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OVERVIEW
This November , OFFBEAT invites photographers, creatives, and visual storytellers from around the world to gather online for a one-day celebration of inspiration, creativity, and connection.
The Come Together: OFFBEAT Creativity Conference is designed to spark your imagination and give you the tools, ideas, and motivation to tell more powerful stories through your lens. Whether you’re a hobbyist exploring your voice or a professional looking to push your craft further, you’ll leave with fresh perspectives and practical skills you can put into action right away.
Throughout the day, a lineup of engaging speakers, each with a unique style and story, will share their creative processes, behind-the-scenes insights, and hard-won photography advice. Expect interesting presentations, thought-provoking conversations, and an open exchange of ideas that go beyond camera settings and right into the heart of storytelling.
True to OFFBEAT’s spirit, this isn’t your typical photography conference, it is one that blends education with energy, encouraging participants to connect, share, and have fun while learning.
All you need is your curiosity, your passion for storytelling, and a willingness to see the world a little differently.
Location: Virtual
Dates: November 28, 2026 9:00am - 5:30pm MST
SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY
9-9:50 - Welcome, intro and overview of the summit
9:50-10:40 - Kris Andres
"Push Past The Safe Shot"
We all know how to get the safe shot. The sharp shot. The well-composed shot. The image we know will work. But what happens when we stop playing it safe? In this talk, Kris explores the idea of pushing beyond the obvious and taking creative risks with your photography. From changing perspective and breaking composition rules to embracing movement, imperfection, experimentation and the possibility of failure, discover how stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to more meaningful and memorable images.
Through stories, examples and lessons from his photographic journey around the world, Kris shares how he has learned to stop asking “How do I get the shot?” and start asking “What else can I create here?” Because sometimes the photograph you almost didn’t take is the one that becomes your favourite.
10:40-10:50 - BREAK
10:50-11:40 - Maggie Hood
“In The Interest of Interesting”
As technology evolves and cameras advance, our chances of creating a “perfect” photo have never been greater. From nailing focus and capturing the perfect exposure and lighting in-camera, to the ability to make endless refinements in post-production, we’ve been given the opportunity to make the resulting image closely match the initial vision we had for it. But what if, in the pursuit of making an image perfect, we’ve actually made it less interesting?
Recently, through examining my own work, I’ve begun to wonder what really makes an image “good,” and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’d rather make an interesting image than a “perfect” image. As a wedding and portrait photographer, that sentence alone would likely scare off some clients. But the more I shoot, the more I want to make the case for the benefits of aiming for an interesting photograph over a simply pretty one.
Through this presentation, we’ll explore what makes an image interesting, from the technical aspects to the more human ones, and how we can apply these ideas to our own work.
11:40-12:30 - Renee Robyn
”The Optics of Opportunity” -
What happens when a photographer steps behind the curtain and starts making the tools?
In this talk I'll share my unlikely (and unplanned) switch from commercial and fine art photography into product management for Optics, a plug-in I used for years. We'll go over 3 of my favourite tools, the problems they were designed to solve, and the thinking that went into building them.
It's a peek behind the scenes at product development from an artist's perspective, and how I aim to make your images stand out with software that thinks outside the box.
12:30-1:30 - LUNCH
1:30-1:45 - Afternoon kick-off with Curtis Jones
1:45-2:35 - Wayne Simpson
“Art As Medicine” -
In this deeply personal presentation, Wayne will guide audiences through his evolution as a photographer, sharing how both photography and video became vital tools for navigating life’s challenges. Through storytelling and visual reflection, he reveals how creative practice can foster connection – to one’s craft, to culture, and to both mental and physical well-being.
Wayne’s journey is a powerful testament to the transformative and healing potential of the arts, offering an experience that is both moving and profoundly human.
2:35-3:25 - Vidya Menon
"A Case For The Birds"
Birds are often overlooked as wildlife photography subjects in favour of animals that people consider more interesting. In this talk, Vidya will share why she thinks birds are so awesome and why people should photograph them.
3:25-3:35 - BREAK
3:35-4:25 - Curtis Jones
“In the Service of Curiosity. The Work Nobody Is Asking You to Make”
If you were the last person on Earth, would you still make photographs? In this session, Curtis explores how personal projects can create momentum, deepen your connections, and lead you toward unexpected ideas, skills, and opportunities. Through stories of projects that endured, evolved, or were eventually left behind, he’ll look at what happens when curiosity becomes difficult, when discomfort is mistaken for failure, and why making the work nobody is asking you to make can become one of the most powerful forces in a creative life.
4:25-5:30 - Round table conclusion / Q+A
*All times in MST
PRICE AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE
EARLY BIRD (Sept 29-Oct 31): $175 CAD +GST
REGULAR (Oct 31 - NOV 28): $200 CAD +GST
INSTRUCTORS
About Kris Andres
Based in British Columbia, Kristopher considers the mountains (along with everywhere he travels) to be his second home. Kris is always up for endless adventures with a smile—no matter how "atmospheric" the conditions are. He will be overly excited in almost everything he does in life, capturing each story with the click of a shutter, in any and all genres—from adventure to landscapes to portraiture to food and more! When he’s not out creating, Kris is a full-time yogi working to refine himself every day.
About Maggie Hood
Maggie is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She fell in love with photography while in grad school, started her own business and hasn’t looked back since. Never taking anything too seriously, she is inspired by real moments and emotions, but also the process of creating an image from start to finish. When not shooting or editing, you can find her out exploring with her annoyingly holistic wife, Jess, and crazy pets.
About Renee Robyn
Growing up surrounded by the vast prairie of the Canadian north and tales of faraway places, Renée Robyn has chased the perfect backdrop around the world. Approaching photography like a treasure hunter, her compositions are uniquely cinematic, often becoming pieces of a bigger world represented beyond reality. Renée’s style is easily recognizable and distinctly her own.
Expertly blending fact, fiction, and a little digital alchemy, she works with tech giants Adobe, Wacom, Viewsonic, Elinchrom and Intel. Her work has also been commissioned by entertainment icons like Nita Strauss, Housecore Horror, The Alberta Ballet and others. Comfortable facing down gale force winds, climbing fog-shrouded mountains or fast pace commercial studios, her work is impressive and committed. An expert retoucher, Renée applies the same level of commitment to post-processing leveraging her mastery of colour theory, editing, light, and shadow in the digital realm of Photoshop.
About Wayne Simpson
Wayne Simpson is an Ojibwe photographer from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, based in the quaint village of Elora, Ontario. Wayne specializes in dramatic portraiture and landscape photography. Simpson’s images have been published in such magazines as Outdoor Photography Canada, Outdoor Photography Magazine, Canadian Rockies Annual and Canadian Geographic, as well as in countless books around the world. His first photography book, Resilient, was published in Spring 2021.
About Vidya Menon
Vidya is a wildlife and nature photographer based in Eastern Ontario. Born and raised in Toronto, she has been a keen birder since she was young and learned that animals can be found in the most unlikely of places. She tells the stories of the ordinary creatures that live among us to raise awareness that wildlife conservation is something that applies in our own neighbourhoods and not just in national parks or far off places. All her photos are captured ethically, with no use of bait or callback. An engineer by profession, photography is Vidya's creative outlet and she is constantly learning and trying new techniques to continue to grow and evolve.
About Curtis Jones
Curtis is an adventure, landscape and portrait photographer from Newfoundland and Labrador who considers Nunavut his second home. Never tiring of seeing the sun rise from a new horizon or watching a contagious smile grow on the faces of friends and strangers alike as they step out of their comfort zone, Curtis seeks to tell stories with his photographs as he lives out his own. Throughout his career, he has had the pleasure of working with world-class athletes, artists, and production teams while shooting in some of the globe’s most raw, wild, and challenging locations. Equal parts adventurer, artist and clown, he is never far from a camera, a tent or a good punchline.
OFFBEAT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Please take the time to review OFFBEAT’s Terms and Conditions, including our Cancellation Policies. You are required to agree to these in order to confirm your registration. Effective June 16, 2022.
For any additional questions, please contact us at [email protected]