PhotoConnect Fall Seminar
November 7- 8, 2026 | Hilton Garden Inn
180 Regal Way, Newport News, Virginia 23602
Spend the weekend learning, connecting, and creating with photographers from across Virginia. PhotoConnect Fall Seminar brings together education from fellow VPPA members on Saturday, followed by an in-depth Sunday program with Master Photographer and international educator Rick Ferro.
Whether you want to strengthen your photography, pick up practical ideas you can put to work in your business, or spend time learning alongside other photographers, Fall Seminar is a great opportunity to connect with the VPPA community while building your skills.
Saturday: VPPA Members Sharing What They Know
Saturday will feature VPPA members sharing their expertise, techniques, and experiences with fellow photographers.
Presenters Kimberly Kiely and David Buckwalter will be sharing with us!
Sunday: Behind the Magic: From Disney to the Art of Glamour with Rick Ferro
Master Photographer and international educator Rick Ferro brings more than 40 years of experience in lighting, posing, photography education, and retouching to a day of education that takes you from behind the scenes at Disney to the creation of a finished glamour portrait.
Rick begins with stories and images from his remarkable photographic journey with Disney. Beginning with the development of the Disney Photographic Studio and expanding into Disney Fairy Tale Weddings and ABC's Weddings of a Lifetime, Rick will share the experiences, challenges, and lessons that helped shape his approach to professional photography.
From there, the focus turns to speed, accuracy, lighting, and posing. Rick will demonstrate how preparation and confident decision-making allow photographers to work efficiently while keeping their attention where it belongs: on the person in front of the camera.
Working live with a model, Rick will demonstrate a variety of lighting modifiers and show how lighting and posing work together. You'll see how refinements to the head and chin, shoulders, hands, body position, expression, and light can take an image from successful to exceptional.
You'll see the complete progression:
Lighting -> Posing -> Expression -> Capture -> Retouching -> Background -> Finished Portrait
No camera is required for Sunday's program. The emphasis is on watching Rick work, understanding the decisions he makes along the way, and learning techniques you can apply to your own photography.
Click to learn more and register for an Extra Day with Rick Ferro in his HANDS ON ALL DAY CLASS
Location
Fall Seminar will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Newport News.
A special VPPA room rate of $119 per night, plus tax is available for attendees.
**INCLUDES BREAKFAST
Reserve your room at the VPPA group rate
If you prefer to book directly with the hotel, use group code VPPA.