Meet Your Host Of The Mastery Summit
Tanya Smith
I want to help photographers learn how to have a successful business.
And I want to do it in the best way possible, with the least amount of fluff (aka BS) possible.
I've been to many conferences as a speaker and as an attendee, and while I love meeting other like-minded people in real life, I don't always love the time away, and the cost of flight, hotel, food etc.
What I DO love is how I come back totally refreshed, inspired and fired up about my business.
So I decided to organize my OWN conference.
A conference you can attend from your couch, where you can get all the inspiration, expertise and networking of an in-person event - WITHOUT the airfare ticket, and the hotel bill.
This is gonna get you fired up about your business.
No more conference FOMO.Â
Welcome to The Mastery Summit
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Meet Your Speakers
Peter Hurley |Â Headshot Photographer
Presentation: Real Talk with Peter
Peter is a world-renowned portrait photographer, author, speaker, and coach. Recognized as the leader in the field of headshot photography, he’s personally trained thousands of photographers on the concepts outlined in his book: The Headshot. He's been featured in the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal as well as on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Good Day NY, and Nightline. He’s a Canon Explorer of Light, Westcott Top Pro, and a YouTube sensation and TEDx speaker. He calls New York City his home where he lives with his beautiful wife and precious twin daughters.
Roberto Valenzuela | Canon Explorer of Light, Fashion Photographer, and Author
Presentation:Â Posing as a language, not a set of rules.
 Roberto Valenzuela is an acclaimed photographer, educator, and author renowned for his expertise in wedding and portrait photography. Based in Los Angeles, he is celebrated for his artistic approach to composition, lighting, and posing, which has influenced photographers worldwide. Roberto is a Canon Explorer of Light, an honor recognizing his contributions to photography. He is also a sought-after speaker, delivering workshops and lectures at prestigious conferences like WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International).
Roberto has authored several best-selling photography books, including the Picture Perfect series and The Wedding Storyteller, which provide practical techniques and creative inspiration for photographers of all skill levels. Known for his methodical teaching style, Roberto emphasizes practice and mastering the fundamentals to elevate photographic artistry.
Nikki Closser | Photographer & Educator
Presentation:The Most In-Demand & Lucrative Genre: Personal Branding
Nikki is a Personal Branding photographer and host of The Portrait System podcast. She quit her job as a social worker and quadrupled her income as a photographer. Nikki built her dream life with her photography business and she has taught thousands of people how she did it through speaking and with her course The Personal Branding System. Nikki is mom to two boys and she loves hobby farming, roller skating, and traveling. Her family splits their time between their house in the country and cottage on a lake in Michigan.
Arica Lipp | Portrait Artist and Educator
Presentation: How to Create, Operate & Elevate Your Business
Arica Lipp has been putting Montana on the map these days. She has been winning national and international awards, speaking at conferences, and traveling the world to share with other photographers her passion for treating photography as both an art form and a successful business.
Her been there, done that, so you can to approach to teaching is authentic and inspiring. Join her and start to turn your creativity into the career of your dreams.
Ashleigh Taylor | Portrait Photographer & Educator
Presentation:Photographing Destination Portraits: Turn Travel Into a Revenue Stream
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Ashleigh Taylor is an award winning portrait photographer and educator based in Santa Barbara, CA. Ashleigh has been a featured speaker at The Portrait System, The Portrait Masters Conference, WPPI, and Click Con. Ashleigh has several courses available through ThePortraitMasters.com as well. Ashleigh has photographed clients internationally in Paris, Italy, Spain, Canada, and Hawaii to name just a few.
Damaly Shepherd | Branding Photographer & SpeakerÂ
Presentation: Marketing and Communication Strategies to help you Find your People
Damaly Shepherd is on a mission to help artists speak up boldly about their incredible work. As a Portrait Photographer and Writer, she believes that we all have something incredibly special to say. Her goal is to help photographers add as much authenticity and storytelling to their marketing and selling as they do with their clients and creative work.
Casey Dittmer | Professional Business Mentor, Internationally Awarded Master Photographer
Presentation:Â MAXIMUM Potential + SUSTAINABILITY, Mapping your way to the sweet spot.
Casey is an award winning creative entrepreneur, international speaker, business mentor, mother, wife, and recovering workaholic. Oh the mistakes and miss turns she has made. She was the queen of “hustle”. Justifying the “sacrifice it all” mentality and shaming all those who “didn’t work hard enough.” It all came crashing down and a forced RESET started her on the most uncomfortable but necessary evolution of self and business. She now passionately helps others build successful and highly profitable businesses while also fostering healthy and full lives. With over 25 years in the industry she has a deep understanding and knowledge of adapting to industry changes, creating a sustainable formula for long term business success, and continued growth creatively in order to stay passionate. Unapologetically honest, she shares real life experiences (good and bad) that will help you build a stronger business and personal life.
Kate Styles | Boudoir Photographer & Coach
Presentation: Building a Team to Generate Passive Income
I’m the feisty, loud-mouthed lady shouting “yasss queen!” from behind the lens. I’m a true extrovert, an adventure-loving enneagram 7, and a people person through and through. Spending my days cheering on amazing women and showing them how strong and beautiful they are is a dream come true. I LIVE for those jaw-dropping, “holy crap, that’s me?” moments. Coaching entrepreneurs for the tough roads to find their happiness and peace between serving and living a happy, high income lifestyle. House flipping and renovating, and little travel junkie!.I can't wait to get to know you!
Kelly Warkentin | Family Photographer & IPS Educator
Presentation:Â Increasing your Income with Virtual Artwork Sales
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Kelly Warkentin is a Lifestyle Family Photographer and mom of three crazy kids. She started her business so she could be home with her kids while they were young but the business quickly took over her life. Then she switched to Virtual IPS, so she could put her kids to bed at night and hop on zoom with busy clients, and help them order $2500+ worth of art from her couch.
Katrina Cross-Daniels | Empowerment Boudoir Coach & Educator
Presentation: Email Marketing Strategies for Photographers
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Katrina Cross-Daniels, founder + CEO of Katrina Cross Photography. I am an empowerment coach and photographer from Metro Detroit, Michigan area. I help celebrate women who are ready to embrace their strength and beauty. I also help photographers speak to their ideal clients while building their brand.
Sean Brown | Senior Photographer & Educator
Presentation: The Power of a Profitable Senior Rep Program
Sean Brown is based in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and is a high school senior photographer. After going to college with the intention of being a cardiologist, he gave it all up to pursue his dream of having the freedom to live the life he wanted through photography and hasn’t looked back. Fast forward ten years, he exclusively photographs high school seniors and runs a high-end studio that caters to clients who want to stand out in their images and want their unique personality to be captured. He loves the excitement and enthusiasm that seniors bring to their photoshoots and feeds off of this energy during each of his sessions. Sean has been asked to speak at conferences around the country such as Imaging USA, SYNC, the PUSH Conference and loves helping other photographers build their dream photography business by giving them the tools that are necessary to take it to the next level by going beyond the one-size-fits-all approach to business.
More Beatty | Motherhood Photographer & EducatorÂ
Presentation: Fully Booked - Organic Marketing for Photographers
More Beatty is a seasoned motherhood photographer with over eight years of experience, specializing in luxury newborn, family, and maternity photography. Her signature style produces bright, airy, natural light images that authentically capture moments and emotions. More started her business as a stay at home mom with a $500 camera, and became fully booked within two months. She has since relocated and successfully rebuilt her business three times, leveraging her organic marketing expertise to grow without paid advertising. In addition to her photography, More has dedicated the last four years to teaching other photographers how to advance their careers through her courses and content. Known for her motivational and approachable teaching style, she empowers photographers to perfect their craft and achieve their business dreams.
Ambreia Turner | Maternity Photographer & Educator
Presentation: Your Path to In Person Sales
Ambreia is a DMV based Maternity and Motherhood photographer & educator. Her passion for tangible photography products as legacy pieces has fueled her business and secured the legacy of hundreds of clients! Ambreia seeks to engage and inspire others around their own journey to profitability through the purpose of photography.
Paula Brennan | Personal Brand Photographer & Educator
Presentation: Steps to Kick it with Personal Brand Photography
Paula is a personal brander, educator and podcaster based in the land of Oz. She is passionate about helping both small businesses and photographers learn how to harness the power of digital media & tech and have more confidence when showing up online.
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Christa Robinson | Full Service Photographer & Educator
Presentation:Â Upsell $1k+ at Every Portrait Session
Christa is a seasoned photographer with over a decade of experience, now dedicated to coaching photographers to scale their businesses sustainably. As a wife and mom, she’s passionate about helping fellow photographers increase their income and impact without burnout, so they can build thriving businesses and still have time for what matters most.
Derry Caulfield | Photography and camera educator
Presentation: If you want to take a better photo, forget about the technical stuff
I have been a professional photographer for nearly 4 decades, but for the past 15yrs I have been teaching photography to adults. If I had a choice between photographing for a living or teaching photography, I'd choose teaching. I love seeing people get 'light bulb' moments and start to believe in themselves and realise they can learn how to photograph, they just need to be taught the right way.
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Kyle Goldie | SEO & Business Coach
Presentation: Organic Traffic, Leads & Sales
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Helping photographers of all niches get more traffic from Google & book more premium clients - without ads.
Heather Crowder | Â Photographer, Studio Owner & Educator
Presentation:Â Supercharge your Photography Business with School Pictures
Heather Crowder has been delighting families, children, and professionals with her style of contemporary portraiture for nearly 20 years. In 2008, Heather cast traditional school photography aside with the launch of her “Modern School Pictures” style and put her twist on capturing children in the school setting. Since then, she's photographed over 15,000 children at private schools around her region, and now brings 30 years of experience and her 'business first' approach to photography, sharing all she's learned to help others be successful in the very profitable genre of 'boutique' volume photography. Heather also owns and operates two photography studios - The Lightbox Studio and The Lightbox Loft, in her hometown of Annapolis, MD, where she resides with her husband and two daughters.
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Sondra LaRay Miltenberger |Â Photographer & Educator
Presentation: Amp Up Your Ambient Lighting with Off Camera Flash
Sondra Laray stands out as an acclaimed wedding photographer from Michigan, renowned for her multiple awards. Her photographic philosophy centers on capturing genuine life experiences: the raw, unscripted emotions and fleeting, candid moments. Her work is not just about preserving memories; it's about recreating the feelings of those special moments. Sondra's approach blends emotional storytelling with a flair for fine art, utilizing innovative lighting techniques to add an artistic and dramatic dimension to her wedding portraits.
Since its inception in 2017, Sondra Laray’s Photography has evolved from a solo venture into a collaborative team of talented photographers and assistants. This growth reflects both the quality of her work and her dedication to the craft.
Beyond photography, Sondra has established a learning platform for fellow photographers, "Shooting Your Shot | Photography Education". This initiative encompasses educational classes and a digital community, underscoring her commitment to fostering growth and camaraderie in the photography world.
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Bryan Rupp | Photographer & Educator
Presentation: Discovering Your Style
18 year professional photographer driven to take photos with feel. I'm a dad and a husband, if you need me I'm riding my mountain bike.
Margo Franklin | Boudoir Photographer | Speaker | Mentor
Presentation: 5 Moves to Unlock Profit Potential in Boudoir Photography
Hi, I’m Margo Franklyn, a fine art and boudoir photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia, the owner of Ava Rose Boudoir, and Co-Owner of Lead Savage, an all-in-one marketing and automation solution for photographers. I specialize in boudoir, beauty, and maternity portraits that empower women to embrace their unique beauty with confidence.
Born and raised in Tampa, FL (Go Bucs!), I’m a wife, mom to three amazing girls, and your #1 hype girl. Over the past four years, I’ve built a successful photography career, earning recognition as the Creator Series Season 2 winner.
At my studio in downtown Duluth, GA, just 30 minutes from Atlanta, I create intimate and timeless portraits that inspire self-love. Whether behind the camera or mentoring new photographers, my mission is to uplift others and help them shine.
Abby Grace | Brand Photographer & Educator
Presentation: Hit Me With Your Best Shot [List]: What to shoot at your next (or first!) brand session
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Abby Grace is a brand photographer for high-performing, creative small business owners, and an educator for photographers. Her work has been seen in Forbes, Martha Stewart, Southern Living, and so many more. She’s an expert in brand identity with a passion for emboldening others to lean into their own gifts and superpowers, so they can spend less time in front of a screen and more time on what matters most. Also an avid Francophile and a Hufflepuff, she often speaks in movie quotes and song lyrics.
Special Thanks to the Summit Sponsors
