COME TOGETHER

the virtual offbeat creativity conference

INFO

PHOTOGRAPHY LEVEL
ALL LEVELS
PHYSICAL RATING
EASY
MAXIMUM PARTICIPANTS
ALL ARE WELCOME
GUIDES
KRIS ANDRES, CURTIS JONES, RENEE ROBYN, WAYNE SIMPSON,
MAGGIE HOOD
VIDYA MENON*
COST: $175
$175 CAD
$175 CAD early bird price
Live exchange rate • Approximate conversion only
 
 
 

This November , OFFBEAT invites photographers, creatives, and visual storytellers from around the world to gather online for a one-day celebration of inspiration, creativity, and connection.

The Come Together: Virtual Creativity Conference is designed to spark your imagination and give you the tools, ideas, and motivation to tell more powerful stories through your lens. Whether you’re a hobbyist exploring your voice or a professional looking to push your craft further, you’ll leave with fresh perspectives and practical skills you can put into action right away.

Throughout the day, a lineup of engaging speakers, each with a unique style and story, will share their creative processes, behind-the-scenes insights, and hard-won photography advice. Expect interesting presentations, thought-provoking conversations, and an open exchange of ideas that go beyond camera settings and right into the heart of storytelling.

True to OFFBEAT’s spirit, this isn’t your typical photography conference. The summit blends education with energy, encouraging participants to connect, share, and have fun while learning.

All you need is your curiosity, your passion for storytelling, and a willingness to see the world a little differently.

 
 
 

》WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

1. Tips for elevating your landscape photography.

2. Advice on how to build your creative story-telling.

3. How to find your creative community and use it to your advantage.

4. Stories about real-world experiences in the photography sphere.

5. Reflections and tips on starting a photography business.

And lots more!

Meet your speakers

  • KRIS ANDRES

    Based in British Columbia, Kristopher considers the mountains (along with everywhere he travels) to be his second home. Kris is always up for endless adventures with a smile—no matter how "atmospheric" the conditions are. He will be overly excited in almost everything he does in life, capturing each story with the click of a shutter, in any and all genres—from adventure to landscapes to portraiture to food and more! When he’s not out creating, Kris is a full-time yogi working to refine himself every day.

  • CURTIS JONES

    Curtis Jones is a professional photographer, storyteller, and expedition guide from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. For more than 15 years, his work has explored the relationships between people, nature, and place, from the polar ice of Greenland and Antarctica to Mongolia’s Gobi Desert.

    Raised within Newfoundland’s rich oral traditions and shaped by more than a decade living and working in the Canadian Arctic, Curtis brings a strong sense of narrative and connection to his images of landscapes, wildlife, and people. His commercial and personal work has supported conservation, literacy, national parks, tourism, and food sustainability.

    As a photography guide, Curtis helps guests move beyond technical formulas to become more observant, intentional, and confident visual storytellers. His goal is for travellers to return home with extraordinary photographs and a deeper connection to the places, wildlife, and cultures they encountered.

  • RENEE ROBYN

    Growing up surrounded by the vast prairie of the Canadian north and tales of faraway places, Renée Robyn has chased the perfect backdrop around the world. Approaching photography like a treasure hunter, her compositions are uniquely cinematic, often becoming pieces of a bigger world represented beyond reality. Renée’s style is easily recognizable and distinctly her own.

    Expertly blending fact, fiction, and a little digital alchemy, she works with tech giants Adobe, Wacom, Viewsonic, Elinchrom and Intel. Her work has also been commissioned by entertainment icons like Nita Strauss, Housecore Horror, The Alberta Ballet and others. 

    Comfortable facing down gale force winds, climbing fog-shrouded mountains or fast pace commercial studios, her work is impressive and committed. An expert retoucher, Renée applies the same level of commitment to post-processing leveraging her mastery of colour theory, editing, light, and shadow in the digital realm of Photoshop. 

  • wayne simpson

    Based in Elora, Ontario, Wayne Simpson is a professional photographer who specializes in dramatic portraiture and landscape photography. His versatility as a photographer carries into his commercial work and event photography, making his style distinctive in the industry. As an educator, Simpson conducts portrait and landscape photography workshops throughout Canada, and is a proud contributor to OFFBEAT. Simpson’s images have been published in such magazines as Outdoor Photography Canada, Outdoor Photography Magazine, Canadian Rockies Annual and Canadian Geographic, as well as in countless books around the world. His first photography book, Resilient, was published in Spring 2021.

  • maggie hood

    Maggie is a portrait and wedding photographer based in New Brunswick, Canada. A self-taught artist, she developed her practice through an early fascination with light and shadow and their power in storytelling. Her client work centers on documenting meaningful moments, particularly weddings and family sessions. Across both digital and film photography mediums, she tries to prioritize authenticity and emotional resonance in her work. Alongside her client work, Maggie’s personal projects lean further into fine art portraiture, where mood and emotion take precedence.


  • vidya menon

    Vidya is a wildlife and nature photographer based in Eastern Ontario. Born and raised in Toronto, she has been a keen birder since she was young and learned that animals can be found in the most unlikely of places. She tells the stories of the ordinary creatures that live among us to raise awareness that wildlife conservation is something that applies in our own neighbourhoods and not just in national parks or far off places. All her photos are captured ethically, with no use of bait or callback. An engineer by profession, photography is Vidya's creative outlet and she is constantly learning and trying new techniques to continue to grow and evolve.

》sCHEDULE FOR THE DAY

*sessions will be recorded for you to watch again at a later date or if you happen to miss a session

9-9:50 - Welcome, intro and overview of the summit

9:50-10:40  - Curtis Jones

10:40-10:50 - BREAK

10:50-11:40 - Maggie Hood

11:40-12:30 - Renee Robyn

12:30-1:30 - LUNCH

1:30-1:45 - Afternoon kick-off

1:45-2:35 - Wayne Simpson

2:35-3:25 - Vidya Menon -

3:25-3:35 - BREAK

3:35-4:25 Kris Andres

4:25-5:30 - Round table conclusion / Q+A

*All times in MST

》PRICE/PAYMENT SCHEDULE

EARLY BIRD (SEPT __ - OCT 31): $175 CAD
REGULAR (NOV 1 - NOV 28): $200 CAD

If unforeseen circumstances arise, participants are welcome to transfer/sell their space to another interested participant. In such case, participants are responsible for handling payment for the transfer.

WHAT OUR PARTICIPANTS HAVE TO SAY
ABOUT OFFBEAT WORKSHOPS

”

“Curiosity, kindness, and light. What more could you want from your guides and other members of your community? Our trip was incredible: people, places, and personalities. From chasing the light in a ditch off the side of the road, to finding horses to rub noses with, even the most seemingly insignificant moments were memorable. And that's the beauty of Offbeat, in a nutshell: finding the impossible in the most improbable places.”

-Dave G.

“The workshop was amazing - great instruction and professionalism by the instructors. They did a great job handling the group's variety of experience and took time to help each one of us individually. They prepared well for a variety of conditions and had great locations scouted out before we arrived. Kris and Paul are excellent instructors and loads of fun!”

- Tracy B.

“I have attended a number of OFFBEAT Workshops and have loved them all. The co-founders are two of the most genuine people I have met and they are both so enthusiastic and passionate about what they do. They always ensure that you have the best time and are always willing to share their time and experience with you. My photography has definitely improved since learning from these two. I have also only meet decent and friendly people on these workshops. Everybody is there for the common goal - photography and everybody has such fun. I can not recommend Offbeat highly enough.”

— Claire C.

“I felt the level of collaboration and support among the participants in this one was exceptional and so was the size of the group. It is easier to hide in bigger groups when I feel insecure with my skills and talent. The content was timely, appropriate and exceedingly well organized. The facilitators’ presentation skills were exceptional. I came away with a little more confidence and a lot more knowledge. Thanks, Dave and Paul!!!”

-Jan L.