The Maui Photo Festival & Workshops, to be held September 16-20, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, has added six major presenters to its already impressive faculty of digital photography experts. There are more exciting add-on photo excursions from Haleakala to Turtle Town, too. Event sponsors include Adobe Systems, Nikon, Sony, Canon, Epson and dozens of photographic supply companies so the information at this event is state-of-the-art and immediately useful. From amateur to professional, there is something for any photography lover at this first-class event. For details go to: Maui Photo Festival & Workshops.

Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii (PRWEB) June 27, 2009 -- 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 Maui Photo Festival & Workshops.

2009 Maui Photo Festival Logo
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 Maui Photo Festival Details & Registration.

The Maui Photo Festival presents a blend of classroom sessions for digital photography and darkroom instruction, 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 Maui Photo Festival Presenters.

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 Maui Photo Festival & Workshops 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.

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, 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!

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