2017 Great Smoky Mountains Photography Summit 

Spend 5 days learning from, shooting with, getting to know, and being inspired by our AMAZING cast of 12 premier Nature Photographers and Instructors. The icing on the cake is that this event takes place right at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Townsend, Tennessee.

Most of the Summit activities will take place on the grounds of Tremont Lodge & Resort.  Since we fill up the hotel and use all of the conference and meeting spaces, we have the place to ourselves and everyone you run into or meet on the property will most likely be part of the Summit (unless they work there), so it really is one big family for 5 days!  All of the keynote (large group) sessions, break out sessions, image critiques, and trade show will all take place on the property at Tremont.  Pretty much the only thing that doesn't take place at the Lodge are the field sessions.  After all, we can't be that close to one of the most beautiful places in the world and not go out to photograph it could we???  So, while you definitely do not have to stay at Tremont Lodge, it really is a lot of fun if you do!

In the world of photography, you have WPPI, which is a huge gathering for wedding and portrait photographers, you have Imaging USA, which is the national conference for the Professional Photographers of America, and you have Photoshop World, which is pretty well defined by its name:).  There are more, but you get the picture....we want this Summit to be all of those things specifically for nature, wildlife, and travel photographers.  Our goal is for it to be an intimate gathering (which you would be surprised how quickly you can make 200 new friends!) where the participants and the instructors interact in and out of the classroom setting.  So, we do our best to bring together an all star cast of instructors who each bring their own expertise, wisdom, experience, and outlook on the art and science of photography.  We are SO excited about this year's group of instructors!  We have some amazing variety in store for you and the talent of this crew knows no bounds.  More than just sitting in a classroom, we want you to have the opportunity to talk to and develop a relationship with the instructors outside of the classroom.  That is one of the benefits of having the property of the Lodge all to our selves for the week.

In addition to the 5 day Summit ($499 for everything included in those 5 days!), we will also be offering 3 different and separate pre-conference classes that will take place on Tuesday, October 31st, if you are interested in registering for one of those as well.  The pre-conference classes will have a separate registration (you can find the link to those on the registration page of our website - www.gsmphotosummit.com).  The 3 pre-conference classes will be:

1.  Metering Demystified with Charles Glatzer - $195 (classroom and field work - limit of 15)

2.  Master Photo Field Techniques with Bill Fortney - $99 (classroom only)

3.  Cataloochee Elk Shoot with Brett Wells - $59 (field work only - limit of 20)

This Summit is for photographers of ALL skill levels.  We will have some classes specifically geared toward beginners, intermediate, and advanced photographers, but we will label those classes accordingly to help guide you.  We just don't want anyone to feel intimidated because there is always someone around to ask for help with whatever questions you might have!

Accommodations:  Our host hotel is Tremont Lodge and Resort, which is where the Summit will be held for the most part.  They have blocked off the ENTIRE property for our event, so when you call to make reservations, you MUST tell them you are a Summit participant in order to make a reservation.  We also have special room rates which are listed on the accommodations page of our website, www.gsmphotosummit.com.  Please DO NOT try to make room reservations for Tremont online as you will be told they they are full or you will not get the correct room rate.  You must CALL 865-448-3200 in order to make the proper room reservations.  If your are traveling by RV, we recommend staying at Tremont Outdoor Resort which is literally located at the entrance to the National Park and just about 2 miles away from Tremont Lodge and Resort.  Even though Tremont Lodge is the largest hotel property in Townsend, it is still not large enough to accommodate everyone for this event, so we recommend making reservations early.  If you do not get a room at Tremont Lodge, we recommend checking with Highland Manor and Talley Ho Inn which are both nearby, nice hotels.

Cancellation Policy:  We understand that life happens and sometimes you have to cancel things, even when you don't want to.  If you have to cancel your event registration BEFORE September 1, 2017, you will receive a full refund MINUS a $40 administrative fee.  If you cancel between September 1, 2017 and September 30, 2017, you will receive a 50% refund of your registration fee.  If you cancel after September 30, 2017, there is no refund of the registration fee.

If you have any questions regarding the Summit, please feel free to send us an email at summitinfo@f32photo.com and we respond as quickly as possible!

Register Now!