ABOUT

The Moab Photography Symposium (MPS) successfully presents known leaders and new voices in the field of landscape-based fine art photography.  Our goal has always been to motivate people to personalize their personal photography.  This is accomplished via entertaining and enlightening presentations, small field workshops, tech sessions, and the well-loved, Zax pizza-supported, evening photoJAM! where attendees share their work. In addition to all of that we are also known for the great camaraderie among all who gather, and that’s something I’m especially proud of and grateful for. 

After 15 glorious years, we closed our doors in 2018.  As owner, organizer, educator and photographer, I, Bruce Hucko, felt I'd accomplished all I could and wanted to do with MPS.  Mission accomplished!  I retired from my true calling as Art Coach! for elementary-aged students in August 2023.  For years I'd gathered requests to bring back MPS.  It seems to have engendered a loyal following!  Missing the fabulous friendships we shared at MPS, I decided to bring it back for an ENCORE!

OUR EVER SO BRIEF HISTORY

MPS started as a two-day event with 3-4 speakers.  Themes changed from year to year for the first decade.  We then “hit our stride” so to speak, and since then the theme has been “the creation of personally meaningful images.”  In our early stages, I searched near and far among my photographic friends to find worthy voices.  I also found speakers who were new to me, but had important things to say.  I’ve also had the pleasure of introducing our audiences to speakers outside the realm of photography per se, but whose presentations were all about seeing, feeling, and creating.  These included Utah’s first poet laureate David Lee and Dr. Robert Marc, Director of Research, John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah.  Nobody knows the eye better than he.

Every one of the MPS events promoted personal growth and understanding.  As the event grew it also changed.  In the last 5 years I chose to hone things down to what truly counts.  The ongoing theme of creating personal meaningful photographs encompasses a lot of subject matter while still focusing the event on YOU, and the techniques, thoughts, and ideas to keep yourself inspired.  I have also, especially for this event, honed the speaker list down to those I know best represent the photographic educational ideals we’ve been expousing all along.  There is great diversity in the thoughts and images our guests present, but you’ll also find a congruence and confluence of creative and technical processes in their messages. 

That’s why for this event, in making their presentation, I’ve asked and challenged each presenter to open the suitcase of their mind and share with us the feelings, fears, processes, inspirations, etc ……. that make them click!