Sponsored Educators
Sponsored Educators
At UAF, we pride ourselves in understanding the importance of building long lasting relationships with premier photographic professionals, excellent in their respective fields because more than merely reflecting our vision of producing high quality luxury artwork products to fulfill the ever evolving needs of the modern photographer; our sponsored professionals exemplify what are company strives for always: approachable greatness and professionalism that still feels like FAMILY.
Karen Bagley
Karen Bagley is a Fine Art Maternity, Motherhood, and Underwater Portrait Photographer based right outside of Atlanta, Georgia. She has become known for her dramatic and powerful maternity portraits which have become a staple of her business. While photographing for clients will always be a strong love of hers, she also loves teaching! She speaks nationally on her maternity portrait craft, and absolutely loves the idea that she may have helped someone come one step closer to living their dreams.
Karen’s passion for photography began when she was 16 years old by developing film and interning at a small studio in her hometown. She opened her business, Significant Moments Photography, 5 years ago and has since grown to a 6-figure studio with maternity clientele alone. She is on a mission to change what people think of when they hear maternity portraiture. One client at a time.
As a wife to an amazing husband, mother to two perfect girls plus one awesome fur- baby and a full-time photographer, her plate is full. Yet, she never slows down. Her energy is contagious, and she finds herself ready to make every moment a fun and exciting one, always ready to create her next art piece.
Kiati Plooksawasdi
Kiati is an Award-Winning Boudoir, Portrait, and Dance Photographer and educator based in Ellicott City, MD. He is a husband, father of two daughters, dance dad and entrepreneur. Kiati owns two small businesses and have helped launched and mentored several small businesses over the years. With 20 years in the corporate world developing business strategies for Fortune 150 companies, he finally has shifted his focus towards his passion.
He now spends his days creating beautiful art through the lens and helping people succeed in their dreams of starting up a business and becoming successful! He loves to educate, whether it is the art of photography, light, posing and editing or through developing their business strategies he is always willing to spend time to help people succeed in turning their dreams to reality.
Sondra LaRay Miltenberger
Sondra is an award winning wedding photographer based out of Michigan. She has always had one goal in mind: capture LIFE, real raw emotions, candid moments, photos that when you look back on them make you feel what you felt in that moment. Sondra Laray’s Photography is committed to capturing emotion first but also creating fine art wedding portraits with the use of creative lighting for a more artistic and dramatic feel.
Originally established in 2017, Sondra Laray’s photography started off with only one team member—Sondra herself. Over the years it has grown to include a number of skilled and passionate photographers and second shooters.
She has also created an education platform to inspire and teach other creatives. This includes education based classes and an online community for other photographers called Shooting Your Shot | Photography Education.
Sondra is a wife, a mother to two strong willed boys and a sweet little girl, and has two husky fur babies. When she is not behind her camera she is chasing her littles ones around, enjoying Michigan’s ever lasting winters, riding four wheelers, or traveling.
D'Artagnan Winford
D’Artagnan Winford (b. 1977) is a contemporary fine art portrait photographer who lives and works in Jackson, Mississippi. As a child growing up in the Mississippi Delta, D’Artagnan won prizes for his early work in art and graphic design, eventually earning a BFA from Mississippi Valley State University. Today, his soulful portraits pay homage to that upbringing in small town Itta Bena, which fueled a lifelong passion for expressing the beauty and nobility of everyday people. D’Artagnan’s subjects include dancers, models, bodybuilders, Cuban cigar rollers and musicians, and common threads in his work are light, confidence and peace. As the artist explains, “The human face has stories to tell. I want to capture people in a way that reveals that inner world.” Winford’s distinctive, award-winning portraitures have received international recognition both for their startling beauty and for their ability to uplift and inspire.
Nino Batista
Ron "Nino" Batista is a photographer, writer, musician and overall creative whose work is regularly seen in lifestyle publications the world over.
He is regarded as the premier model photography, retouching and artist development coaching educator based in the United States.
"Beauty is beauty, and often frighteningly subjective. However, the perception of strength is directly objective. When an image comes across as strong, as powerful, there is something more to the shot than simply beauty. For me, beauty is the delivery as I enjoy experiencing it, but strength is the intent as I enjoy capturing it."
Marcos Valdes
Hello, my name is Marcos Valdés.
I am a commercial portrait photographer who decided to enter the world of weddings seeking to create impressive images for the final client, generating empathy with his feelings. I work with digital and analog equipment to achieve lasting satisfactory results in memory, beyond the image. I thank you in advance for the opportunity you give me to share my knowledge with you.
Craig La Mere
I've been a full time professional photographer for 13 years. I'm based in Pocatello, Idaho where I run my full time studio. In those years I've been blessed to spend some of my time traveling the world shooting in amazing places and meeting incredible people. I have been an educator for 9 years teaching shooters my process of photography. I have been lucky enough to teach and speak at most of the major conferences in our industry as well as many of the state professional guilds. I have also been lucky enough throughout my travels to eat yummy food, drink great bourbon and have the best time ever. My greatest strength as a shooter has been coming from a place where I could not specialize in one genre. Being based in Idaho I have had to master many types of shooting, lighting, posing and post processing to be able to be a full time shooter. I take a lot of pride in my versatility and feel that's what makes me the shooter I am.
Pam Fields
Bio