Latest Smoky Mountain Summit Details!!!!
A while back I made the announcement about the First Annual Smoky Mountains Photography Summit and it has been coming together at very rapid pace. Above is the latest poster and John “Snake” Barrett joined the team after this poster was published, so we now have a great 14 leader team!!! This is destined to become the Photoshop World of Nature Photographers! Imagine being in a great natural history setting, (the Great Smoky Mountains), at the perfect time, (the beautiful fall season), accompanied by a couple of hundred fellow enthusiasts and team of some of the top outdoor/nature shooters & teacher in the field today!
The entire event has been planned so that there is lots of time to fellowship with your fellow shooters, renew old friendships, and make new ones! Imagine hanging out with three of the top post processing guys in the business; Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski, and Jim Begley. How about spending time with legends like L.L. Rue Sr. the most published wildlife photographer of all time. Len Sr. published over a million wildlife photographs in his long career, he once had 4 magazine covers on the “same day”!!! Len Rue Jr, is a RIT trained photographer with tons of credits on his own, including teaching and leading tours and workshops all over the world, a truly great shooter and terrific guy! Then there is Rob Shepherd, former editor of Outdoor Photographer magazine, author of dozens of photography books, master of Lightroom, and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet! A great shooter too! But wait, it doesn’t stop there, how about Ken Jenkins, Mr. Smoky Mountains himself one of the nations finest photogprahers and a great leader in the Christian faith. Ken’s talks are legendary and his Sunday morning devotional talk with be terrific. The other great shooter who does a great deal of work in the Smokies is Bill Lea, his book on Cades Cove is the best book out there. Bill is terrific shooter, and wonderful teacher and highly respected by the entire photo community, we’re thrilled to have someone of his stature on our team!!! And then the most artistic shooter in the nature field, Tony Sweet, Tony is a master of the art of nature photography. I can honestly say Tony is one of the few shooters I would love to have his vision!!!! But he is the one that developed and it is really his!!! Tony will share some of his wonderful secrets with us!
But there is more…. Wilson Reynolds who owns the Tremont Lodge has a long and storied career in photography and television, His National Geographic Channel show Extreme Adventures in Fishing and Hunting is a hit series. A long time teacher, Willson is the father of this legendary series!!! Then Brett Wells is a respected teacher and shooter who represents Sigma lenses, his following is considerable! …and not surprising another great guy! John “Snake” Barrett is a long time guest instructor for His Light and a highly respected shooter. His night time photography has been noticed by many experts and his wonderful lighthouse with the Milky Way just graced the cover of Photosshop User magazine. He writes articles, teaches, and will share with us at the summit break out sessions!
Lastly my teaching partner Jack Graham is one of the best photogprahers and workshop providers in the world today, his tours to Iceland (Ultimate Iceland) are hailed as among the finest being offered by anyone. Jack is the ultimate teacher and one of the landmark shooters in the outdoor field today. He was recently made an X-Photographer by Fujifilm Global! Finally, I’m thrilled to be the co-director of the event and teach some myself!
I hope many of you will make time in your school to attend this soon to be legendary event!!!
….and so here is an early look at the Break-Out Sessions! All are included in your registration fee!!!
Lots to get excited about, the registration will be limited to 200 and we are already in the 140’s!!! So if you want in this first historic event, register ASAP!
Blessings,
the pilgrim
Just noticed, the regular Keynote addresses are not in the break session grid.
For now we know Matt Kloskowski delivers the Opening Keynote Wednesday and Scott Kelby the keynote address Friday around 1:00 p.m. Soon to be announced the evening speaker schedule.
…..and by the way, got my September copy of Popular Photography and was surprised to see this!
This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 11th, 2015 at 12:08 pm
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Do you have some idea how you’re going to handle the various break-out sessions? Are attendees supposed to sign up (on a first-come, first-served basis) before the conference? Or will it be a scramble for available seats at each session? It certainly looks like it’s going to be a great time – I’m primed and ready to attend!
You will register in advance, I’m sure directions on how to register will follow after you
have registered. We are repeating a number to accommodate more people. I imagine if
we have more that in a season it may be repeated again.
You have an enormous amount of talent there — almost an overload! 🙂 This promises to be the best program you’ve ever put on. To anyone who isn’t familiar with these names…
Bill Lea is Mr. Smokies. And Ken Jenkins is his “cousin.” Tony Sweet, who could find an image in a toilet bowl, is no stranger to the Smokies. Matt and Scott are Photoshop gurus. Rob was the editor of Outdoor Photographer for many years. And the list goes on but if those names aren’t enough to entice you ……………………………………………….
You are so right!
I will be there. Looking forward to it with a hanky for the flop sweat of waiting. Will there be a list of recommended gear? I have a Sony NEX 6 and a Tamron 18-200 and a sony NEX macro 50. I would wish that would be enough to do the Smokys justice. I have a tripod (or two, doesn’t everyone?) and a polarizer lens. to round out the gear. Will I need a laptop computer for post work?
BTW, I have really enjoyed your American shooting videos. I have been doing stuff like that (not as well) for ever. It is what I like to shoot. I did not know it had a name. After I bought my first camera in the Freising, Germany PX, it is what I shot in the 60’s and at home since then.
See you in Oct. Keep your health and faith, Mike
Think your gear will work well! It’s always good to have your laptop for post work. Several course will deal with processing. …..and thanks for the kind words!
I’m bummed! I want to be in every session but can’t figure out how to make that happen. That’s an amazing lineup. Thanks for sharing the new info. I hope we get some field time with these great masters of photography.
You will!
I wish I could be there but just can’t get across the country then. A question for you Bill. I am looking at the Fuji system – have Canon 6D now. What would you recommend as a good Fuji to start with. And can I get an adapter to use all my Canon lenses at first? Thanks
X-T1
Really looking forward to the summit. Nice shot on the back cover. That’s the Story Inn isn’t it?
Yes it is, shot it during our fall in Brown County event!
Bill,
Are you going to have this summit again next year, if so what dates? I can’t come this year because of vacation, but if it’s the same time next year I can plan ahead.
Yes, it is planned to be an Annual Event. It will always be held the last week of October! We will see you in 2016!
Looks like a great line up of educators. However I can’t help but notice there are no women in the line up. Perhaps in the future the organizers would add some of the amazing women landscape and nature photographers in the mix.
you are right! The one female photographer we invited was unavailable this year, you can bet next year we will address that, again! There are a number of terrific women in nature photography field and we would be honored to have them!
Awesome!
I noticed that, too. There are a lot of women in the Carolinas Nature Photography Association and I noticed more experienced women photographers shooting around Grandfather Mountain, somewhat less in the Smokies. Lori Kincaid is an eastern Tennessee photographer who does wonderful work. Maybe she would be a good asset. Ruth Hoyt also shot in the Smokies but I haven’t seen Ruth in years after she moved to Texas.
Brain Freeze. Lori lives about ten miles west of the Tennessee-North Carolina line. And you could literally do an entire workshop in her front yard.
I meant east of the line. It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day! 🙁
Brain Freeze happens!
Lori Kincaid does work shops in her front (and back) yard. Been to them several times. She lives on the TN/NC boarder (cuts right though her propriety) near Max Patch Mountain and the Appalachian Trail.
I’m all signed up and looking forward to it! I’m blessed that the location is only 45 minutes or so from my home. Thank you so much, Bill, for posting this breakout session schedule. Decisions, decisions! Do you know when the summit will get kicked off on Wednesday? The autumn workshop I am taking with Richard Bernabe is supposed to conclude by noon on Wednesday. So I don’t know if I will have to beg off early from that commitment or not. I would love to see some women instructors too in the future. It would be awesome to get someone like Nicole Young. Also, congratulations on the ad with your beautiful photo!
Thanks Donna, you should be good, I think it opens around 1:00
Great, then I won’t have to bow out of my other workshop before it concludes!
I can’t make it this year . I live in PA. Didn’t wanna travel alone ,
Next year is definite . Wish I could be there .
next year itis!!!!
Bill,
Are all the mornings free to shoot?
If so, gotta be in line at The Cove…… I printed a 20″x30″ print I took last year when up there and the quality is just awesome. Could have printed even larger….the Fuji system glass is just plain awesome.
Yes, mornings are free for shooting, the instructors will be at various locations, like Cade’s Cove, Tremont, The Foothills Parkway, and other locations to be available to the attendees!
Bill… this opportunity to learn from and shoot beside some of our nation’s top photographers is a huge thing for my wife and I. I truly believe this summit will motivate, inspire and instill in us the skills to be better, more confident photographers. We are excited about both the hands-on time in the woods and learning breakout sessions. I expect new friendships will also naturally occur. October can’t get here soon enough.
It will be great!
Sounds like a wonderful concept if it had been a bit more balanced and diverse.
Your mission statement says “This Summit has been a dream for many years, but when Wilson Reynolds and Bill Fortney sat down to have a discussion a few short weeks ago, that dream took on life and is becoming a reality. EVERYONE they called about participating as a leader said YES immediately” ( I guess except for that ONE woman photographer)
It seems inconcievable to me that in your quest to gather “talented and knowledgeable photographers” you didn’t include any female photographers. (Or you only found ONE who couldn’t make it. )
Extremely disappointing to say the very least.
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Congratulations Bill on the magazine ad. Very nice shot!
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