Presentations - Light Chasers Nature Photography Conference

Presentations

Detailed Information About the 2026 Presentations is Coming Soon.

FriDAY May 22ND

Travis Layton

The Hidden Loneliness of Social Media and the 80 Year Old Birder Who Changed Everything

After years of building a successful social media presence, Travis began to feel the quiet loneliness that can come from creating for algorithms rather than people. But a shift in perspective, and a remarkable experience while working in Cranbrook, British Columbia, changed everything.Through stories of bird walks, community events, and a friendship with an extraordinary birder named Bill, Travis shares how prioritizing human connection over online validation transformed his photography, his career, and his sense of purpose.

This talk explores how building real relationships, through nature, photography, and shared experiences, can lead to deeper fulfillment, stronger communities, and even greater creative success.

Peter Baumgarten

Strategies to Improve your Landscape Photography

Landscape photography has been, and still remains the most popular style of photography. Whether you travel the world, or just explore your local area there are countless photo opportunities that exist for the landscape photographer. Peter Baumgarten has been a passionate outdoor photographer for over 40 years. In this presentation, Peter discusses the challenges and joys of landscape photography and the compositional strategies he employs “to get the shot”.

Maggie Parisé

Lightweight Without Compromise: X Series for Nature Photography on the Move

Landscape and wildlife photography often means long hikes and carrying a kit for hours. In this talk, Maggie shares why she relies on Fujifilm X Series as a lightweight, high-quality system for nature photography—covering kit choices, field techniques, and a practical workflow designed for shooters who want to reduce weight without sacrificing results.

Sandra Bartocha

The Quiet Magic of Ordinary Days

A personal journey and search for atmosphere, emotion and the fleeting beauty of the natural world. Rather than photographing spectacular places alone, Sandra is drawn to the subtle, often overlooked details of the natural world. It is less about documenting a place and more about capturing what cannot easily be described, the feeling of a landscape, the silence of a forest, the movement of wind through grass, or the brief and fragile moment when light gives meaning to everything around it.

Through personal projects and images from across Europe, Sandra explores how patience, intuition and emotional connection can reveal the hidden poetry within familiar places.

SaturDAY May 23RD

Eric Bennett

Essential Theory - The Principal Elements of Imagemaking

In this presentation I will share my personal approach to photographing natural scenery. I will demonstrate how I intentionally create depth, harness tension, and convey mystery through compositional techniques as well as lighting and color theory. Through these artistic visual principles, I hope to open your eyes to appreciate the subtle beauty all around you and see the world in new ways.

Joe Desjardins

The Honest Side of the Lens

Join award-winning photographer Joe Desjardins as he pulls back the curtain on the technical and creative decisions required to capture compelling wildlife and landscape images. Moving beyond basic settings, Joe shares practical strategies for anticipating animal behaviour, managing harsh light, and composing under pressure. Attendees will explore the "why" behind the work through real-world stories and honest, start-to-finish breakdowns of celebrated photos.

This session is designed to help photographers build the consistency and confidence needed to thrive in unpredictable conditions. You will walk away with a more intentional way of seeing and a toolkit of adaptable skills that prioritize storytelling over fleeting trends.

Jillian A Brown

Reframing: Finding Connection in What We Choose to See

Where perspective becomes connection, through mental health, nature, photography, and storytelling.

In a world that moves quickly, the most meaningful connections are often found in the moments we almost miss. This presentation explores how shifting perspective—through the lens of photography and within the presence of nature—can transform the way we see the world around us, others, and more over, ourselves.

When we begin to see differently, perspective becomes connection. Through intentional storytelling and a deeper awareness of the moments that shape us, we uncover powerful narratives that inspire healing, foster understanding, and remind us what truly matters.

By learning to reframe what we see, we don’t just capture moments—we create meaning, strengthen connection, and open the door to stories that have the power to change us.

Jesse and Susan Villemaire

Persistence and Play: A Wildlife Photographer's Mindset

Showing up is one thing. Loving it when you do is another. This talk is about both.

Jesse and Susan of Follow Me North get real about what field photography actually looks like, the long waits, the failures, the conditions that never cooperate, and the moments that make all of it worthwhile. From stories out of Algonquin Park and beyond, including their extended search for one of Canada's most elusive wild cats, Jesse explores not just the persistence and patience that wildlife photography demands, but the mindset shift that keeps curiosity at the centre of every time you head out with your camera.

This isn't a talk about gear or settings. It's about how to be in the field with curiosity instead of pressure, and creativity instead of expectation. You'll leave with practical, ethical field techniques, a fresh perspective on your time outdoors, and real motivation to keep you out there.

Because the best photography happens when persistence and play show up together.

SUNDAY May 24th

Myrna Pearman

Beauty Everywhere: Tales of a Rambling Photographer

As a life-long naturalist and retired biologist, Myrna will share her love of wild creatures and wild spaces through images and stories. Enjoy a photographic ramble with Myrna as she celebrates the wildlife in her own backyard as well as across the prairies, the tundra and the tropics.

Erica Robinson

Travel and Storytelling

Travel and visual storytelling are deeply connected. Every journey begins with one perspective and ends with another, shaped by the experiences along the way. In Erica’s seminar, she’ll discuss how to create compelling images that go beyond snapshots—images that convey a sense of place, emotion, and narrative. She'll explore thoughtful composition, location research, gear selection, and techniques for sharing your story through compelling visuals.

Chris Gibbs

Reflections: Finding a Place in this World Beyond the Lens

Following a successful career of nearly three decades in broadcast television technical operations, including twenty years in leadership, Chris walked away from the industry in 2019 to prioritize his mental health and leave workplace negativity behind to launch his own media company, specializing in photography and videography. Embracing a positive mindset, he will guide you through his journey of navigating the transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, growing his nature photography brand, and ultimately revealing what led him to the captivating world of nature video. By sharing his passion for capturing wildlife in motion, Chris aims to inspire you to add nature video to your own creative toolkit. However, this session is not simply about his personal story. It is a direct invitation to examine your own path. Hopefully, you will leave inspired to face your dreams head on, finding the courage to just start and embrace the ongoing process of discovering exactly where you belong on your creative journey beyond the lens.

Panel Discussion

Social Media and It’s Impacts on Our Creativity and Mental Health

These days it seems like social media is both a blessing and a curse. It allows us to share our work, connect with our audience and customers and meet other like-minded photographers. It can also inspire us through the work of our peers and those who inspire us. But there’s a darker side to photography and social media that seems to be lurking ever closer to the surface - algorithmic dominance, competition with other photographers, the rise of the influencer and the time required to get ahead can have disastrous consequences on our mental health. Our panel of presenters discuss the pros, the pitfalls and the ways they stay sane through it all.

FriDAY May 24th

Alister Benn

Miracles in the Moment

Strap in, we're going for a wild ride through the realms of realisation and personal expression. You have magic at your fingertips, and opportunity beyond opportunity to do more than you could ever imagine. In this presentation Alister Benn is going to challenge you to push past any boundaries that are preventing you from becoming the artists you want to be.

Jim Brompton

Kase Product Review / What’s New/ And Capturing the Journey: Essential Travel Photography Tips For Stunning Photographs

Join Jim Brompton, Master Photographer (MPF, MPN), for an inspiring and practical presentation on travel photography tips. With decades of experience capturing the world’s most breathtaking landscapes, Jim will share his expert insights on lighting, gear selection, and storytelling through the lens. This session will help you elevate your travel photography and capture unforgettable images on the road with confidence and creativity.

Adam Gibbs

Edges of Vision: The Art of Aspect Ratios

In Edges of Vision: The Art of Aspect Ratios, we explore one of photography’s most overlooked but powerful compositional tools—the frame itself. From the classic 3:2 to cinematic wides, panoramic sweeps, and intimate verticals, the shape of your image plays a vital role in how your viewer experiences the scene.

This presentation will explore how different aspect ratios influence visual storytelling, balance, and emotional impact. Through real-world examples and behind-the-scenes insights, you'll see how choosing the right frame can elevate an ordinary composition into something extraordinary.

Whether you're shooting in-camera or cropping in post, this session will help you compose more intentionally, see beyond the viewfinder, and use the edges of your frame to say more with your photographs.

Alex Noriega

Becoming You: Revealing Your Artistic Fingerprint

We all have a unique artist within us, and we all have something new we can show the world. But we don't all begin in a state which allows us to harness our capabilities: we must first reveal our artistic fingerprint before we can leave it on our photographs.

From college dropout to retail electronics store employee to computer repairman, artist never seemed a likely profession for Alex - nor a path to success. In this presentation, he will recount both successes and failures on the journey to becoming the photographer he is today.

Alex will also identify the qualities which make his photographs distinctive, and demonstrate how he presents them in a way that showcases his unique artistic fingerprint.

SaturDAY May 25th

Jenny Wong

Wild Ambitions

Jenny’s journey through photography has taken her to the farthest reaches of the world and taught her many lessons along the way. She picked up the camera as a means to truly see the world - and through the viewfinder she truly found herself. Now the lessons photography taught her are a means by which she can help to positively shape the world she exists in. Join her as she shares her story.

Dusty Cressey

Nature as Your Niche: Balancing Passion and Income

A mix of real talk and personal storytelling, this presentation explores how to turn your passion for wildlife and landscape photography into creative opportunities — without losing the reason you started. Dusty shares his journey from farm kid to full-time creator, offering relatable tips and mindset shifts for anyone looking to grow their craft, build momentum, or just stay inspired out in the wild.

Rachael Talibart

Chaos and Flow

Rachael will tell the stories behind some of her photographs, and how photography has enabled her to have a deeper connection with the natural world. She will share her thoughts about context and originality in nature photography, and the workflow she has adopted to keep her feeling fulfilled and creative.

Sarah Mathews

Between Earth and Eternity: The Art of Looking Up

Long before cameras or cities, humans looked to the night sky for direction, for stories, and for a sense of belonging. Our ancestors used the stars to navigate not just across land, but through life.

Today, we often find that same connection through the lens: tracking light, motion, and rhythm in the natural world. But just above every treetop, shoreline, and summit, another layer of that world unfolds: the night sky.

Astrophotography is not a departure from nature photography, but an extension of it. It draws on the same instincts, patience, presence, and a deep attention to light.

This talk explores how photographing the night sky, from the Milky Way to distant galaxies, can expand your creative perspective. You’ll learn how to begin, what to photograph throughout the year, and how engaging with starlight that’s traveled across time can shift how you see Earth, the sky, and your place within both.

SUNDAY May 26th

Lee Nordbye

From Accountant to Artist and Adventurer: The Power of Nature

Lee will recount the key moments in his journey from accountant to artist and adventurer including how his connection with nature helps him manage his challenges with mental health. Through Lee’s bold and distinctive stories of nature’s subtleties he will aim to evoke the same sense of fascination and calmness he experiences when he is surrounded by nature. He hopes to give you a brief sense of respite, become curious and develop a stronger connection with nature.

Nick Parayko

Understanding Your Subjects: A Biologist's Approach to Wildlife Photography

As a wildlife biologist and self-taught photographer, I’ve learned that understanding animal behavior and ecology can make all the difference in finding and photographing wildlife, and heightening your overall experience in nature. In this talk, I will share my journey from a wildlife-obsessed child to, well, a wildlife-obsessed adult, how biological knowledge has enhanced my experiences and leveled-up my photography, and how you can employ similar techniques to your process. I hope to provide all photographers with practical tips and real-world examples to improve your approach in the field from tracking elusive species to anticipating behaviors and identifying the habitats of target species.

Dee Webb

Beyond Luck: Living a Life of Intention Through Photography

People often tell me how lucky I am to live a life of adventure—traveling the world as a wildlife photographer, guide, and owner of a global photography tour company. But my journey has never been about luck. It has been about choice, resilience, and intention.

For years, I lived a conventional life, facing hardships that tested my strength—a young daughter with health challenges, a husband battling leukemia while our children were just toddlers, a second marriage marked by my husband’s severe mental health struggles, and a stepson battling addiction. These experiences shaped me, but they did not define me. Instead, I chose to carve out a new path—one built on passion, purpose, and the belief that I could create the life I truly wanted.

In this talk, I’ll share how I transitioned from survival mode to intentional living, how photography became both my refuge and my career, and how we all have the power to design a life aligned with our deepest values. Whether you’re looking to take your photography to the next level or seeking inspiration to follow your own path, this session will challenge you to rethink what’s possible.

Marci Segal

Pathways to Freedom

Pathways to Freedom empowers you to deepen your connection with nature, innovation, and boundless possibility. Led by creativity expert Marci Segal, this session will fuel your imagination and unlock the joy of experiencing more of your creative potential. Through transformative exercises, Marci will guide you to break free from limitations and tap into your highest inspirations. Whether you're capturing nature’s beauty or exploring fresh ideas, you’ll gain the tools to embrace freedom, love, and enthusiasm in your work. Leave feeling energized and equipped with powerful strategies to continue your journey of creative growth—both in photography and in life.

Curtis Jones/Kristopher Andres

Moonlit Camels, Midnight Evacuations, and a Bag of Power Adapters: Searching for Compositions and Finding Community

When we set out to build photography workshops, we thought our focus would lean toward the technical — shutter speeds, editing workflows, and gear. But over time, we realized something far more meaningful was happening. In this session, we’ll share unexpected stories from the field - friendships sparked in stormy weather, the quiet support exchanged over coffee after sunrise shoots, and the joy of watching strangers become lifelong travel companions. Join us as we explore connection over composition and how photography has this sneaky way of bringing people together.

Panel Discussion

Social Media and It’s Impacts on Our Creativity and Mental Health

The Lightchasers Conference 2022 had so many wonderful speakers who re-sparked my interest in photography. I have been to many other photo conferences over the years but this was the first one that all the speakers brought so much to the table - all were great speakers, fabulous photographers and really inspired me again! I fully recommend that photographers, regardless of skill level, should attend Lightchasers Conference 2023!
Sharlene Stanley

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