Professional Portfolio Event

Meet our reviewers:

Alessandro Berni

Alessandro Casagli (He/Him), Fashion Photographer
Alessandro was born in Tuscany, Italy, a place of picturesque landscapes. The natural beauty became his first subject in his interest with photography. In the last decade of his career, Alessandro Casagli has captured the frenzied and cinematic life of New York City to fashion editorials, luxury brands, and challenging technical productions. Alessandro’s work has been showcased in a variety of editorials published internationally and shot for industry leader clients. He also is currently employed as a photographer at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Alessandro is based in New York City.

Alex Snyder (He/Him), Communications Director
Alex Snyder is a photo editor and photographer for The Nature Conservancy. In this role he gets to work with professionals and new talent to help tell conservation stories.

He is the former photographer for the Peace Corps which took him to 15 countries over the course of 5 years. At Peace Corps his images were the primary visuals for Michelle Obama’s Let Girls Learn campaign. He even had the opportunity to produce a live downcast with the International Space Station with Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and Astronaut Joe Acaba.

Alex also serves as the Communications Director for The Photo Society–a collective of over 170 National Geographic photographers.

He has been published by the National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy,

Amy V. Cooper (She/Her), Photography Consultant
Amy V. Cooper is one of the top photography consultants in the U.S. with over 20 years of experience working as a professional photographer, photo editor (for magazines and television), art buyer (for advertising agencies and Fortune 500 brands) and as a photography agent. She has the unique experience of having been on every possible side of the camera with a variety of clients including UPS, Microsoft, Mary Kay, Coca-Cola, Netflix, Teen Vogue, Esquire and many more brands. Amy loves encouraging and empowering commercial and editorial photographers at all levels of experience. She specializes in portfolio reviews, editing, and developing marketing strategies to help photographers reach the clients that they dream of working with.

Lee (Brenda) LaBier (She/Her), Visual Artist | Curator| Writer
Lee (Brenda) LaBier’s autobiographical, confessional art examines the formation of identity utilizing photography, video and installation. Using self-portraits to record her transitioning identity, LaBier attempts to comprehend and express the transformations throughout her life. She investigates its essence. How and why physical realities and illusions are displayed to become representations of our acquired genders and identities.

“It is not only my identity but also how I identify within myself that activated this process.” LaBier’s artwork has been shown internationally and nationally.

LaBier currently serves as the Director of Estate & Gift Planning for the Joellyn T. Duesberry Collection and Estate and continues with special projects with Michele Mosko Fine Art. Formerly the Curator of MOCA in Virginia, she curated and designed over 60 contemporary art exhibitions encompassing diverse concepts, media, and artistic styles and authored or contributed to more than a dozen accompanying publications. Prior, as the Curatorial Administrator for the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation in Los Angeles, she organized and traveled with exhibitions nationally from the collection, executed collections management and an onsite sculpture conservation project.

Operating and owning an arts concierge business, artist, and curator, she received a Bachelor of Art History Degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a BFA in Photography from Metropolitan State University of Denver. LaBier was born in New York and currently resides in Denver, Colorado.

Brittany Wergers (She/Her), Editor-In-Chief
Brittany Werges is the Editor-in-Chief at 303 Magazine, a Denver publication celebrating over 15 years of success. Along with editing and managing her team of local writers and editors, Brittany also writes for the Lifestyle+Culture desk and Food + Booze desk. She also contributes to the photo desk whenever possible as a photographer. Along with her editorial work, Brittany is the manager of 303 Magazine’s social media department and parent company 303 Mixed Media. She curates and creates content not only for the magazine’s social media but for local clients as well. In addition to her editorial and social media work, Brittany is a co-producer for Denver Fashion Week, 303 Magazine’s bi-annual fashion event and Denver’s largest fashion show. When not working you can find her exploring Denver on her bike, swimming or cooking while listening to podcasts.

Cameron Sterling (He/Him), Content Strategy Consultant
Cameron Sterling is a content strategy consultant who helps professional creatives and small businesses grow brand position, increase revenue, and build a rewarding business that is better for you and your clients.

With 15+ years of experience working with professional photographers in a wide range of markets, he understands the unique challenges and opportunities you have, and what a defined audience needs to see to engage with your business.

A few of his clients include ASMP members, Wonderful Machine, Richard Avedon, Hiro, Adobe Stock, Tiffany & Co., Harperʼs Bazaar, and SKI / Skiing magazines. He earned a commercial photography BA at Brooks Institute of Photography in ‘04, a history BA from Kenyon College in ‘98, and studied advertising at the School of Visual Arts in the 2010’s.

Cara Romero (She/her), Contemporary Fine Art Photographer
Cara Romero (b. 1977, Inglewood, CA) is a contemporary fine art photographer. An enrolled citizen of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, Romero was raised between contrasting settings: the rural Chemehuevi reservation in Mojave Desert, CA and the urban sprawl of Houston, TX. Romero’s identity informs her photography, a blend of fine art and editorial photography, shaped by years of study and a visceral approach to representing Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural memory, collective history, and lived experiences from a Native American female perspective.

As an undergraduate at the University of Houston, Romero pursued a degree in cultural anthropology. Disillusioned, however, by academic and media portrayals of Native Americans as bygone, Romero realized that making photographs could do more than anthropology did in words, a realization that led to a shift in medium. Since 1998, Romero’s expansive oeuvre has been informed by formal training in film, digital, fine art and commercial photography. By staging theatrical compositions infused with dramatic color, Romero takes on the role of storyteller, using contemporary photography techniques to depict the modernity of Native peoples, illuminating Indigenous worldviews and aspects of supernaturalism in everyday life.

Maintaining a studio in Santa Fe, NM, Romero regularly participates in Native American art fairs and panel discussions, and was featured in PBS’ Craft in America (2019). Her award-winning work is included in many public and private collections internationally. Married with three children, she travels between Santa Fe and the Chemehuevi Valley Indian Reservation, where she maintains close ties to her tribal community and ancestral homelands.

Carl-Philippe Juste (He/Him), Photojournalist
Under the threat of persecution, Haitian-born Carl–Philippe Juste and his politically active family were forced to flee their homeland in 1965, eventually settling in Miami’s Haitian community. Since 1991, he has worked as a photojournalist for The Miami Herald.

Juste has covered national and international stories for the Herald, including assignments in Haiti, Cuba, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. As part of his ongoing independent work, in 1998, Juste co-founded Iris Photo Collective. In 2016, Juste won a prestigious Knight Arts Challenge grant to complete Havana, Haiti: Two Cultures, One Community, a book and exhibit of photographs and essays about Cubans’ and Haitians’ lives and shared humanity, opened IPC Art Space in 2019 to further engage the public with the arts, and won the Oolite Arts’ “The Ellies” in 2019.

Carolyn Potts (She/Her), Creative Consultant, Marketing Coach, Portfolio Editor, and Speaker
Carolyn Potts, creative consultant, marketing coach, portfolio editor, and speaker, is a former photo rep (for 35+ years). She works with photographers worldwide refocusing their marketing so that it’s as professional and compelling as their imagery. She provides portfolio edits, marketing strategies, and business systems that help them land the projects they want and need. Her results-focused photography consulting practice, founded in 2004, is based on her extensive industry knowledge gained from her successful career as a photo rep; a career that was fueled by her education in—and passion for—photography and design. She’s created over 10,000 portfolio edits/presentations for photographers. Those portfolio edits and marketing plans have garnered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of assignments from ad agencies, design firms, corporations, and publishers across the globe.

Over the last 5 years, her popular seminar “Marketing and Mindfulness” has been presented at a number of ASMP chapters. This seminar has helped photographers learn more about the importance of having not only a great portfolio and good-looking web site (the “Outer Game”) but also a solid “Inner Game” strategy for success. In addition to her portfolio editing, she shares helpful resources that can help her clients overcome the unique mental barriers that the social media marketplace presents to photographers (e.g., insecurity, procrastination, anxiety, and “imposter syndrome”). A great inner and outer game plan can help a photographer go as far in their careers as they want to go.

Charles Carpenter (He/Him), Creative Director and Owner of Wigwam Creative
Charles R. Carpenter is the Creative Director and owner of Wigwam Creative, a design + digital agency located in Denver, Colorado. Previously Charles was Senior Creative at Ellen Bruss Design from 1997-2011. Charles served AIGA Colorado as Events Director in 2007-2009 and was Chapter President from 2009-2011. Currently he serves on the AIGA Colorado Advisory board. In 2019 he was awarded the Colorado Fellows Award.

Charles co-founded Wigwam Creative in 2011. Wigwam practices a design approach built on listening, creating empathy and finding authentic solutions clients and their audiences can connect with. Clients have included:
Denver Art Museum, Egg Strategies, Ironton Distillery and Crafthouse, McGuckin Hardware, Antlers Vail, Epicurean Catering, Industrial Arts, and Duffeyroll.

He has received a number of awards for his work from such publications as How, Graphis, Print Regional Design, and Step Inside Design as well as the Art Directors Club Denver Bronze and Gold awards.

Charli Ornett, Photo Editor
As the photo editor of 5280 magazine since 2015 I’ve conceived, art directed, and produced photoshoots for Denver’s general interest city magazine. 5280 stories range from deep-dive investigative features to lifestyle pages and intensely local service packages.

Before I switched to photo editing I was an art director at such varied magazines as Elle, Sunset and Yoga Journal as well as many custom publications.

David Barreda (He/Him), Photo Editor and Senior Photography REsident at National Geographic
David M. Barreda is a visual editor, multimedia producer, curator, and journalist based in Oakland, California. He is currently a photo editor for National Geographic on the History & Culture desk, and a core team member at Diversify Photo.

Previously, David was a photo editor at Earthjustice, a founding editor at Topic, and a founding editor for ChinaFile where he launched the Abigail Cohen Fellowship in Documentary Photography in collaboration with the Magnum Foundation.

He has more than 20 years of visual journalism experience and, prior to editing, he worked as a staff photojournalist at the San Jose Mercury News, the Rocky Mountain News, the Valley News, the Tallahassee Democrat, and the Herald of Randolph.

Born in southern Peru and raised on a sheep farm in Vermont, David lives with his partner, their 9-year-old daughter, and Dandelion, a 6 or 7-year-old, poodle-terrier, Covid-adoptee rescue dog.

Eleeza Palmer (She/Her), Graphic Designer & Illustrator
Eleeza Palmer is a graphic designer of more than 5 years, with a lifelong experience as an illustrator. She has worked on projects for clients such as Alpha Omega Alpha’s Pharos magazine, Anshutz, Cherry Creek North, Colorado Tourism Office, CU Denver, Great Outdoors Colorado, MSU Denver, Pinnacle Bank and Visit Denver among others. She is a graduate of MSU Denver, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in communication design. You can find her online occasionally uploading some fun doodles and designs on instagram @eleeza_

Eriq Hochuli (He/Him)
Eriq Hochuli has his master’s degree in art education and has worked in exhibition design and installation since 2013 at the Foothills Art Center in Golden, CO. He is dedicated to a highly varied exhibition schedule with no limits on media and content for the emerging artists that he features. At the helm of 3 galleries in the Foothills Art Center, he has used visual arts to catalyze discussion in the community on topics such as; false binary, the housing crisis, identity, death, and artificial intelligence. His shows have been lauded for their delicate and deliberate installation as well as their daring choices in content and media.

Ezio Burani

Giuseppe La Spada (He/Him), Fine Art Photographer + Multimedia Artist
Contract Professor at Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, Webby Awards Winner, Communications Manager and Art Director at Global Network of Water Museums (UNESCO-IHP) Member of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (New York). His works have been exhibited in Milan, Rome, Genoa, Palermo, Sondrio, Sanremo, New York, Tokyo, Berlin, Munich, Paris, Arles, etc. More info on www.giuseppelaspada.com

Honore Brown (She/Her), Senior Photo Editor at Wonderful Machine
Honore began her career as the manager for Max Vadukul Studio, where she maintained and archived photographs, coordinated photo shoots, and printed Vadukul’s portfolio for agency representation. She then moved to the New Yorker to take these skills to a higher level. While there, she took on an array of responsibilities, producing and commissioning photo shoots, managing the licensing rights of photos, as well as maintaining relationships with museums and galleries. Through working at Wonderful Machine and pursuing her own photography career, Honore has a palpable passion for the medium. But what she loves most about her work are the photographers and the relationships she gets to build with them. Honore is especially interested in seeing portraiture, personal projects, and story-driven work.

Jack Grupe (He/Him), Art Director
Small handwriting, big ideas. Jack Grupe is an Art Director & Designer from Denver, Colorado. He currently works at Karsh Hagan on clients such as Pinnacle Bank, Bank of Colorado, Visit Denver, Denver International Airport, Panacea Life Sciences, and First Onsite Restoration.

Jake Armour (He/Him), Commercial Photographer
Jake is a successful independent commercial photographer with over 30 years in the industry. He has been located in Minneapolis MN for most of them.

His award winning experience is based on creative partnerships and trust. Jake has produced iconic imagery for Advertising, Design, Retail, fashion, corporate and editorial clients in over 18 states. These days he focuses his energy on honest iconic portraiture with clients in healthcare, medical, financial, dance, B2B and advertising.

Jake is the current President of the ASMP-MSP chapter.

Jake will help you find your unique perspective and creative voice via a focused portfolio review/ edit with insights on BRANDING that helps to define your vision and value.

Bring your questions, goals and hustle!

Jaleel King (He/Him), Street & Portrait Photographer
Jaleel is an award-winning visual storyteller, who has a unique and challenging point of view on life, that finds expression in his photography. Having been a wheelchair user since the age of 8 has pushed him to embrace the “whys” in life, never using them as excuses, but rather finding inspiration in the “why not”. He’s a force of nature, unstoppable, as he explores life through the lens with his unique voice and vision. Jaleel has a unique ability to draw people into his way of seeing and experiencing life by showing them the beauty that surrounds them in every moment. His heartfelt passion to be alive is infectious and hearing him share his journey will make your heart soar, and push you to suck the marrow out of life. This approach has led him on a journey to share his story and passion from Philadelphia to Vegas and as far as Australia. His passion for photography and excellence is evident in the stories captured in his photos.

Jemma Dilag (They/Them), Photo Editor and Creative Consultant
Jemma Dilag is a Photo Editor and Creative Consultant at Wonderful Machine. Since receiving their BFA in Photography at Tyler School of Art, Jemma began their career at Wonderful Machine, helping clients meet their creative needs and coaching photographers in building their brand and business.

Equipped with a multi-faceted background in photography and design along with a deep understanding of clients’ needs, Jemma works with photographers at all stages of their career, whether they are at the beginning stages of building their portfolio or transitioning into new markets.

Jemma is especially passionate about bridging the gap for young, emerging, Black and non-Black POC, and LGBTQIA+ photographers by directing them to the tools and knowledge needed to achieve their creative and professional goals.

Jesse Taylor (He/Him), Art Director
Jesse is a graphic designer and maker currently hangin out in Colorado who has a passion for design and people. As an Art Director at Marketing for Change, a researched-based behavior change creative firm, I work with clients including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, The National Volunteer Fire Council and more — creating anything from in-depth brand identities to marketing campaigns, and everything in between. When the day job ends the making doesn’t stop. I keep busy with freelance work, custom flag painting and other projects like the Never Forgotten Coast campaign, which has raised more than $40,000 to help small businesses in the panhandle and rebuild infrastructure in the area. I have a passion for collaboration and seeing community come together and to help lead these efforts I served as the founding VP of AIGA Tallahassee, the professional organization for design, am a member of the American Advertising Federation as well as being involved with Leadership Tallahassee and Knight Creative Communities Institute (KCCI). In my down-time, I enjoy spending time in my Colorado home with my wife and fur babies. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from the Art Institute

Jim Colton (He/Him), Editor
James K. Colton is currently Editor at Large at ZUMA Press. He began his career in 1972 as the Color Picture Editor for the Associated Press. He later joined Newsweek magazine and became their Director of Photography before joining Sports Illustrated as their Photography Editor. Colton was the recipient of the “Focus” award for Lifetime Achievement by the Griffin Museum in 2010, and was acknowledged as one of the 100 most important people in photography by American Photo.

Kat Dalager, Creatively bringing order to chaos
Kat’s career path includes stints at Carmichael Lynch, Best Buy, Life Time Fitness, Hogarth Worldwide, Campbell Mithun, Target Corporation and The Martin Agency in a variety of roles such as production/art production, project management, creative services and operations. Kat is passionate about giving back to both students and professionals in the marketing community and strives to bring diversity, equity and inclusion to all facets of the industry.

Kyndell Harkness (She/Her), Assistant Managing Editor
Kyndell Harkness has started her new role as Assistant Managing Editor of Diversity and Community at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Before stepping into this job Harkness was a photo editor for more than five years, coordinating coverage of the Ryder Cup, two Olympics, the Super Bowl, Final Four and breaking news such as Prince’s death and occupations and protests after police shootings. Before becoming an editor, Kyndell spent more than two decades as a photojournalist, working 15 years at the Star Tribune covering communities across the state. She has taught as a photo instructor at a high school journalism camp called J Camp for 15 years that champions diversity of voices. Kyndell is also truly a part of the sandwich generation living with her son who is 10 and her mother who is 82

Lisa Capezzuoli (She/Her), Award-winning Italian Creative Director and Executive Programming Director AIGA CO
Lisa is an award-winning Italian Creative Director based in Denver and specializing in branding & packaging design, with clients in USA, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia.

She has 15+ years of professional experience gained by working at international agencies in New York, Rome and Sydney. Currently she is the Executive Director for Programming at AIGA Colorado.

Lisa first came to the U.S. in 2008 as a tourist. She got a job offer and never left. As of today, Lisa is an American citizen and in 2014 she created her own company Evol design llc, and she works as a consultant for multiple agencies and clients. She believes if you can dream it, you can do it.

Mike McClung (He/Him), Director
Mike McClung, together with his partner Warren Campbell, owns Michael Warren Contemporary in Denver Colorado. Having worked in both business and in creative industries for the last 30 years, the gallery has been the perfect blend of his professional experience. Over the years, Mike has been to some 3500 gallery exhibits and nearly 2000 museum exhibits around the world; that coupled with looking at books, magazines, websites, television, restaurants, offices, and homes…well, it adds up to a LOT of artwork.

Michael Warren Contemporary opened in the heart of Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe in 2014 and in 7 years has mounted over 100 exhibits and welcomed some 90,000 visitors to the gallery.

RC Rivera (He/Him), Photographer, Director, & Imaging Specialist
RC Rivera (Renato Carlos) is a photographer, director & imaging specialist based in San Francisco, CA and Manila, Philippines. He shoots beauty & sport both people and stills. Born in Pasig City (part of Metro Manila, Philippines). 1 of 7 kids. Army brat. Moved to Virginia for High School, back to the Philippines for 2 years of Industrial Design, decided he was bad at math so he dropped out, partied too much, *ran away from home and moved back to New Jersey thinking it was close to NYC (it wasn’t), moved to New York City but his flat was too small and expensive, moved to Brooklyn, stayed for 7 years. Got tired. Moved to San Francisco. When he’s not behind the camera, he can be found tinkering on a motorcycle, trying to whip up something from the momofuku cookbook, checking for last minute travel deals, and/or annoying his wife and two sons.

Fun facts : He has a robot. Yes, a robot. She holds cameras and things. Her name is DORIS. He can marry anyone in the state of California. He rebuilt his first motorcycle with the help of youtube. He makes a mean pizza dough ( at least he thinks he does.)

Roberto E. Rosales, Photojournalist
I currently work as a staff photographer for the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico’s largest newspaper where I concentrate on issues such as immigration and breaking news. Twice a week I teach a photography courses at the University of New Mexico’s Film and Digital Arts (FDA) department as well as photojournalism courses in the Communication and Journalism dept. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and a Masters in Art Education. When I’m not working with my camera I mentor up and coming photographers on developing their vision. I’ve also conducted documentary classes in Cuba and Mexico during Summer.

Tristan Chan (He/Him), Founder at The Porch Collective
Tristan Chan is the Founder of PorchDrinking.com, a national beer publication focused on telling great stories within the craft beer industry. Over the past eight years, their approach toward reporting news, showcasing positivity within the industry, and talking about beer through the context of pop culture has grown a strong readership community and a contributor base of over 100 writers and staff members across the country. Tristan also recently launched his own marketing consulting firm, The Porch Collective, to help breweries and hospitality brands share their stories through PR, Social Media, Partnerships and overall Marketing Strategies.

Victor Blue (He/Him), Photojournalist
Victor J. Blue is a New York based photojournalist whose work is most often concerned with the legacy of armed conflict, human rights and the protection of civilian populations, and unequal outcomes resulting from policy and politics. He covers national and international news stories for major newspapers and magazines, shoots documentary photo projects that accompany the conflict in Afghanistan and post-conflict Guatemala, and maintains a personal documentary practice that spans decades. He has completed assignments in Guatemala, Afghanistan, Syria, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Argentina, Peru, Iraq, and India, and has documented news stories and social issues across the United States. He holds a Masters Degree in Visual Communication from Ohio University.

His photographs have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Harpers Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, Mother Jones, The San Francisco Chronicle and on The Discovery Channel and The History Channel. His work has been supported by grants from the NPPA and Ohio University. He has earned a total of 7 Pictures of the Year International awards and 3 NPPA Best of Photojournalism awards, among other awards and citations.

Weston Fuller (He/Him), Photographer
Weston Fuller is a Southern California based photographer, where he resides with his family in San Diego.

Weston is a commercial photographer specializing in areas of conceptual narrative, photo illustration and conceptual lifestyle photos. He has received top industry awards, both as a photographer and a digital artist for personal projects and client commissioned work. He graduated with honors with his MFA in photography, from the Academy of Art which led him to creating the conceptual narrative style found in his most recognizable work.

His passion for creating content that has a purpose has allowed him to work with global contents to help promote a better environment while supporting the client’s brand.

When not editing or trying to find the next client to work with, Weston can be found playing with his kids and spending time in the outdoors.

Although Weston is proud of the images he creates, it’s the places he experiences and the people he meets that make up his life.

Moments can be captured, but stories are made, and Weston prefers his photography to live somewhere in between.

When & Where

Wed, Mar 24, 2021 8:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Online