Honorary Professional Photographer Session Topics
Beth Young
Title: Chasing Your Own Light: Finding Inspiration and Creating Images That Matter
In a world of endless comparison and social media noise, how do we quiet the outside voices and reconnect with what genuinely moves us as photographers? In this session, Beth Young, nature photographer, architect, and healthcare art creator, explores how inspiration isn't something you force, but something that ignites when you slow down, pay attention, and start chasing your own light. Drawing on her evolving journey from cancer survivorship to placing healing imagery in healthcare environments, Beth will share how following your own creative light leads to the most authentic, compelling, and impactful images you'll ever make. Attendees will leave with a fresh perspective on mindfulness in the field, practical strategies for breaking free from comparison, and a renewed sense of purpose to carry into the botanical garden session that follows.
Kirsten Belloni
Title: What Imagery Can’t Say: The Important Role of Words
Photography is often described as a universal language, capable of communicating emotion, atmosphere, memory, and human connection without a single word. And yet, images do not always communicate fully. A photograph can show us what something looked like, but not always what it felt like, what happened before or after the frame, or why the moment even mattered in the first place.
This session explores the relationship between photographs and language - what imagery naturally communicates well, and where photographs often struggle on their own. Together, we’ll consider why photographs are sometimes misunderstood and explore how writing can deepen the way we communicate through our work, expanding imagery rather than attempting to explain it.
Our time together won’t be about becoming a “writer” or creating perfectly polished artistic language to accompany your next masterpiece. Instead, through hands-on exercises and real-world examples, we’ll explore practical ways to communicate more effectively through the integration of image and text.
Sara Kushner
Title: Bookbinding for Curious Photographers
Nature photography is an intimate art form, and it often evokes thoughts and emotions that are best processed on paper. In this workshop, you will create a handmade journal to hold those reflections. You will learn the basics of bookbinding, from cutting and measuring to folding and sewing. By the time you’re finished, you’ll have crafted a beautiful book in which to reflect on your experiences at this immersive women’s retreat.