The 5th annual Oklahoma City PhotoCon was held this past weekend at the Tower Hotel. Photographers of all ages and experience levels united to hear from amazing world-renowned and local photographers on how to better their craft. This year, SNU invested in several of their students interested in photography by sending them to the conference.
Hailee Thompson, a freshman graphic design major, expressed that PhotoCon was an incredible experience for her and is eager to continue growing knowledge about photography. “I’ve been interested in photography for a while but just started taking photography classes this semester. I was thrilled I had the opportunity to attend PhotoCon as a freshman and continue to learn. It also gave me hope knowing all photographers must start somewhere!”
Friday was a full day of learning with seminar subjects ranging from wedding photography to unleashing endless possibilities of creativity. The day concluded with a session from Peter Hurley, a premier portrait and headshot photographer, who is known for the genuine expressions he captures in his actors headshots and executive portraits.
Saturday repeated some of the same talks, giving you a chance to attend anything you were unable to the previous day. Dave Black is a legendary Nikon photographer whose portfolio ranges from the Olympic Games to being an expert at the Artistic Lighting Technique of Lightpainting. Dave Black was Cullen Jones’, a senior mass communications major, favorite speaker. His biggest take away from Black was this: “Nobody will raise the bar for you. You have to raise it yourself by looking for pictures that nobody else would take. You can take a photo that everyone has already taken, but make it so different that people will wonder how you did it.”
PhotoCon concluded with the final seminar “How to Become a Master Storyteller” by Me Ra Koh, a Sony Artisan of Imagery and Disney host . She discussed the importance of telling a story through photography, capturing your client or subject in their current season and the art of capturing the moments that lie in the “in-between.” Personally, this was the most captivating speaker I heard from all weekend.
Cullen immensely enjoyed the opportunity to attend PhotoCon. “I’m very thankful for faculty and professors who give me the chance to develop my passion for photography. Photocon inspired me in ways I could have never imagined and ultimately brought me back to why I fell in love with photography in the first place: to tell a story with unique perspective.”
Tips, tricks and inspiration were just a few assets of the weekend. Photography is a saturated business. It is continuously becoming easier and easier to take high-quality photos. How can you stand out of the crowd as a photographer? How can you be different in any passion or career in general? Be genuine. Be kind. Get out of your comfort zone and get creative with the tools already instilled inside of you.
(Photos by Cullen Jones)