Mary Fisk-Taylor - The Importance of Printing

Mary Fisk-Taylor has been a member of the Professional Photographers of America since 1998. Along with her business partner, Jamie Hayes, they operate a high-end portrait and wedding business in Richmond, Virginia. Hayes & Fisk Photography is a home-based studio located on almost one acre of beautiful gardens and they have successfully created one of the most sought after Portrait and Wedding studios in their area.

In 2009 Mary developed the concept of a fresh and fun new studio in the Richmond area. With the help of her family, most importantly her mom and sister, Real Life Studios was opened in Midlothian, Virginia. Real Life Studios is best known for their high school senior portraits. Real Life also has an entire Event and School division which gives the studio constant and steady revenue of new clients and income year round.

Mary was very pleased and honored to have received her Master of Photography, Craftsmen of Photography and Certification of Professional Photography in just three short years. This was quite an accomplishment for her both personally and professionally. Mary was named Photographer of the Year in 2007 and has won Best Wedding Album of the Year in Virginia several times. Nationally she has had her albums in the top five. She has won numerous Best in Show awards, Kodak Gallery Awards, Fuji Masterpiece Awards, Loan Collection prints and album and a Grand Imaging Award finalist. Mary is also a recipient of the prestigious Virginia Award, which honors photographers for their commitment and dedication to their state association, and the business of professional photography. And, in 2012 she was awarded the PPA Charities Legacy Award for her work and dedication to the philanthropic arm of PPA. In

2014 Mary was awarded the Charles H. (Bud) Haynes Award for her distinguished service to PPA and its members and for encouraging business awareness and practices in the field of professional image-making. And in 2015 Mary was honored to receive the National Award from the Southeastern Professional Photographers Association for her commitment and dedication to Professional Photography.

Mary’s pursuit for knowledge, learning and education has always been a priority. From the time she was nominated the “Kindergarten Valedictorian” she has excelled academically. Always at the top of her class through High School, College and Graduate School she has excelled and loved learning. She has degrees from both University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University. It was only natural for her to pursue educating others as part of her career. Mary joined the PPA Business Instructor program back in 1999 when it began. She has enjoyed lecturing all over the world and sharing with other photographers as well as serving as a PPA Studio Management Services Mentor as well as an International Juror for PPA.

Mary is of course most proud of her two beautiful children, Alexandra and Jackson. Her husband, Daryl, and she enjoys the flexibility and joy that owning a profitable photography studio has allowed their family. Mary currently serves on the PPA Board of Directors, is a proud member of the Society of XXV, and is a past President of the PPA Board of Charities. She is extremely active with Operation Smile International and has served as a staff photographer for several events and missions. In 2006 Mary was named one of Virginia’s Top 40 under 40 for her leadership in the community, volunteer and charity work and her business savvy.

Nate Peterson - The Grand Experience

As a child, Nate Peterson was constantly doodling, never knowing this artistic talent would shape his career path. Formally trained in graphic design and visual communications, Nate then added photography to the mix and with the introduction of the digital camera, fell in love with the craft.
Since then, he’s been on a life-changing, nation-wide crash course, training with the leaders of the industry through PPA and state and local affiliates, WPPI, After Dark Education, and more, with the goal of becoming the premiere portrait artist in his area. Nate’s career has skyrocketed and with that, the expansion of his studio's personalized services, professional abilities and boutique product options.

Today, NP Design & Photography specializes in contemporary high school Senior portraits, sentimental family portraits, commercial product photography and edgy sports images, based on the belief that a portrait is an artistic expression of its subject. The studio is known for creating the “Grand Experience” in which high school seniors are treated to an all-inclusive session experience bundled with a custom designed album as the base package.  Outside of his studio, Nate strives to help others find their photographic paths and stays active as a member of the American Society of Photographers, the Twin Cities PPA where he serves as a 2017 Board Vice President, the Wisconsin PPA and the Iowa PPA. 

Nate, and his wife, Teresa, live in a newly remodeled portion of their commercial studio building, reverse engineering the “home-studio" to the “studio-home.”  The studio is in New Richmond, WI and serves clientele from the surrounding area, including the Twin Cities metro area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN.

Matt Hodgman - Overcoming the Hurdles of IPS

Matthew Hodgman, a professional photographer of going on 23 years, started doing in person sales, (I.P.S.) in late 2004 and has never looked back. Making the change to being more involved with clients through the consultation, session planning, sales and final installation of the products has been and continues to be the right choice. Not only from a business perspective but a personal one too. But enough about that, is it time to talk about cars or golden retrievers yet?

Brooke Shaden - On Growth and Going Dark

Brooke explores the darkness and light in people, and her work looks at that juxtaposition. As a self-portrait artist, she photographs herself and becomes the characters of dreams inspired by a childhood of intense imagination and fear. Being the creator and the actor, Brooke controls her darkness and confronts those fears. 

After studying films for years in college, she realized her love of storytelling was universal. She started photography then in 2008, excited to create in solitude and take on character roles herself. Brooke works from a place of theme, often gravitating toward death and rebirth or beauty and decay. 

Ultimately, her process is more discovery than creation. She follows her curiosity into the unknown to see whom her characters might become. Brooke believes the greatest gift an artist has is the ability to channel fears, hopes and experience into a representation of one's potential. 

While her images come from a personal place of exploration, the goal in creating is not only to satisfy herself; her greatest wish is to show others a part of themselves. Art is a mirror for the creator and the observer . 

Brooke's passion is storytelling, and her life is engulfed in it. From creating self-portraits and writing to international adventures and motivational speeches, she wants to live a thousand lives in one. She keeps her curiosity burning to live a truly interesting story. 

Self Description: Intensely anxious, powerful little creative soul. 

Favorite Memory: Flying into the sky before she lost her wings at the age of 5. 

Greatest Achievement: Starting The Light Space, a photography school for survivors of human trafficking in India and now Thailand. 

Greatest Fear: Whales. 

Favorite Book: Dune by Frank Herbert.

Kari Campbell - A Fresh Perspective

Kari Campbell is a story teller at heart.  She has been telling others’ stories for 20 years, first as a broadcast journalist and now as an interior decorator.  Kari Campbell Interiors specializes in helping clients create spaces within their homes where they can relax and create meaningful memories.  She passionately believes your home should tell the story of who you are and what you love.  Kari is a wife, mom and creative entrepreneur based in Minneapolis. 

Vicki Taufer - Relationship Marketing

“I am a big believer in education.”

Vicki Taufer has been in the photography business for 20 years. She’s found that relationships are of the utmost importance both with your clients and with other business owners who you can team up with from a marketing standpoint.

“For the photographer that doesn’t have a studio or a space, (relationship marketing) is a fantastic way to have a space that you don’t pay for.”

0:42 Who is Vicki Taufer?
1:50 Marketing in the Early Years
4:02 The Importance of Relationships in Photography
5:27 Relationship Marketing Risks and Rewards
10:13 Potential Partners
11:29 Happy Hour and Headshots
14:09 Other Options
17:23 Approaching Potential Vendors
20:49 Working with the Right People
22:55 What hasn’t worked?
24:18 A Call to Action
25:42 Is it harder to do this today?
29:24 Start Small

“It’s not being afraid to ask. It’s not being afraid to be rejected.”

Jed and Vicki Taufer have been involved in the photography industry for almost 20 years. They co-founded their studio, V Gallery, in Morton, IL in 1998. With a focus on artistic portraiture, Vicki specializes in photographing people, pets, and commercial shoots. V Gallery has been everything from a small home based studio, to a large storefront with multiple employees, and everything in between. Vicki has a passion for people. Her journey with a camera has taken her and Jed around the world. They have been recognized internationally through their teaching, awards, and publications. Vicki’s goal is a healthy work/life balance.  At work, she focuses on photography, marketing, and sales. Jed’s focus is technology, workflow, and educating other photographers. Over the last several years, Jed and Vicki have also had the opportunity to work for their favorite lab, White House Custom Colour.

photo credit: Indra Leonardi

“The cool thing is, if you just talk to your clients, you’ll find all these people.”

Dane Sanders - How Business Owners Get Paralyzed by What’s Next

“There’s not as much space as there used to be to be fully human.”

It’s good (if not necessary) to take some time out of our crazy schedules and just slow down. Spend some time with Dane Sanders and do just that. You won’t regret it.

“(Getting perspective) is not an event, it’s a habit.”

0:34 Friends and Brothers
2:35 Gifted
4:54 Faith
9:07 The Topic
10:59 There’s never been so much stuff
13:41 How do you deal with all the options?
17:23 Getting Perspective
21:18 The Hypothalamus Hijack
23:55 The Importance of Others
27:18 Who are your people?
31:37 Dopamine vs Seratonin
34:19 Pick One Thing
37:15 Take Responsibility
40:04 The game is love.
43:25 Find Dane

“I think if people view ‘others’ as optional, it’s a problem.”

Dane Sanders writes, coaches & speaks on what it takes for you and your business to thrive. He has authored two business books for creatives and is a founder at Fastermind.co. Be sure to check out his Go Summit Conference and his Converge Podcast.

“My pace is so much faster when I pick fewer things.”

Kevin Kubota - Ethical Storytelling Through Photography

“Sometimes the story isn’t what you thought it was.”

Kevin Kubota is not afraid to challenge himself with questions regarding ethics and photography.

“How did it get to this point where we can’t be comfortable just portraying ourselves exactly as we are?”

0:30 The “Whole Package”
2:47 The conundrum
8:15 The ends and the means
12:57 An interesting hypothetical
15:35 Advice for content creators
18:01 The Homefront
22:46 Personal Ego
24:54 Are we complicit?
26:35 Who decides where the line is?
29:42 Workshops with Purpose

“‘Who decides where the line is?’ I think is a great discussion for just ethics in general.”

American Photo Magazine named Kevin Kubota one of the "Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World". His photos have been featured on the covers and within the pages of countless popular magazines and photography books. Kevin has been a featured presenter for Nikon and Adobe, and his work with the Nikon digital camera earned him a spot as a Nikon "Legend Behind the Lens".

Kubota is an internationally recognized speaker, having presented for every major photographic convention in the USA. He created the popular "Digital Photography Bootcamp®" workshop which has been running successfully since 2002. He authored the book under the same name, now in it's second edition, published by Amherst Media. Kevin shares over 2 decades of commercial and portrait lighting experience in his latest book, The Lighting Notebook, published by Wiley. The companion iApp, is available in the iTunes store.

Kubota Image Tools products have won multiple Hot One Awards as well as the Readers Choice Award. Kevin was personally awarded the 2009 Monte Zucker Memorial Humanitarian Award for social service through photography.

“We’re always judging people through our own filters.”

Julia Woods - When Your Spouse Resents Your Business

“Photography became something that fed a part of me that had never been fed before.”

Julia Woods is a wife, mother, friend, coach, and inspiration. She finds strength in her weaknesses. She works hard. She fights. And she shares...unabashedly. Listen in as she recounts one of the biggest moments of discovery in her life.

“I was at the end of Julia. There was no more of me to offer.”

0:27 Old friends
3:16 The topic and competing passions
7:16 How does resentment manifest?
9:24 Some history and the “Significant Event”
15:59 Earning love
19:12 The biggest problem revealed
21:06 Where do you go from there?
29:00 Beautiful Outcome
32:08 How do things look now?
34:03 Advice

“I decided the best choice I had was to go stand in my front yard and start yelling at God.”

Julia's journey to becoming a relationship coach has been a winding one. As a portrait and wedding photographer, she built a thriving business and an internationally recognized brand. After twenty years of growth and success, she found herself at the highest levels of her industry but exhausted by stress and conflict with the people that mattered most. She turned her focus to growing her relationship with herself and others and found a life she never knew was possible. It was truly a Beautiful Outcome! Through this transformation, she discovered the power of character growth and the ability to triumph in conflict. She also discovered her passion: to stand with other creatives as they find their path to thriving in life and work.

“The relationship we have with ourself sets the foundation for the relationships we have with everyone else.”