Speakers

This year’s lineup of over 60 speakers, returning vets and newbies alike, are here to deliver an incredible experience for all ShutterFesters! 

Shutterfest 2027 Speaker Lineup

Brian Derenski

Specialty: The Business of Volume Sports Photography

With 17 years in the volume photography industry, I’ve operated across both high-volume and boutique-volume models, and I now channel that experience into helping studios work smarter. As the Studio Solutions Engineer at PhotoDay, I specialize in solving complex workflow models, best practice sales methods, and streamlined sales methods that make studios more profitable. I’m passionate about the technology transforming this industry, and I bring a practical perspective to every conversation about growing a modern volume photography business.

Follow Brian Derenski:

Website | Social Media

Brian Derenski’s Classes:

Smile and Scale: The No-Bullshit Guide to Volume Photography

Lecture   

Beginner, Intermediate   

Class Description:

Volume photography sounds simple enough right? Just show up, take some pictures, and repeat. What nobody tells you is that without the right foundation, you’ll work yourself to death for margins that barely cover your gas money.
This class fixes that.
With 17 years in the trenches across high-volume and boutique-volume operations, I’ve made the mistakes so you don’t have to. This is the course I wish existed when I started; practical, direct, and completely free of the vague, gatekept bullshit that fills every photography Facebook group and forum on the internet.
We’ll cover everything that actually matters: how to break into the industry and land your first jobs, how to understand the business model well enough to actually profit from it, how to run an efficient picture day that doesn’t leave you wanting to change careers, and how to sell your images in a way that makes clients happy and your bank account happier.

What to expect:

1. Getting started without spinning your wheels for two years
2. Finding jobs and positioning yourself to win them
3. Understanding the business – because it’s not just great photos that pay the bills; great margins do
4. Shooting efficiently at scale without sacrificing quality
5. Sales strategies and workflow methods that turn volume work into real profit

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start building a volume photography business that actually works, you’re in the right place.

What to Bring to Class:

None. I can get anyone started in the volume business with just my wits, charm, and a kick-ass attitude.

Primary Topics: Volume Photography
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!