Calling all shutterbugs: Lincoln County Photo Festival returns

By Cynthia Delaney

Photographers of all skill levels are invited to grab their cameras and explore rural Nevada during the annual Lincoln County Photo Festival. 

This educational event takes place Sept. 19-21 in Caliente and is billed as an excellent way to learn new photographic skills, meet other photo enthusiasts and discover Nevada’s off-the-beaten-path beauty.

According to the executive director of Lincoln County Authority of Tourism, Marcia Hurd, the event is in its fifth year.  

“This year the event is centered around the newly remodeled Caliente Depot,” Hurd said. “There is a lot of beauty in Lincoln County, but if you don’t know your way around, it is hard to find.”

“There are four main sessions with drones as an add-on class,” College of Southern Nevada instructor Mark Olson said.  

Olson has been a workshop teacher at the festival for several years. His drone class this year will teach photographers how to get great shots for real estate, social media and landscape imagery. “We are going to fly over the Depot.”

All sessions are led by experts. Besides Olson, instructors include Marcy Harper, Mikel Conrad, and Corrinne and Shawn Severn.  

Harper is a certified professional photographer, holds a craftsman degree through the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and teaches photography at UNLV. Conrad specializes in portraiture and owns his own studio in Henderson. The Severns teach photography at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. 

Major emphasis is on night sky photography, light painting, action, portraits, and black and white photography.  

Add-on sessions are on Sunday and include afternoon food photography, Adobe Lightroom Classic workflow, afternoon drone photography and Photoshop editing.

“We are going to have World War II-themed portraits using period piece clothing,” Hurd said.    

The early bird price for the event is $155 if people sign up before Aug. 19. After that, the price increases to $180.For more information, visit https://lincolncountynevada.com/photo-festival/ or call (775) 441-1101.