Nick Fancher is a portrait and commercial photographer based in Columbus, Ohio. He is equally known for his stylized portraits, using bold colors and experimental techniques, as he is for using minimal gear in often unconventional locations. In this talk, Fancher will discuss the origins of his photographic journey, beginning with a cheap DSLR camera and a kit lens, working out of a makeshift studio in his basement.

As well as discussing gear and technique, he will cover an equally important topic, which is how to acquire clients. He will discuss how he went from photographing musicians in the back of dark venues to shooting campaigns that landed in Times Square. The last portion of the talk will include a live demo of some creative/stylised lighting techniques.

Travelling for street photography can often seem effortless, but behind the beautiful image is often a web of complicated endeavors, from deciding on gear, to planning logistics, to predicting the light.

Having led photo tours in over a dozen countries across the world, Maciej has the behind-the-scenes work that goes into a trip for photography down to a science. Whether you're seeking to document your travels to share with your friends and family or building a portfolio for yourself, understanding Maciej's method will help you avoid the pitfalls and save your precious vacation time.

Zack Arias is a commercial portrait photographer who sort of fell into street photography one day. Zack will be sharing stories about his travels and tips and techniques he uses as he photographs people around the world.

Freelance photographers hear it all the time: this job will give you exposure, and that exposure is offered as compensation in lieu of payment. Dubai is competitive landscape with young photographers trying to get their foot in the door, and clients often leverage this to their favor. In this panel, with local photographers Altamash Javed, Aqib Anwar and Mahra Almehairi we'll be discussing this divisive value proposition that new photographers are facing regularly.

Is it ever justifiable to accept a shoot for free? If a client is pressuring you to do so, what are your options?

Online video is the most widespread and effective way to reach your audience. Whether you are selling a product, starting a community, or simply trying to reach more people - video should be part of your social media strategy.
In this 1-hour keynote, filmmaker and social media expert Valentina Vee will discuss how to create a social video - from idea to execution. You will learn tips like what sort of shots are best for your video style, how editing plays a role in content creation, and how to optimize your videos for each social network. 

Tanya will share key insights used to develop personal projects and their unique paths through photography.
She will share previously unseen work and explore how to move beyond a linear narrative and create a "felt experience" for your audience. Join Tanya for a conversation to transcend what has been strictly documentary into a new terrain of documentary photography by incorporating the humane, personal, and collaborative into the unexpected.
Let's have a warm and informal conversation on how to enhance the creative view on documentary photography.

Renowned for his time lapse cinematography, Emmy-nominated photographer and cinematographer, Beno Saradzic, will share how he got his start in the world of time lapse cinematography. This is a rare opportunity to get insights into how Beno approaches and develops a subject, as he shares key insights into his process. 

Mike Kelley will walk you through the complexities of shooting and retouching an architectural image; everything from taming harsh ambient light, adding our own additional light for drama and mood, controlling color and tonality, retouching away blemishes and correcting perspective. After the class students will have a solid understanding of the thought process that goes into one of Mike's images.

Every person is the sum of their personal experiences, their cultural background, the interconnection with others around them. We curate our inner archives for others to consume, mediating them through language, gestures, or art. The same story changes a little if narrated by different people because the vessel contaminates it: we pour a little bit of ourselves in everything we do.
But how much can we show our archive without giving away too much? How can we take something personal and make it universal? Can we narrate someone else’s story respecting their identity and our own voice at the same time? The possibility to write and delete, to be ambiguous, to leave informations out, is an integral part of the process: very often people in vulnerable positions are required to share their story in details, on demand.
Art helps us regain the right to be opaque, to only share what we want to share, how we decide to share it.
We can follow a narrative sequence, but unstructured storytelling and a less coherent approach is often just as powerful.

The war photographer is the stuff of legends. From Robert Capa to James Nachtwey, the war photographer has been presented as a truth bearing eye-witness to the consequences of war and natural catastrophe. Asim Rafiqui revisits this myth, and examines how political interests, corporate power and state propaganda have been close associates of war photography, and fundamental to the eye of the war photographer. 

Tasneem Al-Sultan has been documenting the rapid changes in the sociopolitical landscape in Saudi Arabia for New York Times, National Geographic and for her personal projects. She will be sharing her photos of pivotal moments that she has captured in her career along with insights on the actual stories and the challenges of ensuring a fair and accurate portrayal of these changes. 

Paolo's session will focus on building a long-term photo project from scratch.     
He will share his experience of the Cadets project, which took five years to complete, involving travel to 16 countries and 20 military academies; the fundraising process and the distribution of the final 'product' will be also analyzed.
Where did the original inspiration for the project come from? How do you prepare yourself? How do you identify the potential stakeholders involved? How do you find a publisher for your book?
Paolo will try to answer all these practical questions during the session as well as reveal snippets of the new project he's currently working on.