Some of the Southwest’s most accomplished photographers will expose their techniques and tips to local photogs of all skill levels at Capture!PhotoCon, a new event in Phoenix on March 23-26.
Created by Mesa photographers Nicholas Pappagallo Jr. and Cusi Taylor, the first-time conference will offer hands-on workshops and seminars for beginning to aspiring pro photographers, on-location shoots at popular spots throughout Phoenix, demonstrations of the latest camera gear, networking, evening social mixers and presentations by industry experts from Canon and Lumix – leaders in the field of digital photography.
According to Pappagallo, “There are few opportunities for Arizona photographers to fine-tune their craft without traveling out of state at great expense, and at large conferences you don’t get the chance to work directly with experts. Capture! offers high-quality training right here in Phoenix.”
Seminars and workshops topics at Capture! include: Wild about Wildflowers” at the Desert Botanical Gardens, “100 Years, 100 Ranchers: Creating a Long Term Photography Project,” “Turn Your Photo into a Painting,” “Stop Documenting – Start Creating Beautiful Wildlife Images” and “Location Lighting,” among others. The event will also offer “how to” sessions on model shoots, travel, wildlife, landscape and boudoir photography, light-painting, shooting product, sports and nature subjects, how to run a successful photography business, image editing in PhotoShop, copyright tips and other topics.
Day and evening group Photo Walks led by instructors will be available at Valley locations including Papago Park, Mill Avenue, South Mountain at sunset, Roosevelt Row, Downtown Phoenix and an evening Light Rail Crawl to allow attendees to take photos and socialize.
The event kicks-off on March 23rd with a full day of optional “PreCon” Master Classes and workshops at Parkwood Studios, followed by the 3-day conference on March 24-26 at the Ability360 Conference Center in Phoenix. Free passes will be available on a limited basis for the product expo and special Keynote presentation by Ken Sklute – one of Canon’s “Explorers of Light, a designation held by only 42 photographers worldwide, on March 24.
P rices for the event range from $15 to – $450. Times and locations vary. For the complete event schedule, list of instructors and to register, visit www.capturephotocon.com. Space is limited. Due to the nature of several of the workshops, the event is recommended for ages 18 and up.
Sponsors for the event include Canon and Lumix, The Photographers Adventure Club (PAC), a networking group and online community with over 35,000 members worldwide based in Mesa, Hunt’s Photo, Tamron, Tether Tools, Wacom, and ThinkTank Photo.
A portion of event proceeds will benefit the Arizona Animal Welfare League, the oldest and largest no-kill animal shelter in Arizona.
Pappagallo, the founder of PAC, and Cusi Taylor, Vice President of PAC, also co-own Parkwood Studios in Phoenix. Taylor says that, “Capture!PhotoCon is aimed directly at the interests of avid photographers looking for fresh perspectives or striving to improve their skills, or for anyone wanting to learn new ways to grow their photography business.”
She adds, “This will be a completely different and fun experience for novices just wanting to learn to use their camera properly to semi-pro photographers wanting to get fresh ideas from ground-breaking artists. We’ll have something for everyone.”
Capture!PhotoCon on March 24-26 is being held at the Ability360 Center located at 5025 E. Washington in Phoenix. The PreCon event on March 23 will begin at Parkwood Studios at 2212 E. McDowell. Space is limited. To register and for more information, visit www.capturephotocon.com, email info@capturephotocon.com or call (480) 630-4155.
