Friday, October 24
6:00-9:00pm – Celebrating 8 Decades of PPOC-BC Image Salon
PPOC-BC Image Salon turns 80! Come celebrate this long history with current members and alumni. Enjoy the Best of BC Gallery and reminisce about salons gone by.
Saturday, October 25
9:00-10:30am – Book Publishing – Dave and Kelly Hutchison
Dave & Kelly Hutchison will guide you through their experience to create, publish, distribute, and sell your very own photography book.
10:45am-12:15pm – The Power of Personal: Turning Niche Work into Commercial Success – Tilly Nelson
Tilly has established herself as an industry leader in creating joyful imagery as a vehicle to champion diversity and inclusion in commercial advertising. Her passion for amplifying voices of underrepresented communities through authentic representation has helped her carve out a niche expertise that has led to international awards and industry-wide recognition.
Tilly’s talk will take us on a journey through the ups and downs of finding your niche, embracing discomfort and being intentional with your time and effort. She’ll talk through how her personal projects have not only shaped the photography she is now known for, but have also led to jobs and opportunities she would never have thought possible.
1:30-3:00pm – Business Panel Discussion – Aura McKay
Aura will lead us in a panel discussion with professional photographers, delving into where they started, where they are now, and what makes their businesses tick.
3:15-4:45pm – Using AI as a Creative Calculator – Eric Stewart
Langara Photography instructor Eric Stewart reveals how AI can become a powerful tool for sparking fresh photographic ideas. AI can help you quickly explore emotional depth and compositional choices in new ways. You’ll also see how AI can assist in critiquing images, offering fresh perspectives that challenge and refine your creative decisions. Discover how to craft effective prompts that make AI a sharp, responsive tool in your creative process.
7:00-10:00pm – Awards Night
Come celebrate the Best in Class and other special awards from the PPOC-BC Image Competition. Get dressed up, cheer on your fellow photographers, and maybe bring home a trophy! Also returning this year will be our awards portrait studio.
Sunday, October 26
9:00am-12:00pm – Real Faces, Smart Tools: A New Era in Headshot Photography – Rafal Wegiel
Explore the practical workflow of high end headshot photography and discover how Al can streamline your process, elevate your visual impact, and transform the way you approach creativity. From lighting and posing to post-production and intelligent enhancements, this session bridges timeless technique with next-gen tools to help you stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.
2:00-5:00pm – Mystery Talk – Mystery Person
Details to come!
