you how to get fun and creative portraits that both the bride and groom will love. I’ll demonstrate the same flow I use all over the world with luxury clients without ever having to remember a pose again. We’ll focus on 5 simple techniques that will get countless WOW images in a short period of time. Forget boring poses, implement 5 techniques that yield fun moments. This is hands-on 100%, you’ll do what I do at every single wedding and learn about fast shutter speed, AI Servo, and how to find light before shooting.

5 Ways to Get Confident with Lighting

Speaker: Yvens B

Lecture   

All Skill Levels   

Lighting can be a difficult subject to master. In this lecture, we will cover five simple techniques and approaches you can integrate today, that will help you reach your lighting goals every single time.

5-Figure “in-Person” Virtual Sales Sitting From Your Desk

Speaker: Alain Martinez

Lecture   

All Skill Levels   

Come watch me break down actual recorded sales sessions from our million-dollar wedding clients. I’ll share my post-wedding collections, and show you the actual sales orders. No BS here!!! But first, I’ll take you through the whole process from setting up a virtual meeting, then I’ll show you my entire virtual setup for professional lighting, and audio that allows me to sell to clients all over the world. I’ll share 3 IPSs where I sold $2.5K, $10K, and ZERO (you’re not gonna believe this one). This is the most efficient I have ever been, saving time, thousands and thousands of dollars in rent, and tax benefits. This setup will blow your mind and you’ll wonder why you hadn’t done it before.

60K In 60 Days

Speaker: Andre Brown

Lecture   

All Skill Levels   

In this class, I’ll teach you my proven strategies of how I consistently generate 5 figure months in my business. Whether you shoot Weddings, Maternity, or Portrait photography you will learn practical techniques to apply directly to your business and increase your bottom line. You will gain a deep understanding of the key strategies required to generate these sales consistently from marketing, pricing, client management and workflows. By the end of the lecture, you will have a clear roadmap to follow in order to reach your revenue goals and take your photography business to the next level.

A Beginner’S Guide To Off-Camera Flash

Speaker: Vanessa Joy

Live Demonstration   

Beginner   

Ready to make the jump to flash? This is the class you need if you want:
– easy to understand explanations of flash photography
– to learn how to use flash inside and outside
– to leave the class feeling confident to using flash on your next shoot

A Killer Method That Will Make You A Posing Star – Your Posing Struggles End Here!

Speaker: Clay Souza

Live Demonstration   

All Skill Levels   

Are you tired of feeling unsure about how to pose your subjects? Look no further! In this class, we’ll teach you how to master the art of posing. From basic posing techniques to more advanced poses, we’ll cover everything you need to know to create stunning and flattering portraits.
You’ll learn how to direct your subjects to bring out their best features, and how to use posing to create mood and tell a story.
We’ll also show you how to pose groups, couples, and individuals, as well as how to troubleshoot common posing issues.

By the end of this class, your posing struggles will be a thing of the past!

A Red-Carpet Affair – The Tween/Teen Experience

Speaker: Kyla Goff

Hands-On   

All Skill Levels   

This isn’t your average tween/teen photography class! We will explore the development of a Red-Carpet Affair and give you expert tips about effectively creating a new way to market to an ever-growing and popular age group. We will break down the essentials of parental communication, marketing, wardrobe and appropriate posing techniques.

A Shitillion Tips To Higher Sales

Speaker: Jenn Lewis

Lecture   

All Skill Levels   

It’s time to get serious about your business, kids. You’ve been stuck for a long time and you’re not quite sure how to take the next step. You’ve been shoot and burning or maybe you switched to in person sales, but you’re not making the kind of money you need to make it all worth it. You’re starting to realize that you’re not as profitable as you thought you were, and you’re tired. You’re tired of missing out on your own life for the little bit of money you make. You’re tired of panicking when you think you might have to replace a computer or a camera because you don’t have the extra money. You’re burning out and you need a step by step guide to help you make real money.

In this class, Jenn will teach you the principles of successful sales and why they work. You’ll learn to overcome the obstacles you’ve been running into and the methods she uses to maintain her $5100+ sales average. Jenn specializes in high school seniors, but her methods work for any portrait genre. You already know how to take pretty photos… now let’s make some money with them.

Advanced Gels – Unlock The Power Of Advanced Gel Techniques And Elevate Your Images From Good To Exceptional!

Speaker: Clay Souza

Hands-On   

Intermediate, Advanced   

Join us and embark on an extraordinary journey to elevate your images to new heights. Discover the captivating world of gels and unleash your artistic potential like never before. From enhancing colors to creating dramatic effects, gels are the ultimate secret weapon in transforming your photographic vision.

Advanced Portraiture – Taking Those Simple Shots To The Next Level

Speaker: Gary Hill

Hands-On   

Intermediate, Advanced   

Wanting to take those portraits to the next level? Join us in taking those simple images and with the addition of sculptural light, exquisite posing and great camera skills making them into the images you have previously aspired to straight out of camera. No more polishing of sub standard images, let us get it right in the camera.

Aha! Moments For Newborn Posing Problems

Speaker: Newborn Nerds

Lecture   

All Skill Levels   

Do you ever feel like there’s something wrong with your newborn images, but you just can’t quite put your finger on it? In this lecture class, we’ll walk through common newborn posing and lighting issues that come up during your sessions, and demonstrate how to quickly remedy them.

We’ll cover what to look for in your newborn lighting and in baby’s positioning, how to identify any issues, and what you can easily tweak to make a mediocre image look fab!

Ai Art + Photography – Let’s Sell More Wall Art!

Speaker: Scott Detweiler

Lecture   

All Skill Levels   

Artificial Intelligence has landed in the middle of the imaging world and is currently having a significant impact. However, this massive shift in technology doesn’t have to be negative. In fact, it can be tremendously positive and open the doors to sales you would not have had. Let’s explore how this technology can open new doors, from larger wall-art commissions to building fantastic virtual sets. It isn’t going away, so let’s master it! In this 2 hour tutorial, we will learn how these systems work and how to get the most out of them.

Ai-Driven Photography: Enhancing Creativity Through Intelligent Imaging

Speaker: Matthew "The Body" Kemmetmueller

Lecture   

All Skill Levels   

In this dynamic and interactive class, we will delve into the fascinating world of AI and explore how it revolutionizes the field of photography. As technology progresses, artificial intelligence has emerged as a powerful tool that empowers photographers with new capabilities, enhancing their creativity and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in image creation and manipulation.

Throughout this class, we will embark on a journey to understand the fundamental principles behind AI and its application in the realm of photography. We will explore a wide range of AI-driven techniques, tools, and software that are reshaping the industry and empowering photographers to achieve stunning results.

All About That…. Baby!

Speaker: Kristina McCaleb

Live Demonstration   

Advanced   

Newborn photographers, are you feeling stuck in the same old, same old rut doing what everyone else is doing? Do you want to change it up a bit and learn a ways to add to your already great newborn session? This is the class for you if you already know the basics of newborn photography but want to step up your game all while using a safe and comfortable enviroment for baby and parents. This class will focus on the from above images with bowls and beds adding simple extras to elevate your image. But don’t worry, it will also cover the basics of classic newborn table posing.

All You Need Is One Light

Speaker: Craig La Mere

Live Demonstration   

All Skill Levels   

I will show you how to use a single strobe light to create a variety of different and impactful images.

An Angel’s Secret

Speaker: Zsa'nee Gaines

Hands-On   

All Skill Levels   

Did you know Victoria was my best friend? Let me show you how to bring out a strong, emotional, sexy, yet fun experience for your client.

Expression and body movement play a huge role in capturing your client at their most free inner self. There is no shame in sexy, but it can be intimidating. Let me show how easy it is to get your client in the mood.

This class will be combined with gorgeous individuals adorned with exquisite wings. Victoria’s sexy runway wings and lingerie belong to everyone.

We will go through various posing to highlight your client’s sexy curves and angles.

Victoria is not the only one who belongs on the runway.

Bring your gear! This is a hands-on class that I will walk everyone through.

We will discuss lighting, posing and inner sexy with expressions showing outward. My goal is for you to walk away with the knowledge and ability to bring out the most sexy in your client without intimidating them or yourself.

Art, Light, And Shadows

Speaker: Eric Burke

Live Demonstration   

Intermediate   

In a world overflowing with free, technically perfect content, people crave authenticity, nostalgia, and emotional depth. Tack-sharp, well-lit images alone won’t make you stand out as a photographer. I will teach you how to differentiate your work and create art that resonates.

Discover and unleash your creative potential in “Art, Light, and Shadows.” This class debunks myths about creativity, showing you that artistic talent isn’t innate, creativity isn’t exclusive to artists and designers, and anyone can learn and master it at any age.

This class is the foundation for my other two classes. “Lighting the Human Form” delves into the most technical depth, while “Projection Shootout” is all hands-on. “Art, Light, and Shadows” ties it all together, focusing on the creative process, with a live demonstration light projection shoot. Art and creativity are incorporated into every step of this class.

Deliberate practice is the foundation of every learnable skill, including art and creativity. We’ll explore the science behind deliberate practice, demonstrating its effectiveness through experimentation with light, shadows, projectors, and computers.

Together, we’ll brainstorm and plan a photoshoot. We’ll use an AI assistant to generate and refine ideas, and AI tools to create visual concepts and assets. You’ll witness a live light projection photoshoot with a human model, showcasing the artistic use of light and shadows.

Bonus! I will teach how to use Projection Studio for Web – my free, easy-to-use tool that enables you to carry out your own light projection photoshoots. Projection Studio runs on Mac and Windows through any web browser.

Available Light, As In…My Flash Is Available

Speaker: Raph Nogal

Hands-On   

Intermediate   

Let’s get flashing… with our strobes, of course. This class will give you the opportunity to create different types of light… we’ll play with various modifiers and create interesting and exciting looks from soft to edgy… you’ll see it all. Bring your flash setup and modifiers!

Avant-Garde Artistic

Speaker: Zsa'nee Gaines

Hands-On   

All Skill Levels   

Let’s be INNOVATIVE and explore new horizons in our world of photography.

Experimenting with concepts can be scary. But without risk, we lose the ability to expand our abilities and skills.

I believe in pushing my creative boundaries past my daily routines.

Who says you can’t live in different aspects of photography? Break up the monotony of your business and watch your creative juices flow, benefiting your future clients.

Bring your gear! This is a hands-on class. We will discuss lighting, concepts, creative posing, and body focusing. We’ll also have creative makeup for our models. My goal is for you to walk away with the ability to recreate as well as produce new style to your business.

Average Is Not Acceptable

Speaker: Rafael Serrano & Miguel Ocque

Live Demonstration   

Intermediate, Advanced   

Learn how to make impactful and creative images at the worst possible locations by using different lighting techniques!

B-Roll Bootcamp: Mastering The Art Of Secondary Footage

Speaker: Abbie Gowin

Live Demonstration   

Beginner   

Adding video is a great way to elevate your photography services but getting started can feel daunting. During this live demo, I’ll walk you through a video from start to finish with our model, including the editing process! You’ll also learn:

-What B-roll is
-What camera settings to use
-How to think through poses and composition
-The different movement types (pan, tilt, pedestal, and rack focus)
-What additional equipment or products you’ll need to get started
-Where to find commercially available music and how to choose what will work for your client
-The culling and editing process
-Best practices for export and delivery

Feel free to bring your camera and 1 lens, if there’s time at the end we can go through to ensure you’re comfortable with changing your settings and getting started!

Badass Branding: Acquire And Retain Quarterly Clients

Speaker: Abbie Gowin

Lecture   

Intermediate   

Businesses and entrepreneurs are in constant need of fresh, new content to grow their brands. Creating a quarterly package option provides on-brand images year-round for your client AND consistent income for you! In this class, you will learn how to:

-Find businesses that would benefit the most and acquire them
-Pitch the idea to potential clients
-Price yourself for profit
-Create a frictionless workflow
-Add massive value and where to upsell
-Plan the session
-Manage data and statistics so you can use case study examples on social media

By the end, you’ll have a solid understanding of the entire process from acquiring to managing quarterly branding clients, setting you up for success in your branding business!

Badass Sports Composites

Speaker: Isaac Coffy

Live Demonstration   

Beginner, Intermediate   

Tap into a new market and expand your marketing with epic sports composites! Whether working with schools or youth clubs, you can easily add $5-10k per year while also promoting your portrait business. In this class, we’re going to break down my simple, go-to lighting setup for teams and individuals, resources for easy-to-use templates that are modern an eye-catching, and, finally, break down the very system I use for every team to turn simple shoots into profitable sales. The coolest part? You don’t need a studio to accomplish any of this.

Bare Bones To Badass!

Speaker: Bethany Ellen

Hands-On   

Intermediate   

Think you have what it takes to develop a full concept on the fly? Put your mind where your mouth is in this intense hands-on course. Work in small groups with a few choice items of wardrobe, props, and materials. In the fastest two hours of your life, expect to create, shoot, edit, and showcase your artwork with a same day slideshow!

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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!