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

Ray Alvarez
Specialty: Creative Portraits, Off Camera Flash, Editing and Weddings
Ray Alvarez is a portrait, branding, wedding photographer, and educator known for making off camera flash feel simple, practical, and approachable. Through Shoot With Ray, he teaches photographers how to create intentional images in real world situations using lighting, direction, creativity, and efficient workflows. Ray is also the lead photographer behind Weddings by Ray, where he combines cinematic storytelling with a polished client experience. Ray brings a hands on teaching style that helps photographers build confidence without overcomplicating the process.
Follow Ray Alvarez:
Ray Alvarez’s Classes:
Wedding Portraits Anywhere: Creating Cinematic Images Under Pressure
Class Description:
After a few years of teaching creative portraits, branding, and off camera flash, Ray is coming back to where it all started for him: weddings.
In this live demo class, Ray will show photographers how to create cinematic wedding portraits in almost any location, at almost any time of day. Weddings move fast, lighting is not always perfect, locations are not always ideal, and photographers often have to create something beautiful with limited time and limited control. This class is built around that exact reality.
Ray will walk attendees through how he reads a scene, chooses the best direction of light, balances ambient with flash, poses couples naturally, and creates portraits that feel romantic, dramatic, and intentional without needing a perfect location. Whether you are working in harsh sun, a dark reception space, a hallway, a courtyard, or a random corner of a venue, this class will help you see the potential in almost any space.
Photographers will leave with a better understanding of how to create strong wedding portraits under pressure while keeping the couple comfortable and the timeline moving.
What to Bring to Class:
This will be a live demo, note-taking tools are recommended. Depending the area I am provided for the class, I can possibly allow for viewers to capture photos with their cameras behind me.
Class Description:
Ray and Kay are back for another round of their signature creative portrait magic. In this hands on class, Ray will show how he uses gels, off camera flash, color, and direction to create bold portraits while Kay brings the beauty side of the vision to life through makeup artistry.
As Ray’s makeup artist, creative partner, and one of the featured models, Kay plays a major role in how the final image comes together before the flash even fires. This class will show photographers how makeup choices, skin tone, wardrobe, gels, and lighting all work together to create portraits that feel intentional instead of random.
Ray will break down how he chooses gel colors, places lights, balances color, and directs the subject while also explaining how makeup can either support the lighting or fight against it. Kay will share how she approaches makeup for creative portrait work and what photographers should think about when working with a makeup artist on styled shoots, branding sessions, beauty portraits, and creative concepts.
Attendees will learn how to blend makeup artistry with gels, how to create mood with color, and how to build portraits that feel polished, dramatic, and cohesive from start to finish.
What to expect: * Step by step gel lighting setups with modifiers THAT MAKE SENSE! * How to use colors and contrast to add drama and interest * A live styled shoot with Kay and models that you’ll be able to use for your portfolio * A fun, laid-back vibe with a lot of value packed in
What to Bring to Class:
Attendees should bring their camera and favorite lens to use. No flash or triggers is necessary as we will provide it for them.
Class Description:
The photo is not finished when you press the shutter. In this class, Ray will walk attendees through his editing workflow and show how he takes an image from capture to final delivery with speed, style, and intention.
Ray will break down how he uses one to three different editing softwares depending on the image, the client, and the final vision. He will share how he speeds up his workflow for client galleries, how he gets images delivered quickly when needed, and how he approaches more creative portraits that require extra polish and detail.
This class will also cover Ray’s simplified approach to dodge and burn, what he looks for when refining an image, how he enhances without overdoing it, and how he makes editing decisions based on the final mood he wants the image to have. Attendees will get a behind the scenes look at how Ray thinks through color, contrast, skin, cleanup, creative edits, and workflow choices that help bring the final image to life.
This class is perfect for photographers who want to edit faster, clean up their workflow, and understand how to create a more intentional final image.
What to Bring to Class:
Note taking tools