Rebecca Crumley is one of the industry's leading experts in wedding photography and style. In her role as Weddings Photo Director at The Knot, she is responsible for producing hundreds of real wedding stories a year featured across the XO Group brands in print, online and broadcast. Her daily interaction with real wedding images and relationships with thousands of photographers allows her to truly predict trends and stay on the pulse of local wedding markets. Rebecca is often called upon for her photographic expertise and editorial advice for various trade shows, like The Photo Plus Expo in New York City and the Maui Photo Festival. She has also contributed to such publications as Photo District News^® and Rangefinder.

David Hicks is the photography editor for Washingtonian Magazine. Born in Arlington, VA, he grew up mostly in Middleburg, graduated from Loudoun County High School, and received a painting degree from the Rhode Island School of Design.
After college, he worked for a billboard company, where his assignments included painting the Marlboro man at RFK Stadium. Also an eight-foot chicken leg and a similarly proportioned ice-cream sundae.
His photo editing career began at stock agency Uniphoto/Pictor in the mid-90's. Landing at the White House as a photo editor for Clinton, he traveled often with the President and collected many fragile items. More recently, he was a photo editor at Washingtonpost.com and deputy photo editor at USA Weekend.

Bonnie Stutski is the senior photogrphy editor for Smithsonian magazine, where she researches, assigns, directs and edits photography to illustrate articles and photo essays. Bonnie has more than 30 years' experience in photography and publishing, working at various times as a freelance photographer, photo agent, documentary film producer, and as a photo editor (and occasional writer) for National Wildlife Federation Books, the National Geographic Society and Time-Life Books. Bonnie is a member of ASPP (American Society of Picture Editors), NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association), and is on the affiliae Council of ILCP (International League of Conservation Photographers). Besides judging Smithsonian magazine',s annual photography contest, she has judged and curated a number of other photography contests and exhibits mounted by organizations such as Nikon, regional Artists' Guilds , and galleries and museums around the country.

Nevada Wier is a multiple award-winning photographer specializing in documenting the remote corners and cultures of the world. Nevada's journeys have taken her throughout the deserts, mountains, and urban jungles of the globe. She has been published in numerous national andinternational publications, including: National Geographic, Geo, National Geographic Adventure, Islands, Outdoor Photographer, Outside, and Smithsonian. Getty, Corbis, and Blend represent her stock photography. Her fine-art photography is shown at the Verve Gallery (Santa Fe) and Zia Gallery (Chicago). Nevada's books include are "The Land of Nine Dragons - Vietnam Today" (Abbeville Press), winner of the Lowell Thomas Best Travel Book of 1992 award, and "Adventure Travel Photography" (Amphoto). She was a participating photographer in "A Day in the Life of Thailand" (Collins) and "Planet Vegas" (Collins); and a participating photographer for "Mother Earth" (Sierra Clubs Books). She is currently working on a new book, "A Nomadic Vision" (publication TBA) and "Myanmar: Lost in Time" (publication TBA). Nevada is a well-known keynote speaker and workshop and seminar instructor. She teaches at the Santa Fe Workshops and Lightroomworkshops.com, among others. She is currently on tour with the National Geographic Traveler CREATIVITY WITH LIGHT seminar series. She was a frequent photographer on Canon Photo Safaris and a regular guest on The Travel Channel. She is a Fellow of The Explorer's Club and a member of the Women's Geographic Society. Please visit her website http://www.nevadawier.com/

Michael Hanson is an award winning travel and documentary photographer based in Seattle. Michael has worked with a variety of clients including The New York Times, Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Starbucks, Patagonia, Lexus Magazine, Monocle, America 24/7, US Airways, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among others. He was named one of the World's Top Travel Photographers by Popular Photography Magazine. His fine art work is part of the Sir Elton John Collection. Michael's first book, "Breaking Through Concrete," is now on the bookshelves throughout the country. He co-founded the Center Street Photography Workshop in Birmingham, AL and has taught workshops around the world. In the Fall of 2012, Michael will begin his first documentary film on a threatened river in his native South.

Aidan Sullivan began his career as a news photographer working on foreign assignments for various UK publications covering events and conflicts in Afghanistan, India, and Northern Ireland. He became picture editor of The Sunday Times of London as the youngest photo editor during a critical time when the paper was completely redesigned. He was promoted to director of photography and was responsible for all of the photography at the Sunday Times Magazine. Sullivan is now Vice President of Photo Assignments for Getty Images and is based in London and NYC.

Nancy Walz directs photo services at Discovery Communications, where her team produces still photography and multimedia for networks including the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC and the Oprah Winfrey Network. She has commissioned award-winning work from many of the world's top photographers, who've been honored by Graphis Photo Annuals and the Lucies International, among others. Nancy previously was a photojournalist and documentary photographer in Seattle, Madrid and Barcelona, and served as staff photographer for Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. She has been a judge and portfolio reviewer for a variety of organizations and was recently named advisor to Boston University Center for Digital Imaging Arts.

Alison Wright, a New York-based documentary photographer, has spent a career capturing the universal human spirit through her photographs and writing. For many of her projects Alison travels to the remotest regions of the globe photographing endangered cultures and people while documenting issues concerning the human condition.
Wright's photography is represented by the National Geographic Society and has been published in numerous magazines including National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Islands, Smithsonian Magazine, American Photo, Natural History, Time, Forbes, O: The Oprah Magazine and The New York Times. She is a recipient of the Dorothea Lange Award in Documentary Photography, and a two-time winner of the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award. Wright's photographs have also been published in a number of her books including The Spirit of Tibet: Portrait of a Culture in Exile, The Dalai Lama: A Simple Monk, Faces of Hope: Children of a Changing World, and a variety of National Geographic books.
On January 2, 2000 Alison's life was nearly cut short during a horrific bus accident on a remote jungle road in Laos. Wright's memoir, "Learning to Breathe; One Woman's Journey of Spirit and Survival," chronicles this inspirational story of survival and years of rehabilitation, and her ongoing determination to recover and continue traveling the world as an intrepid photojournalist.
Wright has photographed for a variety of aid organizations and her most recent humanitarian photos cover the earthquake in Haiti, the tsunami in Sri Lanka, Hurricane Katrina and poverty in America. In the spirit of helping the communities that she photographs, Wright has started her own foundation called the Faces of Hope Fund that helps provide medical care and education to children in crisis around the world.
For more information visit:
www.alisonwright.com
www.facesofhope.org www.nationalgeographicassignment.org

Kat's diverse background as an art student, artist's rep, photo studio manager, creative wrangler and art producer give her a 360-degree perspective of the advertising world. She's worked on the agency side, vendor side and the client side with Campbell Mithun, Carmichael Lynch, The Martin Agency, Target and Best Buy. Clients have included St. Ives, Nexxus, TREsemme, Vanity Fair Lingerie, Wrangler, Harley-Davidson, Saab, Finlandia Vodka and Seiko, and she's been fortunate enough to work with many incredible shooters over the years. As a consultant and advisor, Kat's given presentations and workshops all over the country to professionals and students interested in learning some of the ins and outs of advertising. In addition to serving as the Board Chair of MNfashion Kat is currently on advisory boards/committees for The Women's Foundation of Minnesota, The Advertising Federation of Minnesota, Stevie Ray's and Stage Place. She previously served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Center for Photography and functioned on leadership roles in various school-related groups. Kat believes that sharing her experiences with others will help keep our industry strong.

In 1999 Suzanne left the art buying department she had established at the Martin Agency. It was time to apply her experience working with some of the world's best photographers to a new role: consulting with those who wanted to take their careers to the next level. In 2007 she started the "Photographer's Survival Tour," speaking around the country with Amanda Sosa Stone. In 2008, National Geographic's assignment division asked her to help revamp their marketing efforts. She enlisted the help of her speaking partner and Nadine Stellavato Brown (Brand Envy) to help in this once-in-a-lifetime project. In April of 2009, The "Photographer's Survival Guide" was published and can be purchased at Amazon and many national and local bookstores.
Suzanne has had the wonderful opportunity to work with all levels of photographers, helping them achieve their goals. It is great when a photographer gets that dream job they have always wanted, and their continued success is what makes Suzanne the happiest. Suzanne has a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been published several times in Photo District News, the APA newsletter, and Digital Imaging Techniques. She has spoken around the country on behalf of ASMP, APA, and Black Book and in New York and Los Angeles for PhotoExpo. She has been a judge for APA National and FotoWeek DC. Suzanne can be reached via e-mail at suzanne.sease@verizon.net and by phone at 804-741-9070.

Eugene Mopsik, who took up his appointment as executive director of the American Society of Media Photographers, ASMP, six years ago, has a long and distinguished record with the trade association. A successful Philadelphia corporate/industrial photographer Mr. Mopsik served on ASMP's board for many years, including a term as president, 2000-2001. He has a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and admits being ill-equipped at graduation, in 1970, to become a professional photographer but proceeded with this chosen career, in spite of "good advice from family and friends."
As ASMP executive director, he has been involved in discussions with the Nielsen Corp., Getty Images, the New York Times regarding their freelance contracts, and worked to create new agreements between photographers and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) regarding the rights to images submitted for various AIA competitions. Recently he has also been very involved with the creation of strategy for the congressional discussions related to Orphan Works legislation along with overseeing educational programming for ASMP. Beyond the day-to-day management of ASMP's operations, Mr. Mopsik develops long-range strategy to maintain ASMP's position as the premier trade association for the world's most respected photographers. When not in the office or traveling for ASMP, he can found sailing or gardening.

Amy Yenkin is the Director of the Open Society Institute's Documentary Photography Project, based in New York City. She joined OSI in 1994 as the deputy director of scholarships and later held the positions of Associate Director of the Open Media Research Institute (an OSI-related organization based in Prague) and Associate Director of OSI's U.S. Programs.
Yenkin helped establish the Moving Walls documentary photography exhibition in 1998 and in 2004 developed and launched OSI's Documentary Photography Project where she oversees several grant and exhibition programs.
Prior to OSI, she worked in Washington, D.C., as the Director of Government Relations for NAFSA: Association of International Educators, where she represented U.S. colleges and universities in lobbying the U.S. Congress and government agencies on immigration policies affecting foreign students and the hiring of foreign faculty and researchers. She received her BA in history from the University of Michigan.

"I'm a full blown analogue photography addict and founder of The San Francisco Toy Camera Group. I worked in Discovery Channel's Photo Department for 4 years until I decided to hit the road and head to the West Coast. During this time I studied under National Geographic Photographer Raul Touzon. I assisted him on shoots and managed the West Coast chapter of his photography workshops. In 2010 "The SF Chronicle" voted me 3rd Best Portrait Photographer in the Bay Area. My photos have crowned me Grand Champion in contests, were featured in about 11 shows across the world and have appeared in magazines. When I'm not nerding out with my cameras I'm busy teaching classes about flash photography and plastic cameras."

Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier is a Mexican-born photojournalist and marine biologist who combines her understanding of the scientific underpinnings of conservation to a boundless passion for photography and communication. She is the Founder of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a prestigious non-for-profit initiative she created in 2005 to recognize photographers working in conservation. Her own photography been published and exhibited in some of the world's most influential publications. Cristina serves on the board of the WILD Foundation and on the Chairman's Council of Conservation International. Her interests range from marine issues and loss of biodiversity to indigenous knowledge, but her life's passion is photojournalism and the documentation of the intersection between nature and human societies.

A Nebraska native, Thomas D. Mangelsen is recognized as one of the world's premier nature photographers. Mangelsen's love of nature, his life in the outdoors and business success were heavily influenced by his father. An avid sportsman, Harold Mangelsen took his sons to favorite blinds along the Platte River in Nebraska to observe the huge flocks of ducks, geese and cranes that migrate through the area. From these outings Mangelsen learned important lessons for photographing in the field, including patience, waiting for the right moment and understanding animal behavior.
In the early 1970's, Tom and his brother David began selling limited edition prints of his images, and opened the first Images of Nature® gallery in 1978 in Jackson, Wyoming.
Tom's honors include his image Polar Dance being selected by the International League of Conservation Photographers in 2010 as one of the 40 Most Important Nature Photographs of All time. He was chosen in 2006 as one of Jane Goodall's "Heroes of the Animal Planet" and profiled in the television series of the same name. Also in 2006, he was presented with an honorary doctorate from Doane College. Additional accolades were being named one of the "100 Most Important People in Photography" in 2005 by American Photo magazine and also honored with Nikon's "Legend behind the Lens" recognition. He received an Honorary Fellowship from The Royal Photographic Society in 2002 and was named "Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year" by the North American Nature Photographer Association's in 2000. In 1994, Mangelsen received the prestigious British Broadcasting Corporation's "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" Award. Mangelsen is co-founder of the Cougar Fund, a founding Fellow of The International League of Conservation Photographers, on the international advisory council for the Jane Goodall Institute and a board ambassador for the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. Tom's published fine art books include, Images of Nature: The Photography of Thomas D. Mangelsen, Polar Dance: Born of the North Wind, and Spirit of the Rockies: The Mountain Lions of Jackson Hole, the first and only portrayal of cougars in the wild. In May 2008, Tom's fourth fine art book, The Natural World, based exclusively on his work in the panoramic format, was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Award for best coffee table/large format book by the PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association.
Mangelsen's work has been published in National Geographic, Life, Audubon, National Wildlife, Smithsonian, Natural History, Newsweek, Wildlife Art, American Photo and many other publications as well as featured on television programs from The Today Show and Good Morning America, to CNN's World News and ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.

MaryAnne Golon is Assistant Managing Editor and Director of Photography at The Washington Post.
Golon was Time magazine's director of photography until June 30, 2008. She managed the photography department of the newsweekly along with Michele Stephenson for over twenty years. Among her professional contributions to Time, Golon led the photography team that produced the Hurricane Katrina special edition and the September 11, 2001 special black-bordered edition, each winning National Magazine Awards for single issue topics. Golon has received numerous individual picture-editing awards from the POYi (Pictures of the Year International) and the NPPA's (National Press Photographer's Association) Best of Photography competitions.
Golon was the on-site photography editor for Time magazine during the first Gulf War in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. She was directly involved in the production of scores of award-winning Time covers and special editions. She coordinated Time's photographic coverage of the Olympic Games for sixteen years.

Welchman was born in New York State and attended the Philadelphia College of Art, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Prior to National Geographic, Welchman edited for the Philadelphia Daily News and the New York Post.

Benjamin Lowy is award winning photographer based in New York City. He received a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis in 2002 and began his career covering the Iraq War in 2003. Since then he has covered major stories worldwide. In 2004 Lowy attended the World Press Joop Swart Masterclass, he was named in Photo District News^® 30 and his images of Iraq were chosen by PDN^® as some of the most iconic of the 21st century. Lowy has received awards from World Press Photo, POYi, PDN^®, Communication Arts, American Photography, and the Society for Publication Design. Lowy has been a finalist for the Oskar Barnak Award, a finalist in Critical Mass, included in Magenta Flash Forward 2007, as well as the OSI Moving Walls 16 exhibit. His work from Iraq, Darfur, and Afghanistan have been collected into several gallery and museum shows, and shown at the Tate Modern, SF MOMA, Houston Center for Photography, Invalides, and Arles. His work from Darfur appeared in the SAVE DARFUR media campaign.
In 2011 Lowy's Iraq | Perspecitves work was selected by William Eggleston to win the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies/Honickman First Book Prize in Photography. The book is currently available and in stores now.
In 2012, Lowy was awarded the Magnum Foundation Emergency fund to continue his work in Libya. In the same year, he received the International Center of Photography (ICP) Infinity Award for Photojournalism.
Lowy is based in New York City. He is currently editorially represented by Reportage by Getty Images.

Co-Chair of the Parsons Faculty Council and former owner of Thomas Werner Gallery in Manhattan, Thomas currently lectures and teaches internationally on topics of Photography, Education, Business, Video, and the Art Market. He has had the pleasure of working with the State Department as a cultural representative for the United States in Russia, been a photography consultant for COACH and a consultant for Rodale Publishing regarding contracts and licensing. Werner is in his third term as a Director on the National Board of the American Society of Media Photographers, and a former President of ASMP's New York Chapter, former President of the ASMP Foundation, and co-founder of ASMP's nationwide Fine Art Specialty Group, among other projects and committees.
A graduate from The University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and an emphasis in film, The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena with Bachelors in Photography and a film minor, and Long Island University with a Masters of Fine Art in New Media and Performance. Thomas' research is Russian based focusing on the introduction of contemporary education methodologies and the development of creative cultures within the country. Over the last seven years he has visited over thirty Russian cities, partnering with twenty nine cultural, educational and governmental organizations to develop a series of cross cultural and educational projects. Russian partners have included; The State Hermitage Museum, the National Center of Contemporary Art, Perm Regional Government, The Moscow Biennale for Young Art, National Centre of Photography for the Russian Federation, The Central State Archive of Film, Photographic and Phonographic Documents, and the United States Department of State in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. He has curated exhibitions in the United States and internationally, including four exhibitions with the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. His personal art work and private collection of Russian photographs and artifacts have been exhibited internationally. In early 2012 he began a new collaboration with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.

Founder of thephotocloser.com an online global search engine that connects photographers to art buyers, editors and clients. Currently thephotocloser.com represents more 100 photographers in more than 60 cities around the world. For 25 years, has represented photographers and photojournalists in securing highly valued commercial assignments.
He has worked on hundreds of company photo libraries and campaigns for clients such as American Express Small Businesses, Acura Motor Sports, US Coast Guard Xerox, ESPN, Citi, Nike and others. Meo has been an active member of The Society of Photographers and Artists Representatives (SPAR) from 1984-present. He participates on various panels and workshops for the International Center of Photography (ICP), The Art Directors Club, The One Club for Art & Copy, American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), and Advertising Photographers of America (APA), PDN^® Expo and Palm Springs Photo Festival. In 2010 he was a nominator for the prestigious Infinity Awards. He was a judge for the 2011, 4th Annual Foto Week DC Awards as well as the 2012 PDN^® Photo Contest.

Christine So is the curator and PR manager for Holga Inspire, a fine art and film photography initiative co-founded by Mr. T.M. Lee, the inventor of the Holga camera. Christine is responsible for Holga Inspires' strategic planning along with selecting, promoting and connecting photographers and artists from around the world. She is the curator of the well acclaimed International Photography exhibition "The Holga Inspire Show" which has travelled extensively throughout Asia and in the US since 2009. She has invited many world renowned artists and partnered with numerous international photographic institutions and galleries on the various photography projects.
Christine acts as a juror for the annual Krappy Kamera Competition which is held in the Soho Photo New York, and has been on the judging panel for other recognised exhibitions worldwide. In 2011, she published a photo book called "Let There Be Light" for philanthropic purposes for which the proceeds went to charity. Christine So lives inHong Kong.

After a career as a New York Fashion Editor and working along side the greats of fashion photography, Aline Smithson discovered the family Rolleiflex and never looked back. Now represented by galleries in the U.S. and Europe and published throughout the world, Aline continues to create her award-winning photography with humor, compassion, and a 50-year-old camera.
She has exhibited widely including solo shows at the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art, the Lishui Festival in China, the Tagomago Gallery in Barcelona and Pairs, and the Wallspace Gallery in Seattle and Santa Barbara. In addition, her work is held in a number of museum collections. Her photographs have been featured in publications including PDN (cover), the PDN^® Photo Annual, Communication Arts Photo Annual, Eyemazing, Soura, Visura, Fraction, Artworks, Lenswork Extended, Shots, Pozytyw, and Silvershotz magazines.
In 2012, Aline received the Rising Star Award through the Griffin Museum of Photography for her contributions to the photographic community. Aline founded and writes the blogzine, Lenscratch, that celebrates a different contemporary photographer each day and offers opportunity for exhibition. She has been the Gallery Editor for Light Leaks Magazine, is a contributing writer for Diffusion, Too Much Chocolate, Lucida, and F Stop magazines, has written book reviews for photoeye, and has provided the forwards for artist's books byTom Chambers, Flash Forward 12, Robert Rutoed, amongst others.
Aline has curated and jurored exhibitions for a number of galleries, organizations, and on-line magazines. She was an overall juror in 2012 for Review Santa Fe, a 2009, 2010, and 2011, 2012 juror for Critical Mass, and a reviewer at many photo festivals across the United States. Though she was nominated for The Excellence in Photographic Teaching Award in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 and for The Santa Fe Prize in Photography in 2009 by Center, she considers her children her greatest achievement.