Kent Mason is a landscape and nature photographer who is currently creating a photographic environmental study of extraordinary wild places in the highlands of West Virginia. This is a collaboration effort with The Nature Conservancy which will result in a book titled The West Virginia Wilderness: A Photographic Study and Conservation View. Kent has been involved in photography for over 25 years and has been teaching visual design classes for the past ten years. He sells fine art landscape photography, has displayed his work in such places as National Wildlife Federation headquarters, and has had images published in calendars and Nature’s Best magazine. He also runs photo tours in the West Virginia highlands where he lives six months of the year.
Kent Mason
William B. Folsom
William B. Folsom is a retired Foreign Affairs Officer with the Department of Commerce and a diplomat with the Department of State, who traveled to over 60 countries while either living overseas (China, Haiti, Greece, Hungary, Mexico, and Morocco), on official business, or while vacationing. He incorporated his business in 1982 and has over 100 magazine and book covers to his credit (including Time International) with hundreds of published photographs used inside books and magazines. Mr. Folsom now operates as a full-time photographer specializing in aviation and architectural photography, event photography, portraiture, product work (especially foods), as well as weddings. He is the author of Art and Science of Butterfly Photography (Amherst Media) and is currently writing an update of his butterfly book to cover digital camera applications and is finishing a book on Event Photography that should be released in 2008. He is the Resident Photographer at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens where he also teaches photography. He is one of the founders of the Meadowlark Nature Photography Expo and serves as Meadowlark's representative during the planning and implementation phases of this great event.
Jim Clark
For the past thirty-two years, Jim has been an award-winning and nationally renowned nature photographer, writer, motivational speaker, and instructor. A contributing editor for Outdoor Photographer Magazine, Jim’s articles and images have also appeared in magazines such as Nature’s Best, Defenders, Wildlife Refuge, Wonderful West Virginia, Birders World, Country, Photo Media, and Wild Bird. Other clients have included Nikon, National Wildlife Federation, Nature Conservancy, and FujiFilm.
Jim is the author and photographer of three books: West Virginia: The Allegheny Highlands (Westcliffe Publishers), Mountain Memories: An Appalachian Sense of Place (WVU Press) and The Land Between Ocean & Bay: A Natural Celebration of the Eastern Shore (Mountain Trail Press), which is scheduled for release in fall 2008.
Jim is past President of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA and he serves on the advisory board for Nature’s Best Magazine. Jim is also a member of the Fujifilm Talent Team.
Website: http://www.jimclarkphotography.com
Email: jimclarkphoto@comcast.net
After 20 years as a professional jazz artist, Tony changed careers and directed his creative juices towards nature photography. The improvisational, spontaneous, and abstract nature of jazz are also integral elements of nature photography.
Today, Tony's work is published worldwide. His images are represented by the Getty Picture Agency. His photographic prints are exhibited at the Nikon Corporate office in NYC, Mercy Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Breast Center, and in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. He also has 2 images on Apple Macintosh computers desktop patterns.
Tony and Susan conduct “Visual Artistry” photography workshops throughout the continental United States and Canada. Tony's articles and photography are featured in Shutterbug and Rangefinder magazines, and as contributor to Nikonnet.com. He is a staff writer for Nikon World magazine.
He has authored three books on the art of photography: Fine Art Nature Photography, Fine Art Flower Photography, and Fine Art Photography: water, ice, fog (Jan. 2007). Fine Art Digital Nature Photography is due out January, 2009. All are published by Stackpole Books.
Tony maintains an active speaking schedule on the subjects of nature and flower photography and marketing, addressing professional photography organizations, universities, seminars, and workshops in the U.S. and Canada.
Tony is a staff instructor on http://betterphoto.com and is a member of the Baltimore chapter of ASMP. Tony is honored to be a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens and is a member nikSoftware’s Team Nik.
Tony Sweet
James Steele is a photographer and master photographic printer working primarily in black and white. Influenced by the work of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, he works in both traditional and digital media.
Steele has a studio at the Torpedo Factory Art Center and his work is in many corporate and private collections. He is on the Board of Directors of the Arts Council of Fairfax County and has received Photographer-of-the-Year award six times from the Northern Virginia Photographic Society. He frequently lectures on the subject of fine black and white printing.
Steele guest lecturers in photography at Georgetown University and teaches for the Art League and Photoworks.
Jim Steele
Ian J. Plant has been photographing our natural world for the past thirteen years. His work has appeared in a number of regional and national magazines, including Adirondack Life, Chesapeake Life, Blue Ridge Country, Bay Journal, Wonderful West Virginia, and National Parks magazines. Ian has published five books in the "Wonder and Light" series: "Shenandoah Wonder and Light", "Maryland Wonder and Light", "West Virginia Wonder and Light", "Virginia Wonder and Light", and "Blue Ridge Parkway Wonder and Light". Ian's photographs also appear in two yearly scenic wall calendars: "Virginia", and "Chesapeake Bay", which is the official calendar of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. His most recent book is the critically acclaimed "Chesapeake: Bay of Light. An Exploration of the Chesapeake Bay's Wild and Forgotten Places." The book follows in the wake of the famous Captain John Smith, who explored the Chesapeake Bay 400 years ago and helped found Jamestown, the first successful English colony in America. "Chesapeake: Bay of Light" presents a photographic vision of the Bay as Smith might have seen it: a wild and untamed place, full of abundant wildlife and seemingly endless shores. The Washington Post calls the book "invigorating," showing "how extraordinarily enriched and beautiful the Bay still is." The Washington Times says "I can't keep my hands off Chesapeake: Bay of Light. Plant's sensational lens work . . . is a smash hit. [T]ry as I might I cannot find a single thing about this book that I do not like." Ian's work can be viewed online at www.ipphotography.com.
Ian Plant
Jack Nevitt has been a nature photographer since the early 1970s. "I love nature and sharing that experience with other photographers. I've been focusing on photography since I purchased my first 35mm SLR camera in 1968. Now I own and operate a photo safari business and enjoy helping others learn to shoot beautiful nature pictures.”
Photographing wildlife inspires me. I am attracted to wildlife because it is so unique. I love the challenge of photographing birds, especially birds in flight, because they are so beautiful and graceful as they glide into view. My favorite times of day for taking pictures are dawn and dusk, at which time I am stimulated by the ever changing light, form and movement. Once I find a suitable location, I keep returning to that spot to catch the light at just the right time of day.
When I share my images with the public, I try to communicate the mood and emotion that I felt when I took the photograph. Even though the digital sensor does not have the range of exposure that the human eye has, my final goal is to have a photograph that resembles the emotion that I felt when I first saw the image in my viewfinder.
He has been published by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, Time Life Magazine, Northern Woodlands Magazine, The Loudoun Magazine and other publications. His photographs have also received numerous best of show and sponsor awards. He also enjoys being a freelance sports photographer with the Washington Examiner and Potomac News.
In 2006, Jack started Virginia Digital Photo Safaris, www.vasafaris.com and has recently acquired a new partner, Alan DeFelice, www.defeliceimages.com. Together they conduct in-field photo workshops in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Florida, and teach a bird and basic photography classes.
Jack's work can be viewed at www.jnevitt.com
Jack Nevitt
Joe Miller
Joseph Miller conducts workshops for serious photographers, teaches photography at the Northern Virginia Community College, Manassas Campus, and frequently speaks, critiques, and judges at photographic societies. He writes extensively on a number of photographic subjects with particular interest in visual communication and design, judging photographs, and judging judges. He was instrumental in the creation of the Northern Virginia Alliance of Camera Clubs. He works out of his Center for the Photographic Arts in Northern Virginia. His photography has been influenced by the renowned international photographer, Freeman Patterson, from whom he has taken workshops in Canada and Africa.
Alan DeFelice
Alan DeFelice has been photographing nature and travel photography since the early 1990’s. What started as an archival of travel has grown with his interests into a full time obsession. When he started in photography, Alan’s career centered on traveling and training. That experience has helped Alan to hone his skills as a guide and instructor while helping to run photo workshops as part of Virginia Digital Photo Safaris. Alan has dabbled in several types of photography to include landscapes, sports, portraiture, fine art, and macro, but is probably best known for his nature and wildlife photography. Alan has been published in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s monthly publication, as well as Serenity magazine, the Centreville Times and has photographed album covers and CD inserts for local recording artists such as Michael Jones. Alan debuted his work on Public Television for a program called Photographers of Northern Virginia and has received awards in regional and national photography contests alike to include the Chesapeake Bay, “Save the Bay” National photo competition, and the Manassas Freedom Museum regional photography competition. Alan’s love of nature and knowledge of animal behavior is what makes his photography stand out in a crowd.
Corey Hilz
Corey Hilz focuses his photography on the natural world. The diversity in nature offers boundless opportunities for fresh images. From mountains and trees to water and flowers, Corey approaches his subjects with an artistic eye looking for rhythm, texture and pattern. He goes beyond the documentary image to show a unique perspective using colors, shapes and lines. He strives to share the beauty of a destination you’ve never seen and provide a new perspective of a place you know well.
Corey has built his stock of photographs from travel and extensive exploration of local areas, believing some of the most interesting subjects are found close to home. He has a variety of publication credits, which include magazines, calendars, brochures and catalogues. Corey’s work is seen in exhibits throughout the Washington DC area. His prints are also found in private collections.
Corey has a passion for sharing his knowledge about photography. He leads workshops and particularly enjoys working with students in the field, so they may learn to improve their images as they create them. His instruction enables photographers to improve their photographs technically and artistically. Corey provides group and individual instruction.
Corey is a member of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) and the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA).
Website: www.coreyhilz.com