Panel Discussion: Influencing for the Right Reasons: Starting The Next Revolution

Panel Discussion: Influencing for the Right Reasons: Starting The Next Revolution

SPEAKERS: David Johnston - I started my journey in photography in 2004 when I took a film photography course in high school. It was an amazing experience to shoot with film and then bring those images to life in the darkroom. There is definitely an enormous difference in film and digital photography. Film cameras taught how to get my light correct in-camera as best possible. However, it was in 2010 that I really became obsessed with photography after I got my first DSLR camera. I decided to put all of my energy into photography to make it my life career. I knew I couldn’t quit my full-time job right away, but I could hustle with photography on the side until I could do photography full-time. In 2014 I started my first blog and podcast called Photography Roundtable. I had a good run with the podcast and it enabled me to meet some of my best photography friends, teach, and run photography workshops in national parks in the United States.

David Swindler is an award-winning landscape and wildlife photographer based in Southern Utah. He received a degree in chemical engineering and worked many years in the semiconductor industry specializing in optics and photolithography. Back in 2014 he quit his day job to follow his true passion. As a photographer, he has traveled to many locations around the world and has extensive experience with landscape, wildlife, night, and macro photography. He runs Action Photo Tours full time and finds great satisfaction in taking people to remote and beautiful places in the Southwest and helping them take the best photos possible.

Phill Monson- Having started a love of photography shortly after graduating college in 2007 with an entry-level camera and a three-week trip to Europe, Phill discovered the incredible Desert Southwest, and has dedicated the last decade to capturing this diverse landscape. He regularly presents to small and large groups discussing landscape and astro-landscape photography techniques, and is well known in the landscape photography arena of the new digital age. Recently, Phill has taken on a new endeavor in design and creating an apparel line focused on promoting wilderness ethics and how to Adventure Responsibly. Phill lives near Salt Lake City, UT with his wife and two children.

Adam Gibbs - I have been a full time photographer since 1991. My work has been used extensively internationally both as fine art and within commercial applications. Up until October 2014 I worked for Cornwall Publishing as their principal photographer. To date I have had thousands of images published in Gardens West, Gardens East and Gardens Central. I also had over two hundred covers on the same titles. Other notable publication credits include the the highly celebrated book"Planet Earth" published by the BBC, Nature's Best, Outdoor Photographer, British Columbia magazine, Outdoor Photography Canada magazine and Fine Cooking. My nature images can be found in numerous calendars throughout North America and Europe including several of my own titles. My images are highly sought after and best known for their clarity, composition and design. When I'm not out and about making images you'll find me trail running, backpacking or planning my next adventure.

Lisa Langell - A nature photographer and birder from the age of eight, Lisa is the founder of Langell Photography, Inc. (http://www.langellphotography.com) and more recently, Focus Your Art, LLC. (http://www.focusyourart.com). She began her own business in 2010 after long vibrant careers as a floral designer, educational psychologist, consultant and in helping launch and manage two startups that grew into leading companies in the Ed-Tech space. Since then, she has earned numerous awards and has been published in Outdoor Photographer, Arizona Highways, Ranger Rick, Images Arizona, and more. She is a Board of Directors member for the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), is an ambassador for Tamron, Fotopro and H&Y, and is a judge for Viewbug. Lisa loves creating nature photography and art that is inspired by her background in psychology and design. When Lisa isn’t having fun making photographs, she’s thriving on teaching photography. Her humility and passion for both shines through in how she provides memorable, fun, and educational experiences that enrich, invigorate and expand photographers’ minds in wonderful ways.