Jesse and Susan Villemaire (better known as “Follow Me North”) are Canadian nature photographers and educators living a united life in Muskoka, Ontario. Their work encapsulates the true essence of the protected wildlife of Algonquin Provincial Park, and is the direct result of hundreds of kilometres paddled, portaged and driven. Through photography, they hope to inspire others to conserve the natural world we all share. Today, they specialize in Wildlife and Landscape Photography Workshops, exploring a variety of remote, global destinations.

Glenn Bartley is a world renowned professional nature photographer from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He focuses almost all of his efforts on capturing intimate images of birds in their natural habitat. Glenn is especially well known for his portraits of rare and difficult to photograph birds from the Neotropical Region. After achieving a Masters of Science degree in Ecological Restoration Glenn once again set off for the New World Tropics. This time his goal was to spend 6 months in Ecuador and do nothing but bird photography. On this trip Glenn practiced and developed his techniques for tropical bird photography and especially multiflash hummingbird photography. By the time he returned to Canada many people were starting to take notice of Glenn’s unique ability to create stunning images of rare and nearly impossible birds to photograph.

Angie is a fine art and commercial architecture photographer based in Chicago striving to bring a detailed, thoughtful perspective to my work, whether for clients or through the workshops she leads. Having grown up surrounded by nature yet fascinated by the big city she has called home for more than two decades. Drawing from her education in the micro sciences (molecular biology, microbiology, virology) her focus is more frequently on bold architectural details rather than sweeping cityscapes, creating images that celebrate those unexpectedly iconic elements hiding in plain sight.

Rob is an accomplished outdoors person carrying exceptional expertise in the world of photography. With a background in tourism, Rob has achieved international publication, award-winning photographs and a penchant for wilderness. Early in his career Rob started out as a photographer’s assistance in Basel, Switzerland, which laid the foundation for his success today. He has photographed for Ontario Tourism, Parks Canada, Ontario Parks and many organizations actively supporting tourism. Over the last decade Rob explored many remote and wilderness areas including Antarctica, the Arctic, Northern Quebec and Labrador as well as Greenland, all in the role of expedition photographer and photographer in residence. He is an avid teacher,where he instructs photography part time at Fleming College, writes for northern tourism organizations and maintains his photographic gallery. Most recently he was selected to be an ambassador for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Anthony Gebrehiwot is an award winning visual artist, photographer and community leader whose creative lens re-visions photography as an ongoing dialogue of social change between subject and society. A self-taught artist and photographer, Gebrehiwot founded XvXy-photo in 2014 focusing on studio portraiture. To date, he has worked with several notable brands such as Nike, Royal Bank of Canada, Vice Canada, Absolute, Hudson Bay, The City of Toronto and Linkedin to name a few. His work has been featured in over thirty local and international publications such as the Star, the Globe and Mail, PAPER Magazine, Elle UK and Yahoo Lifestyle.

Adventure is my north star. Whether I’m experiencing the aurora in Greenland, icebergs in Antarctica, or alpine lakes in my home mountains of the Canadian Rockies, I am always in search of the untold adventure. My camera is how I endeavour to bring these adventures to you. I want my photos to ignite a passion to seek the horizon and embrace the untamed outdoors. My photographic journey started as a solitary one, but as time went on, I met other photographers who enjoy adventure as much as I do. Now my favourite times are spent discovering the wild wonders with my companions. I am a dedicated yogi, a loyal friend, and a photographer.

Ray Anderson has been a member of the Toronto Camera Club since 1992 and he is one of our past presidents.  He has been traveling and photographing the world with his wife, Mary Ann, for the past 35 years, visiting over 45 countries to date.  Over the past 25 years, the couple have shared many of their travel adventures through audio-visual presentations at our club’s Public Presentation events.  Ray is well known in our club for his technical expertise in developing these audio-visual presentations, and he tries to bring something new and different to each show he creates.  His recent shows have incorporated a mix of photo, video, drone and time-lapse images.  In this workshop, Ray will focus on his interest in time-lapse photography, covering the equipment required, as well as the different methods and techniques.  He will also give an overview and demonstration of software available to assemble a final time-lapse video clip.  Time-lapse photography is a technique in which the frequency at which film frames are captured is much lower than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing.

Computer specialist by profession, Luba took early retirement in 2020 and bought her first digital camera to take on her travels. Since then, photography has become a passion and means to express her view of the world through her images. She is an accredited judge with Ontario Council of Camera Club and has won numerous trophies at club level, awards and medals at OCCC, CAPA and Toronto International Salon. Luba enjoys all types of photography – landscape, still life, night sky photography, but is most fond in creating story telling images either would it be altered reality, portraiture or still life.

Deedee Morris is an awe inspiring photographer whose work is not only beautifully raw, but is also incredibly honest. She dives in deep with her subjects, getting to know them on a personal and spiritual level, and is then able to capture a single moment that portrays their vulnerable individuality in stunning ways. Her work celebrates family, motherhood, self-understanding, and love of the natural world, all of which are outward expressions of her own values and ambitions.

Jon is passionate about planet Earth and portraying its beauty through his lens. He is an avid adventurer and explorer who practices leave no trace. He focuses on landscape and wildlife photography and specializes in fine art black and white prints. Based in both Calgary and the Bow Valley, he’s travelled extensively throughout the world. Jon holds Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees. He has led B+W and wildlife photography workshops in Alberta and B.C. and has co-led landscape and wildlife workshops in Canada and Africa. His B+W photography has been exhibited in Alberta’s EXPOSURE festival. And his full length article and photography documenting wildlife, their habitat and challenges, in the Great Bear Rainforest was recently published in the United Kingdom magazine Wild Planet Photography.

Profile Photo Credit: Wayne Simpson

Dave is a photographer, a dreamer, and a documenter. He is a writer, an explorer, and a purveyor of beauty and light. On a continual journey to seek out and capture the beauty of existence- whether it's the most extreme and pristine environments in our world, or the beauty of humanity - he is a creative who tries to avoid labels and enjoys, first and foremost, storytelling with his photography. In addition to living throughout northern Canada for much of his life - an area of Canada that he has worked hard to document and share with audiences, he has also lived in Asia and has traveled extensively through both the many provinces and territories of our native country and numerous countries abroad. He is the author of four books: Northern Light, Southern Light, Tones of Grace, and The Art of Misadventure.

Since retiring, my wife and I have become passionate about travelling around the world in search of exciting places to photograph where the people, language and culture are unlike what we see here in Canada. When we return however, we know that our portfolios will look completely different because every photographer has a unique personal style. This presentation uses short stories and more than 100 images to illustrate the 4 elements that characterize a photographer’s style - equipment, location, subjects, and how you interact with others while shooting - and how these elements impact not only the kind of images you obtain, but the very nature of the photographic adventure itself.

Observations and Interpretations drive my work through every step. I specialize in tabletop photography including Product Photography, Food, Close-up, Macro, Still Life, Floral images and Composites.

Ebti Nabag is a graduate of Ryerson University’s MFA program Documentary Media in Film and Photography. She is a visual artist who works with photography, video, and installation. She is also a digital and analogue photography instructor. She teams up with galleries and community centers to develop art programs that provide opportunities for creative self-expression and aid in the development of identity. Her documentations focus on telling stories of the everyday person who is often neglected. She also uses her work to connect with her home country, Sudan, and the people and culture of Sudan. Her work is motivated by stories from the average human, and hopes her documentations serve as bridges between people and communities.

In a flash of perception Monique identifies a moment and clicks the shutter already knowing the end result will demonstrate her empathy and intimacy. Monique finds interest by observing the mundane, the ordinary and the moments most people take for granted. She excels in producing captivating photographs that tell stories that linger in the minds of viewers. The graduate of the Western Pacific Academy of Photography in Victoria, B.C. went on to work as a newspaper photographer. She has been a Street Photographer since 2016. Her work has been exhibited, collected and published locally and internationally. When she was a freelance photographer at the Sudbury Star she won the runner-up photo of the year for Canadian Press in 1994 and the photo of the year for the Thomson Newspaper chain for her news photo of a firefighter reviving a boy. Currently Monique lives in Hamilton. In 2018, her image: Perspective was selected by the Societe National des Beaux Arts and exhibited in Paris, France at the Carrousel du Louvre.

What makes an image or a piece of art impactful and indelible to both the artist and the viewer? As photographers, we often strive for something meaningful, passionate and distinct in our art. It is our way of imprinting a statement about ourselves and our creative evolution upon the world. In this interactive talk, we will explore a new way to consider aesthetic principles and how to practice a personally mindful and heartfelt vision that is fundamental to inspirational and informed photography while exploring the state and meaning of “vision” and working towards a “finer art” photography in our art.

Padma Inguva’s passion for photography goes beyond her incredible love for photographing flowers. It extends and encompasses the architectural world and all its wonders which include photographing places of worship especially interiors. As a photographer and a student of Civil Engineering, she has managed to incorporate the two disciplines into an art form. Her appreciation of Neoclassical Architecture has led her to capture some of the magnificent religious structures in the USA. By embracing the technique of Vertoramas, Padma has been able to capture the beauty and magnificence of these incredible structures. In simple terms, it’s a combination of the already known techniques of Panoramas and HDR photography. In even simpler terms, by stitching together vertical frames and incorporating HDR photography Padma has managed to present a realistic and complimentary view of an incredibly large structure in a single image.

Based in Elora, Ontario, Wayne Simpson is a professional photographer who specializes in dramatic portraiture and landscape photography. A Sigma Pro Photographer, Simpson’s signature and award-winning style has firmly established him in the Canadian photography scene. As an educator, he conducts portrait and landscape workshops both at home and throughout Canada, and he is a proud contributor to OFFBEAT, one of the nation’s leading photography communities. His work has been published in numerous books and magazines worldwide

Photography and digital art are Gareth’s artistic releases. After taking up photography following a career as a forensic scientist, Gareth has been able to bring his imagination, vision and inquisitive mind to visual life. His art mostly explores bold abstracts or unique perspectives that are created from his original photographs or digital art creations. He uses many post-processing systems that provide him with different options and the opportunity for great exploration. He’s photographing the world with all its wonders and creations, big and small, that simply make him stop and look, or think, or smile, or feel and then he puts his take on it. Gareth’s art can be found in private collections in Canada but have also been sold around the world in places such as Brazil, England, France, Chile, Turkey, Australia, and Slovakia. Gareth has been a multiple medalist over the years in various international competitions including one of the world’s oldest photography competitions, the TCC's International Salon of Photography.

Marianna Armata was raised in Poland. She became an instant illiterate in both English and French the day she landed in Montréal at the age of twelve. Communication, by any method, became a critical skill she never abandoned. She has preferred the visual method since that life-turning moment.   Marianna recently retired from her 37-year long career as a professional graphic designer to pursue her passion in photography. She is an international award-winning photographer whose work has been published in Canadian Geographic, Canadian Camera, Photo Life, Photo News, Popular Photography, DSLR Magazine, Communication Arts, World Wildlife Foundation, and Herzstuck.  She enjoys macro and innovative conceptual photography and loves to challenge herself to capture and create something new and original every day

Lori is a Toronto-based fine art photographer, with 30 years of written communications to visual storytelling through photography experience. While she enjoys photographing many different things, her first loves are travel and landscape photography. She seeks out little mysteries in mundane, daily occurrences, and looks for echoes left behind in urban and ancient landscapes. In an increasingly noisy universe, Lori uses her photography to create a balm of silence in a quiet corner. Sixteen years of studying flying trapeze in the Toronto cirque community changed Lori’s perspective on the world. A lifelong exposure to Japanese culture gave her an appreciation for fine details and how negative spaces contribute to the tale. Lori’s camera has become both her brush and her pen, allowing her to tell the stories she finds in her viewfinder.

Shooting professionally for over 40 years, Doug's creative approach to photography is coupled with his ability to see and capture light. His love of photography, passion for art, and desire to always be the best that he can be in any field, has driven him to excel as a photographer, artist and educator, wood sculptor, master stonecutter, and fine art craftsman. His work has been on display in galleries in New York City, Washington DC Smithsonian, Buffalo, PA and Toronto, including the world-famous Ontario Art Gallery. His work has been published in dozens of magazines and throughout the web on commercial sites. He has received numerous national and international awards including the Kodak award for image excellence. He is the owner of AMP Studios, a successful commercial portrait and fashion photography studio in North Tonawanda, New York.

A New York-based award-winning photographer, creative director, and designer, Michael Chinnici has traveled the world photographing people, street, architecture, landscapes, motorsports, aerial, and fashion. He enjoys the challenges that various photographic disciplines present. He is the Founder and CEO of Photo Workshop Adventures. Frequently, he speaks at events where he discusses his "Evoking Emotion" approach to photography. Currently, Michael is pursuing several ongoing personal projects including a curated visual storytelling book titled “Vanishing Cuba.”

Lee Nordbye is an established outdoor photographer, based in Calgary Alberta. He pursues his love affair with the Canadian Rockies through adventures with his family and friends, as a Hiking Leader for Outdoor Canada and as an Apprentice Interpretive Guide for the Interpretative Guides Association. His thirst for exploration, photography and adventure have grown over the years, propelled by his experiences living in the United Kingdom and photographing Europe, Greenland, and Namibia. Lee began studying photography as an art form in 2015, and since 2017 has made bold storytelling his life's work, in particular black and white photography.