2026 SPE Annual Conference: Catalyst for Exchange
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Canon, Sony, Adobe
Thursday, November 06 - 1:30PM to 4:30PM
4011 14th St., Riverside, CA 92501
Special Invite Only, SPE West x RUSD CTE
(1:30 - 4:30 PM; 1 hour for each session; location: MPR, A7, & Outside)
Breakout #1 - Canon USA - Robert Mora
High school educators will have the hands-on opportunity to work with Robert Mora and Canon USA, using the latest Canon gear through a series of breakout workshops focused on professional sports and event photography.
Robert Mora is the Chief Photographer for the LA Galaxy, a Faculty Member at ArtCenter College of Design, the House Photographer for the Honda Center in Anaheim, and a CTE Photography Workshop Instructor. He is also a former Team Photographer for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Robert began his photography career at the age of fifteen while attending Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles. After graduating, he studied at the prestigious ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. Shortly after his time at ArtCenter, he became an assistant and apprentice to NBA Hall of Fame Photographer Andrew D. Bernstein.
At just twenty-one, Robert became one of the official team photographers for the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings. In addition to photographing for the NBA, he served as the Photography Operations Supervisor at STAPLES Center (now Crypto.com Arena). His work and professionalism led to a role as a Staff Photographer for Getty Images, where he captured high-profile events across sports, news, and entertainment.
In 2003, Robert launched his own photography business, serving major clients including MGM Resorts, Golden Nugget, Adidas, Nike, AEG, Dolby Theatre, Live Nation, Anaheim Ducks, American Express, Warner Bros., Mindbody, and DreamWorks.
Today, Robert continues to photograph professional sports, live entertainment, and large-scale events while mentoring the next generation of visual storytellers through his teaching and workshops.
Breakout #2 - Sony - Brian Smith
High school educators will have the hands-on opportunity to work with Brian Smith and Sony, using the latest Sony gear through a series of breakout workshops focused on professional portrait photography.
Celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith is widely recognized for his bold, expressive portraits of the world's most famous actors, athletes, and business leaders. For more than three decades, his work has been featured in Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, Time, Forbes, New York Times Magazine, Elle, and British GQ.
Brian's career began early—his first magazine photograph appeared in LIFE Magazine while he was still a student at the University of Missouri. By the age of twenty-five, he had already won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography for his coverage of the Los Angeles Olympic Games. He has since been honored with awards from World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year, Communication Arts, and American Photography.
His books include Art & Soul, photographed in partnership with The Creative Coalition and Sony, which pairs portraits of acclaimed artists with their personal reflections on the importance of the arts; Secrets of Great Portrait Photography, a behind-the-scenes look at his process and stories from three decades in the field; and Sony A7 Series: From Snapshots to Great Shots.
Brian's portraits have been exhibited at the Library of Congress, the American Museum of Natural History, the Bass Museum of Art, and Aperture Gallery. He is a Sony Artisan of Imagery, Profoto Legend of Light, Adobe Influencer, and X-Rite Master Coloratti.
When not on assignment, Brian divides his time between Miami Beach and Hollywood Hills, continuing to inspire and educate photographers around the world.
Breakout #3 - Adobe - Colin Smith
Building off his morning presentation, Colin Smith will be available in breakout rooms for hands-on demos and Q&A—helping the educator educate. Adobe presents Colin Smith, one of their long-time photography speakers and educators specializing in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. In these sessions designed specifically for high school educators, Colin will ensure you're up to speed on the latest creative capabilities in both applications. He'll share practical insights on managing images across multiple devices—laptops, tablets, and smartphones—making digital creativity more accessible for both teachers and students. A special focus will highlight the newest mobile-friendly features in Lightroom Mobile and Photoshop Mobile, empowering educators to integrate these tools into their classroom workflow. Colin's sessions are designed to strengthen your confidence in using Adobe's creative tools and help set your students up for success in today's fast-evolving digital world.
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