Webinar: FREE - Get to Know the Olympus Educators by Wildside Nature Tours

About This Webinar

This webinar is a chance for you to meet and get to know the 19 Official Olympus Educators in North America. Each photographer has their own specialties, style, and unique approach to photography. If you already shoot Olympus, have been thinking of switching to Olympus, or would like to learn more about how to use Olympus camera equipment to create stunning images, then this is your chance to meet all nineteen educators. We will be asking a series of questions and then we will take some questions from the audience as well.

Come learn who can help you on your photographic journey with the Olympus OM-D system!

Presenters

Lee Hoy

Olympus Educator, Photo Instructor

As owner/operator of Big Bend Birding & Photo Tours, I focus my time on helping others enjoy the beauty of the Big Bend National Park Region and serving as a freelance photographer when time permits. Publishing is fun, but my main interest is in helping others find that special bird or teaching them to capture spectacular images while they are visiting Big Bend National Park or surrounding areas. I am an award winning photographer and my images have been in Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, Texas Highways, Bird Watcher’s Digest, & NANPA’s Expressions.

I also serve as a photography workshop instructor for Wildside Nature Tours and Kevin Loughlin with destinations such as the Galapagos Islands National Park, Ecuador, Amazon Riverboat Cruise, Costa Rica, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park in winter, and more. You can see some of my images from these destinations in my portfolio page on my website.

My passion for birding began during my first visit to Big Bend National Park in August 1989 when a Canyon Towhee caught my eye in the Chisos Basin. Since then, I have traveled to 49 states and 7 Canadian provinces in search of the birds and wildlife of North America. Big Bend is my favorite and I have been on every trail and road in the park. No one is better equipped to serve as your guide to make sure you have a wonderful experience in the park, Fort Davis, Marathon, Marfa, or other points in-between.

Tom & Lisa Cuchara

Olympus Educators

Lisa Cuchara, PhD, Master Craftsman, Master Photog., HonNEC, and Tom Cuchara, HonNEC, are passionate about photography, both behind the lens and in the digital darkroom. They have diverse creative interests ranging from Nature, Macro and Night photography to Urban exploration, people, and creative editing. From birds and flowers to babies and HDR, they appreciate the world around them and embrace the challenge of interpreting what their eyes see, and their hearts feel via their photography.

-- Join our email list to find out about our photography classes, tours, and workshops, as well as photo ops, post-processing, creativity, gear, etc. http://tinyurl.com/cuchara-photolist
-- Check out our Galleries & Images, especially Locations, Creative, Portraits, and Children https://www.photographybylisaandtom.com/
-- Follow us on Instagram @lisaandtomphotos https://www.instagram.com/lisaandtomphotos/
-- We have a lot of different online programs and workshops that we will be offering. You can view our workshops here: http://tinyurl.com/lisatomworkshops; sign up (free) to get notified of upcoming photo classes and tours
-- Our first printed book “Create Fine Art Photographs from Historic Places and Rusty Things” is on sale at Barnes & Noble, Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/lisatom-urbex.
-- Our second book with Amherst Media "The Frog Whisperer: Portraits and Stories" can also be found at Barnes & Noble and Amazon www.tinyurl.com/lisatom-frogs.
-- Also, check out our FrogScapes site: www.frogscapes.photos

Tom and I are both very active in many local and national photography organizations. We have had many successful gallery exhibitions and their work has been accepted into various juried exhibitions. Their photographs have appeared in Adirondack Life, Wild Bird, Birder’s World, in calendars and on calendar covers, and on the cover of a paperback novel. I (Lisa) have also had images accepted into the PPA (Professional Photographers of America) loan collection and earned Double Bronze with 4/4 open and 4/4 Artistry Images Meriting. Our images have won awards at the local, state, national, and international levels. We have been photographing weddings, babies, parties, portraits, etc. professionally for over 15 years and have their own Photography Studio in Hamden CT. Our portrait philosophy is based on “We do not remember days, we remember Moments”.

We teach photography a variety of image capture and post-processing workshops and seminars, in the classroom and in the field. We have presented a variety of instructional programs and workshops (Photoshop, Digital Workflow, HDR, RAW processing, Macro photography, Travel photography, plus fun and interesting travelogue slideshows) at NECCC, PPA, PSA, plus many other camera clubs and other organizations. Check out our photo and editing classes, their photo tours and workshops, and view our photographs at www.photographybylisaandtom.com.

We are excited to have an opportunity to inspire you with their "Creativity is contagious, pass it on" philosophy and their “Don’t shoot what it looks like, shoot what it feels like” approach.

Joseph Ellis

Olympus Educator

Wedding and family portrait photographer in Dallas, TX

Stan Foxworthy

Olympus Educator

Steve & Faith Hutchinson

Olympus Educators

Steve Hutchinson received his first camera when he was 11 years old and he's had a passion for photography ever since. With an extensive background in photography and camera sales, photo lab and over ten years offering camera instruction, he enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience with others.
Faith Hutchinson discovered her love of photography as an element of her art education and continued to pursue her love of art and photography throughout her career. She has a background as studio photographer, retail camera salesperson and more than 10 years as a photography instructor. She loves traveling and sharing her enthusiasm for photography.
We may come from different places, but we share a common language: photography. This is how we communicate with the world.
The goal of Our Photo Tribe Workshops is to create a fun, supportive, creative environment where each individual can receive the instruction, guidance and inspiration to create their best images. Through group classes, personalized camera instruction and guided photo workshops, let Steve and Faith lend their expertise to improving your photo skills.
See our upcoming schedule at OurPhotoTribe.com
Follow us on Instagram @OurPhotoTribe

Rob Knight

Eric Rock

Olympus Educator

Eric Rock is a leading travel and nature photographer who discovered his passion for photography early in life. At the age of sixteen he purchased his first camera and began to explore the natural world. While studying wildlife biology at the University of Alaska, he used that passion to expand his skills while working as an assignment photographer and teaching assistant in the School of Journalism. Eric began his guiding career as the head naturalist at Kantishna Roadhouse in Alaska’s Denali National Park—a perfect location to explore nature with a camera. From there, his travels have taken him around the globe while utilizing his knowledge of nature and photography to enhance his clients’ experiences through focused and personalized instruction. Eric’s expertise as a photographer and his insights as a naturalist are invaluable for revealing precise moments for the ultimate image captures. He is also recognized the world over for his laugh! Eric lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Learn more about Eric at:
www.ericrockphotography.com

Instagram@ericsrock

Victor Rodriquez

Olympus Educator

Victor is a photography professor at RCBC in New Jersey and has been teaching since 2011. On occasion, he guest teaches at his alma mater, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. He founded Photography by Victor in 2009 and continues to grow his brand through visual art. While attending The University of the Arts, his photography caught the attention of Olympus and he became an Olympus Visionary from 2012-2016. He is best known for his clean lighting and edgy fashion photography, as well as his delicious food photography and striking portraits.

You can see more of my work at https://photobyvictor.com

Ledra Davis-Woodlee

Olympus Educator

Started in 2009, Natural Connections Photo Workshops is the physical manifestation of its owner and founder’s love of travel, landscape and outdoor photography. Ledra Woodlee is the force behind this photographic venture and she loves what she does - leading photography workshops around the country for people who like to travel, learn photography and have lots of fun while doing it!

Through classroom lecture, image critique and hands-on instruction in the field, students are offered the opportunity to address their specific needs and to develop their own photographic talents and interests.

In 2012, Ledra developed a passion for a new and exciting line of equipment – Olympus mirrorless cameras. She officially switched to the Olympus OM-D line of camera gear after almost 15 years with a well-known DSLR brand. Once Ledra made the switch, she never looked back. Small, light, compact and powerful products only enhance her ability to instruct and be available for her students at all times. In 2017, Natural Connections Photo Workshops became the inaugural member in a new Olympus program, Olympus Workshop Partners, now called Olympus Educators. Ledra also teaches at the Atlanta School of Photography and for the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association.

With a background in retail photography sales and service, Ledra possesses a broad knowledge of photography gear as well as photographic technique. Everything she has learned in the retail environment only serves to deepen her knowledge and ability to help workshop participants in the classroom and in the field as well. Plus, if you want to learn more about your Olympus gear, she is an expert and can help you with all of your Olympus questions. Don't shoot Olympus? No problem! You can receive whatever help you need with any camera brand on our workshops.

Join Natural Connections Photo Workshops on any of our 1 to 7-day local or travel workshops where you are guaranteed to see beautiful places, learn more about your photography gear and capture amazing images while enjoying every minute of it!

Take a look at all our photo workshop offerings at www.naturalconnectionsphoto.com

Jamie A MacDonald

Olympus Educator (former Visionary)

Jamie MacDonald is an internationally recognized and published nature and landscape photographer living in central Michigan. A brand ambassador for Olympus Imaging N. America for the past 8 years, and a Vanguard Professional, Jamie describes his love for photography as, "Being rooted in the desire to convey emotion through imagery." Jamie is also the founder of the Mirrorless minutes podcast currently in its 6th year of production, as well as one of the founders of the Mirrorless Adventures workshop company. When Jamie isn't out chasing down an incoming storm or sunset across the state of Michigan, he can be found instructing students both in his workshops across the country, as well as from behind the keyboard through multiple social outlets. Jamie can be found on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macdonald_photo/ where he interacts with his followers around the clock.
You can subscribe to the Mirrorless Minutes Podcast on your favorite service by using the links below:
Itune: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mirrorless-minutes-photography-podcast/id1142025771
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ERhb55xYRdMUD9aLkTcjW
Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/m/I3tdkow3mjxv7tklcqndqhcxd3a?t=The_Mirrorless_Minutes_Photography_Podcast
And iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-the-mirrorless-minutes-pho-31006725/

Joe McDonald

Olympus Educator

Mary Ann McDonald

Olympus Educator

Mike Boening

Olympus Educator

Denis Rule

Olympus Educator

John & Lisa of Merrill Images

Olympus Educators, Travel and Social-Impact Photographers

We create images to evoke joy and wonder, inspire action and strengthen communities. For us, photography is a lifelong journey of mindfulness and expression, and we relish opportunities to learn from and connect with the people and places we photograph. Travel photography has been our passion for over 25 years. In both cities and wild places near and far, we strive to evoke the unique essence of people, places and events.

Based in the Seattle area, we often combine outdoor recreation and nature photography with skiing, hiking, and rafting adventures in the Pacific Northwest. 5 years ago, we switched from big, heavy cameras to nimble, lightweight, weatherproof Olympus cameras with superb optics and creative functionality – and have never looked back!

Represented by Getty Images and Danita Delimont, our photos are used by travel clients and featured in guidebooks, websites and other media, including National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, Geo, Sunset, and Outside magazines. We’re delighted that one was recently chosen for the cover of the wonderful novel Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

We enjoy helping both new and experienced photographers (with any type of camera) unleash their creativity through personalized online coaching, workshops and photo tours. In 2021, we’ll lead workshops in the Pacific Northwest and small group tours to Vietnam (April) and Ladakh in Northern India (September).

We also use our visual storytelling skills to help non-profit organizations doing vital work, especially those improving education and tackling the climate crisis. In 2019, our social-impact photography Witness to Hope was exhibited at the Seattle Foundation.

To learn more and view our photos, please visit: www.merrillimages.com

Contact: lisa@merrillimages.com

Matt Suess

Olympus Educator

Matt Suess, an Olympus Educator, has been a full-time professional photographer for over 30. Matt is a digital photography pioneer and began teaching digital photography to photojournalists in the late 90's. His passion for sharing and teaching what he has learned in his impressive and long career is evident in his down-to-earth and encouraging approach with his students.

You can see his work at select fine art exhibitions other juried events. In addition Matt teaches field & classroom workshops in at least 5 different states each year, offers online classes, one-on-one instruction, provides FREE webinars & education for ON1 and Skylum Software, and still finds time to spend with his fiancee & fine art painter Whitney M Hall as well as their two blue healer dogs. They live in Bozeman, Montana.

https://mattsuess.com
https://learn.mattsuess.com
https://www.youtube.com/MattSuessPhoto