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 pick my classes?
You will be able to register for classes 
IN THE SHUTTERFEST APP two weeks before the event (first come, first serve). The app is released about a month before ShutterFest. READ THE FAQ and/or monitor the private Facebook group for more details.

ShutterFest 2027 Classes

Class Search Form

Portrait Retouching Skills For Busy Photographers

Speaker: (Website) (Social Media)

Live Demonstration   

Intermediate   

The gap between a good photographer and a great one often comes down to what happens after the shoot, but retouching doesn’t have to mean hours hunched over a single image. This class walks you through a fast, professional retouching workflow built around Capture One, Photoshop, and a few other key tools, designed to deliver consistent, high-quality results without eating your entire week. You’ll learn how to build a process that scales, so whether you’re editing ten images or five hundred, your work looks polished and cohesive every single time. If you’ve ever felt like your edits don’t quite match the vision you had when you pressed the shutter, this class will close that gap.

What to Bring to Class:

Students should bring something to take notes, or bring their laptop with some portraits they’ve recently taken to follow along.

Primary Topics: Editing – Culling, Editing – Retouching

Sales Skills For Photographers

Speaker: (Website) (Social Media)

Lecture   

Beginner   

Most photographers got into this business because they love making images, not because they love selling, and it shows. Whether it’s undercharging, caving on pricing, or losing clients you should have booked, weak sales skills are quietly costing you more than any gear upgrade ever could. This class breaks down the fundamentals of selling in a way that feels natural and consultative rather than pushy, covering everything from how to handle pricing conversations with confidence to what to say when a client tells you they need to “think about it.”

What to Bring to Class:

Something to take notes

Primary Topics: Business, Pricing, Sales

Starting On YouTube For Photographers

Speaker: (Website) (Social Media)

Lecture   

Intermediate   

YouTube is the one platform that works for you while you sleep, where a great video can drive traffic, build trust, and generate leads for years after you hit publish. Most photographers never start, convinced they need better gear, a bigger personality, or more time than they have. This class cuts through all of that, covering everything from finding topics your ideal clients are actually searching for, to structuring videos that keep viewers engaged, to the simple filming workflow that won’t slow you down. You’ll leave with a repeatable system for creating content and the confidence to hit publish without waiting until it’s “perfect.”

What to Bring to Class:

Something to take notes

Primary Topics: Marketing, Video – YouTube, Long Form, or Horizontal Video

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There's still time to get

Early Bird Tickets

April 22-25 2024 | St. Louis MO.

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!