Presenters

The Street Photography of Matt Hall. Matt will spend an hour presenting his work and discussing his process followed. A Q&A will follow.          

Florence will show us how to set up your image archive on your own network. Philip will be presenting his 2024 travelog.            

Making Meaningful Photographs Kas Stone, Nova-Scotia-based photographic artist, will explore ways to create meaning in your photographs using thoughtful subject selection, visual design, metaphor, and other techniques. The aim is to make images that are more than just “pretty pictures” and instead have the power to make viewers feel and think, laugh and cry, and connect more deeply with your work.    

In this presentation, Todd will cover the basics of Photoshop composition and provide more advanced techniques for those eager to hone their skills in this creative genre of photography! He will go over the definition of Composite Photography, showcase examples of his own work and of other International artists which will cover the spectrum from simple to more detailed composites. Additionally, he’ll discuss some simple techniques that all composites must share to ensure they have a basis in reality. Todd will also speak about ideation and where to get inspired for your concepts! Finally, there will be a 20-minute Photoshop video on how to add a layer from one image and place it into another scene ensuring it matches the environment perfectly. There will be time at the end for questions and answers.

Crazy about Wildlife Photography - A Wildlife Primer Joe Desjardins is a seasoned veteran in the realm of wildlife and nature photography, with an impressive career spanning three decades. He has garnered recognition for his work, earning the esteemed Master Photographer designation from MPI (Master Photographers International). His diverse skill set is evident through his numerous accreditations from PPOC (Professional Photographers of Canada), covering a wide range of subjects including wildlife, nature, portraits, and equine photography.

Graphic designer and avid photographer, member of MCC for the last 5 years. As a graphic designer working at the World Bank in Washington DC, visual communication, design concepts, page layout and photography, has always been an important part of my work and interest. Going back and forth between different art form — watercolour, ink, mix media and photography. I love exploring shapes, colours, textures, getting out of my comfort zone. Now retired, travelling allows me to expand my horizons. Its fascinating!

Liz finds wonder in the idea that nature and the physical world are far more complex than our senses allow us to experience. Science tells us we're made of cells, cells made of atoms, and that trillions of subatomic particles pass through us every second. Trees converse with each other over fungal “phone” networks; creatures have ultraviolet properties; dogs and elephants hear above and below the octaves we can hear. So much is happening beyond our perception that reality as defined by our senses, or even by science, can't come close to uncovering the mysteries. Liz works with the process of in-camera multiple exposures to explore the intricate tapestry, infinite, abstract, and full of complexity. She does this traveling around the world with her lenses and beloved dog, Buster!

Nic is a lifelong entrepreneur who turned “Professional” photographer in 2020.  This allows him to spend 90 or so days a year in the field and has taken him to all 7 continents.  While he enjoys travel and exploration it is often the places he gets to return like the Canadian Rockies, High Sierra of CA, or Desert Southwest of the US that hold the most value for him on his own creative journey. Nic works daily on a mission to “help nature photographers, who are interested in deeper connections, create more impactful images, so they can confidently and consistently express themselves.”  It his belief that we choose the craft of or the appreciation of photography to deepen our connection to ourselves, others, or the natural environment.

Mike Moats is an international award-winning full time pro macro photographer from Michigan. He is a Tamron Image Master, Vanguard Pro, and his articles and images have been published in many photo magazines for over 20 years. He has a Macro Photo Club online with over 2,900 members, from 29 countries. Mike teaches workshops and speaks at photo conference throughout the US.

My deep visual focus led me to a career as a graphic designer, illustrator, and photographer. My background in graphic design naturally influences my photographic style. I specialise in macro photography because it reveals hidden details we often overlook in the Big Picture. My childlike curiosity fuels my passion for discovering and sharing the unseen beauty around us. Through my work, I aim to show how all creatures, even the smallest, are interconnected and part of a greater whole. I enjoy sharing my passion with photo clubs through online presentations and hands-on workshops. 

Angie is a fine art and commercial architecture photographer based in Chicago, striving to bring a detailed, thoughtful perspective to her work, whether for clients or through the workshops she leads. Having grown up surrounded by nature yet fascinated by the big city she's called home for more than two decades, she brings the meditative calm of her upbringing to a terrain that’s always transforming. Drawing from her education in the microsciences (molecular biology, microbiology, virology) her focus is more frequently on bold architectural details rather than sweeping cityscapes, creating images that celebrate those unexpectedly iconic elements hiding in plain sight. She frequently works with art consultants, designers, brands, architectural firms, and private collectors, creating images that draw out the organic interplay between design, structure, environment, and society. Publication credits include Chicago Magazine, National Geographic, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Architectural Digest. Exhibitions by galleries in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Barcelona, and other destinations.

Hazel Meredith is an award-winning photographer and a sought-after teacher, speaker, and competition judge. She began teaching in 2007, and now does seminars at camera clubs and conferences across the U.S. – both in-person and virtual. She offers her own workshops and webinars, and has done webinars for several software companies. She has written two eBooks on working with textures, and released two creative courses. She and her husband, Dave, produce the “Virtual Creative Photography Conference” with attendees from around the world. Hazel loves the creative aspect of photography and post- processing, especially the use of textures and software to create unique images. She is actively involved with the photographic community, and has held leadership roles and received honorary distinctions from several organizations. In the Fall of 2020 she was the recipient of the Ashbrook Award for Digital Imaging Instruction from the Photographic Society of America.  

In 2017 a friend, a photographer, encouraged me to explore photography by taking an introduction course. I subsequently joined a photo club in my area and slowly started to gain more knowledge and confidence. I basically shot anything and everything. The most challenging hurdle was identifying what I liked.  From that point, I started to develop a style.  Photography turned into a keen passion. I discovered that the intense development of my sense of observation, actually made it possible for my camera lens to transform the seemingly mundane, into outstanding images of great beauty.   Two year ago, I found my niche in Black & White photography.   My style is motivated by a desire to find and show the soul of what I perceived in the images I capture. The creative venue of black and white most successfully achieves the results I seek.    Through the medium of abstract creation, I attempt to achieve images that are strikingly real, intriguing, and timeless. I attempt to endow them with all the necessary components that will take viewers on a personal journey of self-discovery and stimulating reflections when we pause and observe.

Bio: Graphic designer and avid photographer, member of MCC for the last 5 years.  As a graphic designer working at the World Bank in Washington DC, visual communication, design concepts, page layout and photography, has always been an important part of my work and interest. Going back and forth between different art form — watercolour, ink, mix media and photography. I love exploring shapes, colours, textures, getting out of my comfort zone. Now retired, travelling allows me to expand my horizons. Its fascinating! Antartica: Tonight I would like to take you with me, to a stunning destination: Antarctica, the trip of a life time.  Antarctica, with its incredible icy landscapes, with infinite shades of white and blue, inhabited with marine fauna of an exceptional beauty, huge glaciers and icebergs drifting away in the southern ocean. Of course, penguins - royal, gentoo, chinstrap and adélie, astonishing birds who share their heavenly beaches with sea lions and crabeater seals, in a magnificent decor bathes with polar light, with whales swimming in the background.  Lets set sail to South Georgia and Antarctica.

Photography is a passion, and every image should convey emotion—whether the subject is animals, nature, people, or landscapes. Expressions may be subtle or powerful, but a skilled photographer must master both vision and equipment to capture feeling as a scene unfolds. George has been honing his craft for more than seventy years. Since joining the MCC fifteen years ago, he has embraced a journey of friendship, learning, and travel, visiting exotic destinations to express emotion through every photograph he creates. His most recent journey took him to Greenland, where he photographed crimson sails beneath a sky that never truly darkens—where night becomes a continuous blend of golden, blue, and amber light. This presentation explores the emotions and moods of nature as the sun nearly sets, revealing the majestic beauty of towering icebergs.

Jackie has been photographing the natural world, with an emphasis on flowers and birds since high school. Jackie's work has received international acclaim for her images and has been published in numerous online and print magazines. Jackie's true passion is to encourage people to live their legacy, which she does primarily through her Facebook group, Phlorography - Artistic Floral Photography, with passionate floral photographers from around the world. She is committed to supporting other photographers and using photography as a medium to build relationships and enrich each other’s lives. Jackie leads photography tours to gardens in North America and to birding hotspots in Central and South America and also hosts an online academy with classes taught by world renowned photographers.

Tony Sweet is a widely published photographer, workshop leader (Visual Artistry Workshop Series), author, and sought after speaker. His work has been featured in every media worldwide. He is the author of the 6 book Fine Art Nature Photography series (Stackpole), and has co-produced an instructional DVD series (Masterphoto). Tony is a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens.

Wildlife photographer, animal lover and Naturopathic Doctor, based out of Montreal, Canada.  As of 2010, when she is not in her office, she is out in nature, waiting for an animal to strike a pose, and absolutely loving it!  Growing up with a huge appreciation for nature, photographing wildlife came naturally to Ilana.  She has won several local, national, and international awards. She was the chair of the nature division at the Montreal Camera Club 2015-2018. She loves to travel, to be out in nature, to discover new places and get to know new birds and other animals, meet great people and share her love of photography through workshops, lectures and the sale of her photos. Ilana has been published in nature magazines and her work has been exhibited at local cafés, art galleries, hospitals, and local universities. Her photographs are all about sharing the extraordinary beauty of animals with you. She feels that the more we know about these incredible creatures, the more we can work together to protect them and their habitat for years to come. Ilana's trip to Northern and Southern Pantanal, Brazil, August 2025. The Pantanal is the world's largest tropical wetland. It's a wildlife paradise and Ilana looks forward to sharing her photos from her trip with you!