Speaker Submission

Thank you for your interest in being a speaker for ShutterFest 2023!

Some things to consider BEFORE submitting:

  • This is no ordinary conference. We have a very active community that is very goal oriented. Don’t bore them with fluff or some presentation you gave at another conference last year. Give them unique content. Challenge them and push them to see the world differently.
  • We love business topics, we love lighting and posing topics. The truth is, we LOVE UNIQUE AND HANDS-ON TOPICS of all kinds. 
  • Topics do matter. For example, topics like “Lighting 101” or “OCF for Dummies” will get you rejected as a speaker fast. Topics like “Shooting baby goldfish from a moving F-18 fighter jet” – now we are talking!! You get the point, right? We want something that is going to get people excited and something that is not a free Youtube video. Think outside the box and challenge yourself to be a better instructor.
  • Be sure to categorize and describe your courses correctly. This has a huge impact on the students and how we position your classes. If students will be shooting portfolio-level shots, select hands-on. If you are just demonstrating, choose live demonstration. Lecture should be self-explanatory.
  • VERY IMPORTANT – JUST BECAUSE YOU APPLY DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL BE ACCEPTED. Every year, we have over 200 speakers apply for less than 70 slots. You do the math. 🙂

Good luck.

We look forward to hearing all your ideas for an incredible ShutterFest.

Sal Cincotta

Speaker submissions for 2023 are now closed.

Get notified when 2024 applications open up!

Speaker submissions for ShutterFest are now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied! The team is reviewing applications and will be in touch soon.

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!