SYNC 2025 Speakers + Programs
At SYNC, we believe continuous learning is essential for your growth. Our conference provides a unique opportunity to engage with top experts in HS Senior and Youth Sports photography. Thanks to our intimate conference size, you’ll have the chance to connect directly with these leading professionals. From mastering new techniques to refining your business strategies, you’ll gain valuable insights that set you apart. In the end, you’ll have the chance to Find Your People—the leaders and educators who will inspire and support you on your journey.
Main Stage Programs (included in all registrations)
GREEN: All conference programs
ORANGE: HS Senior programs
BLUE: Sports/Volume programs
Pre-Event Classes (additional fee)
Luminary Exchange - Thursday 2/26
Jump Start Classes - Friday 2/27
Additional Opportunities (included in all registrations)
SYNC has additional education that will happen in the evenings during the SYNC Lounge and during trade show hours. Plan on attending all events to get the most out of what SYNC offers.
ALL CONFERENCE PROGRAMS
On occasion, we will all gather together for dynamic all-conference programs and keynotes that will appeal to everyone in the audience no matter what your specialty.
Doug Brown - Keynote Speaker
Join us on opening night for a unique keynote presentation you will not want to miss.
FEARLESS COLLABORATION When it comes to arriving at the best possible idea, whether working with clients, understanding your customers or internal team interactions, the ability to collaborate without the fear of failure is an essential skill for success.
Fearless Collaboration is a keynote designed specifically to help audiences not only hear about, but actually engage in and experience, key fundamentals used by the worlds top music makers to write & create music fearlessly.
There are No Dumb Ideas: Any idea spoken aloud has the potential to either be the great idea or inspire the great idea. Leave nothing unsaid.
Listening: Creating is proactive, requires doing, but never at the sacrifice of listening to each other first. To our teammates, our clients or our customers, they deserve our attention & often have the answer we are looking for.
Be True: Whether in music or in business, authenticity always wins. A song created with the goal of being a hit rarely has the heart to do so.
Humility: Never assume you’re the smartest or most talented person in the room. Collaborating from a place a humility creates space for each of our team member’s talents to shine & grow.
The same goes for products, clients & customers. Define who you are & be true to it. Each and every one of us has greatness & brilliance inside of us. Let’s learn to create a space where those ideas can thrive… create a space for Fearless Collaboration.
ABOUT DOUG BROWNDoug Brown is a platinum selling recording artist & songwriter based in Nashville TN. He first achieved success in the music industry through his band SAFETYSUIT & throughout his years of recording & touring, has built up a catalog of songs for other recording artists, film & television use, commercials & advertising.
SAFETYSUIT’s success has put Doug on stages across the globe, with his reputation as a performer being known as passionate & engaging, with audiences leaving feeling empowered, excited & inspired.
From #1 songs on the Vh1 Top20 Countdown, to sold out shows, to becoming a Vh1 You Outta Know Artist, to their sophomore album These Times displacing Adele’s record breaking “21” at the top of the iTunes Charts, the constant through all the success has been fearless & intentional collaboration.
With stories from the road, writing rooms, recording studios, brand collaborations and everything in between, Doug takes the audience behind the scenes of the music industry & inspires participants to engage in essential songwriter practices that are sure to elevate your team, your corporate culture & your brand itself.
Along with the success of SAFETYSUIT, Doug has been able to write songs used by numerous worldwide brands & networks such as Apple, Verizon, Southwest Airlines, ABC & ESPN to name a few. His keynote is powerful, motivating & most importantly, fun for the entire audience. An absolute must have at your next event.
Brandy Moton
PROGRAM: TURNING BURNOUT INTO BALANCE
STAGE: All Conference Program
TOPICS:
Senior Photography
Volume Sports
Workflow
Organization
Motivation
Inspiration
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Brandy Moton Photography
Tulsa, OK
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Brick and Mortar Retail
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 50+
ANNUAL TEAM/LEAGUES: 225+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 12
James Quantz Jr.
PROGRAM: Coming Soon
STAGE: All conference program
TOPICS:
Sports Photography
Motivation
Inspiration
Photography
Lighting Set-Ups
SPEAKER PROFILE:
James Quantz Jr Photography
Columbia, SC
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Brick and Mortar Retail
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 100+
ANNUAL TEAM/LEAGUES: 100+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 20
Amber Henry
PROGRAM: Coming Soon
STAGE: All conference program
TOPICS:
Senior Photography
Sport Photography
Motivation
Inspiration
Photography Set-Ups
Lighting Set-Ups
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Amber Henry Photography
Saginaw, MI
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Brick and Mortar Retail
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 35+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 18
Matt Hoaglin
PROGRAM: Planning For The Future
STAGE: All conference program
Headlines can be scary, but you should know history has shown that sticking to a plan is the key to financial success. When it seems like the world has gone sideways, stay the course.
TOPICS:
Money
Finances
Taxes
Retirment
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Matt Hoaglin
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
Durango, CO
Matt's experience as a business owner shaped his worldview regarding finances. He loves working with small businesses people and entrepreneurs to support their dreams, reduce their stress, help them achieve financial freedom and thrive. It’s a much-needed partnership when you are growing your business alone.
ORANGE STAGE PROGRAMS
The Orange Stage includes programming on High School Senior photography, business, sales, photoshop, and marketing. Speakers are listed alphabetically.
Gary Box and Matt Lima
Are you looking for ways to keep your seniors coming back throughout the year AND increase your sales?
Imagine producing senior albums that cover the seniors entire year. And they keep coming back giving you more and more money all year! This is what Box does! Gary will teach you about Boomerang sessions and how to price and sell this structure as well as how to avoid the pitfalls. How to shoot for albums, price them and the selling process are all covered. Then, Matt Lima, the Album King, will show you how to easily create dynamic album designs.
PROGRAM: The Year Long Album
STAGE: Orange (HS Seniors)
TOPICS:
Senior Photography
Sales In-Person
Photoshop
Graphic Design
Templates
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Box Portrait Gallery
Sapulpa, OK
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Brick and Mortar Retail
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 225+
ANNUAL TEAM/LEAGUES: 5+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 35
Alison Carlino
Are your products, marketing strategies, poses, and lighting skills challenging you to create and sell differently?
High school seniors expect a multimedia experience with images, audio, video, text, and trending products. They want to feel amazing and feature their passions. Join Alison as she discusses the lighting, posing, workflow, marketing, and products that have built her business of 21 years. A live demo will follow the lecture.
PROGRAM: Creating a Multimedia Experience for the Class of 2025
STAGE: Orange (HS Seniors)
TOPICS:
Senior Photography
Sportraits
Live Demo
Marketing
Social Media
Workflow
Lighting
Photography set-ups
Organization
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Carlino's Photography
Sugar Land, TX
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Home-based studio/location
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 500
ANNUAL TEAM/LEAGUES: 75
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 21
Cris Duncan
Does using only one light sound odd to you? When Cris was a new photographer using only one light sounded odd to him too! While some occasions call for multiple light sources and directions, there are other times when one light can be, and often is, enough. In fact, Cris loves “one light portraits” where a single stroke of the brush from one direction is used for sculpting and shaping a scene.
Cris will do a live demo creating ten unique images using only one light source and a 1x4 strip box. This presentation will empower you to see the creativity, flexibility, and quality that a single source can create. The next time you are lighting your subject or packing gear for a job, remember that often times less is more and one light can be enough! Add diversity to your portfolio and skills to your repertoire by harnessing the power of just one light.
PROGRAM: One Light: 10 Portraits
STAGE: Orange (HS Seniors)
TOPICS:
Senior Photography
Lighting
Photography set-ups
Inspiration
SPEAKER PROFILE:
C J Duncan Seniors
Lubbock, TX
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Home-based studio
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 100+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 20
Sarah Lindsay
Do you hate sales? Do you think you need to photograph 674 sessions a year to make money? What if I told you sales could be EASY (dare I say, enjoyable?) and you don't have to photograph hundreds of seniors?
If you want to make more money but the thought of In Person Sales (IPS) makes you want to eat sand, Sarah dares you to think different. In this head-turning class, Sarah will show you exactly how she "sells without selling" making an average of $5,200 per session, photographing only 20-30 sessions per year... all without feeling like a slimy sales person.
PROGRAM: How to Sell Without Selling AND Make More Money
STAGE: Orange (HS Seniors)
TOPICS:
Senior Photography
Sales In-Person
Marketing
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Sarah Lindsay Photography
Parker, Co
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Brick and Mortar Retail
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 20+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 10
Michael and Melia Winslett
Do you find yourself wanting MORE when it comes to lighting, color, and skin tones?
Join us on a deep dive into a variety of high impact, advanced lighting techniques for creating consistently vibrant and beautifully illuminated images on location and in studio. Level up your skill set with multiple modifiers as you learn to capture your vision through light sculpting to turn the ideas you’ve imagined into crafted works of art. Harness your lighting equipment and its impact on color to refine your signature style and make your work extremely marketable.
We’ll also show you how to expand the dynamic range of your camera through balancing environmental lighting situations, coupled with post production methods for maximizing those effects in Capture One and Photoshop. You’ll learn how to create dimension, specularity, and sunkissed skin tones that harmonize with colorful backgrounds for results that resonate.
PROGRAM: ILLUMINATION EXPERIENCE: EXPLORING THE COLOR & QUALITY OF LIGHT
STAGE: Orange (HS Seniors)
TOPICS:
Senior Photography
Lighting
Photoshop
Retouching
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Michael and Melia Seniors
Carrollton, GA
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Brick and Mortar Retail
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 40+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 23
BLUE STAGE PROGRAMS
The Blue Stage includes programming on High School and Youth Sports, athletes, schools, and other types of volume photography. Speakers are listed alphabetically.
Austin Alvarez
Have you ever found yourself on the sidelines, eager for the coach to put you in the game? Do you question whether your skills are sufficient to meet the challenge? The game is often simpler than it seems, provided you have the right mindset to step up and seize the opportunity.
With a foundational knowledge of photography and graphic design, you can seamlessly transition into the world of high school and youth sports. As opportunities arise, your primary concern will be managing the influx of new clients.
Join me as we delve into the art of lighting, exploring everything from basic single-light setups to advanced techniques such as High-Speed Sync. Elevate your work to the digital realm and create graphics that will leave a lasting impression on your clients. Discover how to overcome your limitations and prepare for your next big game.
PROGRAM: Lights…Camera… Graphics?
STAGE: Blue (Sports/Volume)
TOPICS:
Sports Photography
Lighting
Photography Setups
Graphic Design
Templates
Senior Photography
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Austin Alvarez Photography
Weslaco, TX
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Location
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 100+
ANNUAL TEAM/LEAGUES: 50+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 10
Stella Crase
Are you ready to take the next steps needed to grow your business, but are hesitant or afraid to let go of tasks you think only you can do?
If you think you are unable to take on more business because you do not have the time or the resources, Ty and I want to help you take the next steps to scale your business efficiently. Join us as we will discuss the following topics:
· Changing your mindset from boutique to volume
· How to create Images that sell
· Lighting and Posing Demo
· Standardizing your workflow (Traditional & Composite)
· Understanding your costs/ creating a relationship with an outsource partner
· Importance of Communication & Consistency
·Goal Setting
· Tips to expand your market and acquire new markets
· Strategies to increase sales online
STAGE: Blue (Sports/Volume)
NOTE: Stella will be speaking with Ty Fischer
TOPICS:
Volume Sports
Sales On-Line
Marketing
Workflow
Lighting
Photography Set-ups
Youth Sports
Schools
SPEAKER PROFILE:
MiniPros
Annapolis, MD
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Home Based + Location
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 300+
ANNUAL TEAM/LEAGUES: 95+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 20
Ty Fischer
PROGRAM: Coming Soon
STAGE: Blue (Sports/Volume)
Note: Ty will be speaking with Stella Crase
TOPICS:
Volume Sports
Business
Digital Products
Workflow
Organization
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Rebooku
Springfield, Oh
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Brick and Mortar Retail
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 13
Tim Macdonald
PROGRAM: Coming Soon
STAGE: Blue (Sports/Volume)
TOPICS:
Volume Sports
Volume Schools
Other Volume
Workflow
Lighting
Photography set-ups
SPEAKER PROFILE:
ImageArt Studio
Glen Rock, NJ
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Brick and Mortar Retail
ANNUAL SESSION COUNT: 35,000+ (Individuals)
ANNUAL TEAM/LEAGUES: 80 Schools - 43 Leagues
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 15
Jon Riveira
PART 1 - How Can AI Help You Create the Perfect Play?
Step into the future of photography with our captivating class on AI image generation! This session is your gateway to exploring the basics of AI, including image creation, perspective, and prompts, as well as essential techniques like basic color grading.
Discover how AI-generated backgrounds can become invaluable assets in your design toolkit.
Led by a self-taught photography and graphic arts enthusiast, Jon Riveira, this presentation is perfect for anyone curious about the potential of AI in their creative process. While we won't be diving into expert-level certification, you'll leave with a newfound interest and a solid roadmap to unleash your creativity with AI.
PART 2 - Ever Thought About Taking Your Studio on the Road?
Get ready to embark on a tour like no other! Join us as we take you inside Black Maxx, one of the largest mobile portrait studios around. Whether you call it a trailer or a studio on wheels, this innovative setup could revolutionize your photography business.
In this session, you'll get an exclusive look at the costs, the do's and don'ts, and plenty of practical advice to help you decide if a mobile studio is the perfect fit for your needs.
STAGE: Blue (Sports/Volume)
TOPICS:
Volume Sports
AI
Digital products
Workflow
Lighting
Graphic Design
Templates
Lighting Set-Ups
Mobile Studio
Mobile Studio Basics
Uses of a mobile studio
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Game Changer Photography and Graphic Arts, LLC
League City, TX
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Location Only
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 50+
ANNUAL TEAM/LEAGUES: 30+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 4
Jermaine Taylor
Are you ready to jump into the action?!
Learn how our work in action photography has opened doors that were previously locked. With a relentless pursuit to capturing Athletes competing in the sports that they love, we have built a solid reputation & following that has led to Athletic Directors, Head Coaches, Team Moms, etc. reaching out to us directly.
In this session we will discuss ways to leverage your Action photography and convert your work into new opportunities, boost your social media presence, increase engagement and build a reputation as the go-to for all things Sports Photography.
PROGRAM: JUMP INTO ACTION
STAGE: Blue (Sports/Volume)
TOPICS:
Action Sports Photography
Volume Sports
Pricing
Social Media
Graphic Design
Templates
Motivation
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Relentless Pursuit Photography
Grovetown, GA
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Home Based Studio / Location
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 40+
ANNUAL TEAM/LEAGUES: 10+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 4
ADDITIONAL CLASSES (included in your registration)
PROGRAM: Senior Model Round Tables
Join Kristie Bradley for an evening session covering Senior Model Programs. Bring your concerns and successes as this will be a round table format where you can learn from Kristie and from each other. Topics will include:
- What to include in your senior rep/ambassador program?
- Pricing/Discounts/Bonuses - Tips to maximize success and your bottom line.
- Where to market and how to find your reps/seniors.
TOPICS:
Senior Photography
Senior Model Teams
Sales In-Person
Social Media
Sales On_line
Marketing
Business
Workflow
Organization
Inspiration
Templates
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Kristie Bradley Photography
Beaverdam, VA
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Brick and Mortar Retail
ANNUAL SESSIONS: 40+
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 14
SUNDAY AT SYNC with live worship music and a message by Tim Goates
Tim Goates is a seasoned photographer and former full time pastor with over 20 years of experience pastoring and leading people. He began his journey in photography while serving as a youth pastor, primarily focusing on senior portraits. In 2018, Tim transitioned to full-time photography, dedicating his passion to helping the seniors he photographs go from where they are to where God wants them to be.
Tim has been happily married to his wonderful wife, Angel, for 31 years, and they are parents of a 26-year-old daughter. He looks forward to inspiring you and challenging you with a Word from God at the worship service for this year’s conference.
Interested in volunteering with the SYNC Worship Band? Email us HERE.