Speakers

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

See All Speakers
See All Classes

Shutterfest 2027 Speaker Lineup

< Go back to all speakers

Niah Aldrich

Specialty: Colorful Portraits, Creative lightning, Non traditional portraits with wides, Creative styling with color and patterns, colorful photo editing and retouching

Niah Aldrich is a Kansas City-based portrait photographer, educator, and lover of all things bold color, funky patterns, and creative lighting. Equal parts educator and professional hype human, she’s passionate about helping photographers reconnect with their creativity, try wild ideas, and remember why they fell in love with photography in the first place. Expect laughs, lots of color, and probably a little creative chaos.

Follow Niah Aldrich:

Website | Social Media

Niah Aldrich’s Classes:

The Anchor Method: Building Bold Portrait Concepts Through Color & Styling

Hands-On   

Beginner, Intermediate   

Class Description:

“Ever feel stuck staring at a blank creative slate? In this class, Niah shares her signature approach to building visually cohesive portrait sessions by starting with one “anchor” and building everything around it. Whether it’s a dress, location, prop, color palette, texture, emotion, or mood, attendees will learn how to turn a single idea into a fully realized concept with intention and storytelling.

From wardrobe styling and color pairing to props, lighting direction, locations, and posing, this class breaks down how to create shoots that feel elevated, intentional, and uniquely you instead of random or disconnected. Niah will walk through her creative process with real-world examples and a live creative breakdown so attendees leave with practical tools for building stronger concepts and more memorable work.”

What to Bring to Class:

Bring your camera, 24-70mm range and wider if you have! Great for photographers of all experience levels looking to improve creativity, styling, visual storytelling, and portfolio cohesion.

Primary Topics: Lighting – Creative and Special Effects, Portraits – Styling and Set Building
There's still time to get

Early Bird Tickets

April 22-25 2024 | St. Louis MO.
  • Learn from 80+ top speakers
  • Trade Show Access
  • Work with over 200 models
  • Save over 40% on tickets - for a limited time only!
REGISTER NOW

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!