Festival Festivities

The First Annual Maui Photo Festival Conference & Workshops officially opened yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa. Located on the balmy shores of Kaanapali Beach in West Maui, the Hyatt has given over it's huge and beautiful complex to play host to approximately 300 photographers, lecturers & presenters. I don't think I've seen quite so many cameras in one place before... you would have thought, if you weren't clued in, that Paris Hilton was walking the grounds.

All reports of the days activities were enthusiastic. An early morning boat trip, scuba dive and underwater photo workshop led by internationally acclaimed water photographer and Maui resident David Fleetham, produced up-close encounters with a pod of false killer whales & yielded some great photo-ops, projected later in the evening on the Big Screen during the commencement reception. Those that opted to stay on land during the day were treated to a wild & wacky presentation of green-screen compositing technology by none other than Adobe® Senior Creative Director Russell Brown. Think Photoshop on steroids.

Later that evening, we all gathered on the beachfront lawn for a pupu & drink heavy ceremony, some serious chin-wagging and an overall wonderful time. I got a chance to meet some heros & heavyweights, share some delightful conversation, chat with some of my local colleagues and friends I haven't seen in some time. The weather was perfect, lovely hawaiian music drifting through the palms and the ingestibles very tasty. On a scale of grand times, I rank it an 11. And things have just begun... there's so much more in store for participants for the next three days. Check the schedule here for what's in store for the next 72 hours or so.

It was a personal thrill to get to sit and talk with length hero, portrait & illustration photography genius Jack Reznicki, Magnum Agency member Eli Reed, fine-art & travel photographer Andy Katz and North Shore water photographer Clark Little... all lovely guys.

There is still space available for some of the upcoming offerings so go to one of the links above and sign up now if you haven't already. You'll be glad you did.

Here's a few pics from the evening... sorry, I was so star-struck& intimidated that once things got rolling, I forgot to pull out my camera.

Festival founder & director, all around cool guy and old friend Zane Mathias. With all those photographers around, don't you think I could have asked one to snap a pic rather than hold that heavy D2X outstreched in one hand? Nooooo!
Sunset just outside the venue lawn pre-festivities
Delicate balancing act... sculpture just outside the venue entrance
The venue on the grounds of the lovely Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa
Fine art photographer and Maui gallery operator Randy J. Braun. Again with the camera and funny face!
Randy J. Braun and his new BFF
Jeffery Oltman, my overworked & underpaid assistant and fine photographer in his own right, with underwater master David Fleetham
Kumu Hula & Master chanter Charles Ka'upu offer a chant and opening pule

Maui Photo Festival Workshop Schedule

This just in... the Maui Photo Festival, being held over a four day period September 16th through the 20th and the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa on beautiful Kaanapali Beach has just released the schedule of workshops, photo safaris, and other lectures-activities and more. There are some really top notch presenters coming to share their knowledge with us, including Russell Brown from Adobe Systems, Portrait & Advertising Photographer Jack Resnicki, noted Travel Photographer Rick Sammon and a whole slew of other masters of the craft. Just click on the schedules below for a larger view.

Maui Photo Festival Update

Maui Photo Festival & Workshops

PO Box 185, Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, 96732-8865

 

Press Release for Immediate Release

Contact: Event Director Terrie Eliker 808-283-8438 or

              Marketing Director Barbara Santos 925-560-1403

 

 

 

New Developments at the Digital Photography Event You Can't Miss—

The 2009 Maui Photo Festival & Workshops

September 16-20, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa

 

July 1, 2009--Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii—New developments have come to light for the Maui Photo Festival and Workshops. Newly added presenters include Lori Barbely (ISLANDS magazine photo editor); Scott Bourne (nature photographer/digital media entrepreneur); Andy Katz (travel photographer and Sony Artisan of Imagery); Eli Reed (Magnum Agency photographer and Olympus Visionary); Dane Sanders (wedding photographer and author of Fast Track Photographer); and Jim Sugar (National Geographic photographer and master of the Nikon Creative Lighting System). The festival just added more optional photo excursions such as Traveling to Turtle Town (an underwater photography dive with David Fleetham) and a preconference—The Pirate Project—where Dr. Russell Preston Brown of Adobe Systems will lead his crew of attendees from concept through finished movie poster. There will be a free-to-the-public lecture on travel photography techniques given by Rick Sammon…and more is on the way. Maui Photo Festival session samplings and event schedule overview can be viewed at www.mauiphotofestival.com.

 

The Maui Photo Festival & Workshops event will bring world-class pro photographers and masters of the digital darkroom to one of the world's most photogenic destinations: Maui. The event will be held this September 16th-20th, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa on Kaanapali Beach.  Complete details and online registration are available at www.MauiPhotoFestival.com.  

 

The Maui Photo Festival presents a blend of classroom sessions, location shoots, real-world assignments and hands-on photo excursions led by professional photographers. Organizers plan a series of event-long photo competitions for both amateurs and pros. Each evening at the Maui Photo Festival’s outdoor big-screen theater on Kaanapali Beach, attendees will view the images and hear the stories of presenting photographers; learn the latest digital darkroom techniques from the sponsors; and check out the images shot that day and entered into competition.

 

In addition to the newly added presenters already mentioned, Maui Photo Festival & Workshops presenters also include Canon Explorers of Light Jack Reznicki, Rick Sammon and Eddie Tapp; former aerial combat photographers Stacy Pearsall and Andy Dunaway; award-winning portrait photographer Judy Host; Senior Creative Director at Adobe Systems Incorporated Russell Preston Brown and Adobe Senior Digital Imaging Evangelist Julianne Kost; international  fine art photographer and founder of the Pacific Center of Photography, Michael Gilbert; Maui's own fine art photographer Randy Jay Braun; advertising, fashion and architectural photographer Lou Freeman; commercial, editorial and fine art photographer Tony Novak-Clifford; celebrity portrait photographer David Rose; Waimea Bay shorebreak surfing pioneer and photographer Clark Little; international underwater photographer David Fleetham of Hawaii; and more to come. The most up-to-date listing of presenters can be found at www.mauiphotofestival.com.

 

To get a better idea of the overall quality of this event—and the Sweet Light Photo Safari in particular—see a course description below. The organizers intend to have Maui be just as big a star as the presenting pros. Each day will start with optional golden-hour excursions to some of the most beautiful landscapes and seascapes in the world — including a trip to the top of a volcano — to shoot some of the most spectacular sunrises. It should be noted that golden-hour and afternoon excursions are priced separately and may have limited availability.

 

The four-day festival registration fee of $695 includes an opening reception with pupu (appetizers) and no-host cocktails; three full days of morning keynotes, classroom sessions, and extended afternoon sessions; three more evenings in our outdoor Paradise Cinema on Kaanapali Beach, and a special Sunday wrap-up session. Registered attendees will also be able to choose from a list of optional golden-hour and afternoon excursions. 

 

For optimum one-on-one interaction, attendance is limited to 350 photographer attendees. The exquisite location for the event—the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa—is offering a special Maui Photo Festival room rate (that is too low to publish). All photographers are welcome to sign up for the email newsletter to find out the room rate, special discounts, and when new presenters or excursions are added. Go to www.mauiphotofestival.com for complete information about the Maui Photo Festival & Workshops, including an up-to-the-minute list of presenting professionals and new activities as they are added. Registration is available online or by calling (925) 560-1403. For more information about the event or sponsorship opportunities, call (808) 283-8438. 

 

 (pau)

 

2009 Maui Photo Festival & Workshops sponsors include:

 

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa,

ISLANDS Magazine, The Maui News,

Adobe Systems, Canon, Epson, Nikon, Sony,

Breathing Color, PocketWizard, Profoto, Booth Photographic, Graphic Authority, LIghtcrafts, Nik Software, Quantum Instruments, Mitsubishi, Pictorio and x-Rite,

 County of Maui and the Hawaii Tourism Authority

 

 

 

* Sweet Light Photo Safari:
From 9AM-5PM, on September 16th. Learn how to control and master natural lighting to create beautiful and dynamic portraits. Judy Host and Eddie Tapp will share their expertise and tips of how to “see the light,” the best natural light with emphasis on understanding light quality. The day will start in classroom with a slide show and detailed instruction. Then the group will split in two to accompany either Judy or Eddie for the location shoot. Later we’ll return to class to learn some of the latest software retouching techniques. Students will work with models and each other to generate exciting images. $150  

Note: This safari is a snapshot of their 5-day Sweet Light Safari workshop that sells out at $1100 each time they present it in Hawaii so this is really a sweet deal for Maui Photo Festival attendees!