R. J. Kern (b. 1978) is an American artist whose work explores ideas of home, ancestry, and the sense of place. He uses the photographic medium in multiple formats, utilizing both natural and artificial light to document the interaction of people, animals, and cultural landscapes.

His work has been exhibited in a number of notable exhibitions, including at the Museum of Modern Art (Tbilisi, Georgia), National Portrait Gallery (London, UK) and the Yixian International Photography Festival (Anhui, China) among others.

Awards and accolades include PDN’s 30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch 2018, CENTER 2017 Choice Award Winner, Curator’s Choice (First Place), the 2017 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize (Finalist), and is the recipient of two Artist Initiative Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board (2016, 2018).

Kern’s work has been presented in a number of publications, including a feature in National Geographic (November 2017), with his series The Unchosen Ones and Out To Pasture. In 2018, Kern published his first monograph with Kehrer Verlag titled, The Sheep and the Goats, which was awarded one of “The Most Beautiful German Books 2018,” by Stiftung Buchkunst. He self-published his second monograph, The Unchosen Ones, which won an Award of Excellence in the Communication Arts 2018 Photo Annual.

Public collections holding his work include The Center for Creative Photography, the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Plains Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. He is represented by the Klompching Gallery in New York and Burnet Fine Art in Minnesota.

He lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Website: www.rjkern.com

Bella Kotak is a fine art, fashion and portrait photographer based in Oxford and London, England. An art lover from a young age she always knew that she would work within the creative industry. Photography changed her life when she picked up a camera and began a 365 project on Flickr. From that moment she was hooked by this medium that translates thoughts and imagination into tangible form. Inspired by fairytales, nature and strong feminine characters Bella’s pictures lift the veil of the overlooked and reminds us that there’s magic in the most ordinary of spaces.

Website: www.bellakotak.com

Pratik Naik is a commercial and editorial retoucher, working with top photographers, ad agencies, brands, networks, the film industry, editors of magazines, art directors, and other facets of the photography world. He has 9 years of experience as a high-end retoucher and has also been working in Photoshop for over 16 years.

On the side, Pratik is also a retouching educator, with experience on all levels, from intermediate to advanced high-level skill sets. Pratik’s ability to demonstrate and communicate concepts, examples, and techniques is what makes him possible. His work with clients all over the world allows him to effectively communicate the world-standard when it comes to retouching techniques and mindset.

Website: www.solsticeretouch.com

Rodney Lough Jr. is an award-winning Master Wilderness Photographer…

blah blah blah…bottom line is he does what he loves to do and in the end, it shows.  Join him for a fun-filled and interactive conversation about what got him going and what keeps him going.  You never know you might just come to love this guy, or not.

blah blah blah continues here…who has been traveling to the ends of the earth and weathered all types of climate, in a quest to find nature’s most exquisite terrains to photograph. Equipped with years of back-country experience – Rodney is determined to obtain that perfect image of Mother Nature at her best. From the sweltering dry deserts of the American Southwest to the rainforests in the Pacific Northwest, from waist-deep snowfields of the great Alaska wilderness to the heat in Death Valley, Rodney has survived everything the earth has thrown at him. He’s even survived a fall off a 30-foot cliff!

Renowned for the vibrant colors and rich textures of his wilderness landscape photography, Rodney is a purist who captures what nature creates, using no color filters or darkroom deception. The world today is a remarkable place full of beauty and splendor,” Rodney exclaims. “To witness the simple grandeur of creation, the miracle of nature, is perhaps all that we need. The peace received while viewing a leaf turned color at the height of fall is immense and divine.”

– Myriam Letchner [editor in chief | Popular Photography] “Rodney captures the stillness and quiet in the midst of a world of motion.  His photography renders a brief slice of time – when the light and the weather and the smallest details of the scene all align – timeless and magisterial.”

Website: www.rodneyloughjr.com

Brad Kaye is a commercial product and architectural photographer, retoucher and digital asset manager.  He has over a decade of experience shooting Phase One camera systems and mastering the various layers of Capture One Software. As lead Technical Support advisor at Capture Integration, Brad consults with and for the industry’s top photographers. A part of his platform is to educate clients on the endless possibilities associated with Phase One XF Systems. Known as the XF Xpert, Brad’s ability to deliver cutting edge XF/IQ Capture Pilot, focus stacking and custom tuning seminars is highly regarded within the photography tech industry.

Josef Blazar is the owner of Blazing Editions, one of the leaders in the Fine Art Printmaking Industry. His company is based in New England, and is dedicated to providing the finest reproductions work on a variety of substrates. Working with array of art professionals throughout North America, Josef has a broad knowledge of the art market. With a vast amount of machinery and expertise, his company has the ability to handle custom/unique jobs. Currently, Blazing has developed into the largest sublimation onto aluminum distributor to the fine art industry. The main focus of the company is based on quality & service.

Website: www.blazing.com

Speaker: Brad Kaye

Whether you’re new to Capture One or you’re a self taught user interested in more formal training, this Capture One talk is designed to help you get the most out of Capture One software. Understand how to use Capture One and bring out the absolute best in your images, integrate Capture One into your workflow, and learn the benefits of using Capture One in comparison to other editing software. Don’t compromise image quality. Find out how Capture One can radically change your work.

Speaker: Josef Blazar

Josef Blazar is the owner of Blazing Editions, a fine art printing company based in Rhode Island. In his presentation “The Art of Printmaking and Selling Your Prints,” Blazer will discuss the mission and background of Blazing Editions, emphasizing the importance of quality and customer service. He will also share information on various topics relating to printing images, from the benefits and drawbacks of paper and metal substrates to the importance of high resolution photos when printing from a camera. After an overview of important details in the process of printing and re-printing images, Blazer will provide valuable insight relating to art exhibitions, selling prints, interacting with galleries, and the hardships of online-focused selling.

Speaker: Bella Kotak & Pratik Naik

Join Bella Kotak and Pratik Naik on a photoshoot workflow session. Watch Bella Kotak explain her concept and inspiration, direct and shoot a fantasy inspired scene. Learn how to incorporate Capture One seamlessly in the retouching workflow with Pratik Naik. Together, over an hour and a half, this duo will produce a picture from start to finish.

Speaker: Rodney Lough Jr.

Rodney Lough Jr. has spent a lifetime traveling to the ends of the earth, weathering all types of climates, in order to find the best views of the most beautiful places on the planet. Rodney will share images of these special places with the you and explain the inspiration behind the shot. Learn about Rodney’s experiences and his successful path to becoming a world renowned Fine Art photographer.

Speaker: R. J.  Kern

The path transitioning from an “emerging” to an “emerged” artist is one that R.J. has been exploring with intent since 2012. His learn-by-trying approach has allowed him to move from weddings to a fine-art photographer published in National Geographic magazine (all shot with his Phase One). I’m giddy to share tips vital to artists’ careers not taught in art school including working with a book publisher, landing a gallery, structuring limited editions, pricing work, and how to stay happy in between.