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
Patience Szutkowski
Specialty: Babies & Children
Patience Szutkowski, owner of Premier Portraits by Patience specializes in photographing babies and children. Her love for color and passion for working with children shines through her work. A former pageant queen turned boy mom, her days are spent at her Central Wisconsin studio or at sporting events with her boys.
Follow Patience Szutkowski:
Patience Szutkowski’s Classes:
Class Description:
In true Shutterfest fashion it’s time to GET SMASHED! Only this time, we’re trading out your drink of choice with a sweeter option – CAKE! One year cake smashes are one of the most popular and profitable milestones to capture. Join me for a live demo showcasing a one year session from start to finish. We will start with traditional portraits followed by the popular cake smash and lastly, bath photos to clean up our messy birthday kid. With over 400 first birthday sessions under my belt I’ll be sharing my tips and tricks to get your subject to engage and successfully smash their cake, my do’s and don’ts for a successful and stress-free session, and how to efficiently capture a huge variety of images that sell. Whether you are just dipping your toes into cake smashes or you want to fine tune your skills and client experience, this will provide you with many things to take away and apply to your own business.
What to Bring to Class:
Attendees should feel comfortable working with 1 year olds and have basic knowledge of using studio lighting.
Class Description:
Simple backdrops. Simple props. Classic studio images. Watch in real time as I demonstrate a complete studio session. We will cover posing styles and techniques for different age groups, posing siblings together and ways to use simple props like chairs, crates and stools to add visual interest to your images without overshadowing your subject. While this class will focus on studio photography, these techniques could easily be applied to outdoor sessions as well.
What to Bring to Class:
Attendees should be comfortable working with children.
Class Description:
Ever have kids running around your studio not wanting to sit for a photo? We’ve all been there! Turn your studio sessions into an interactive experience that your clients will talk about for years to come. This hands on class will show you how to use printed backdrops and a few simple props to design interactive sets that kids enjoy and will actually want to get their photos taken on. These themed activity sessions will capture authentic images which will result in higher sales for you! This class will be packed with tips and tricks for working with kids of all ages as well as resources for building up your studio collection.
What to Bring to Class:
Bring your camera and a Godox trigger if you have one. Attendees should be comfortable working with children.