The Business of Commercial Photography

This session explores what carries over from established creative practice into generative workflows, including artistic judgment, authorship, editing, and visual thinking itself. Rather than focusing on tools alone, the conversation turns to enduring creative questions: How do we recognize coherence in an image? What decisions remain fundamentally human? When possibilities multiply, does judgment matter more, not less? Drawing on backgrounds in photography, art production, consulting, editing, and experimental practice, Beth Huerta and Liz Miller-Gershfeld approach the session as a live conversation rather than a lecture, using examples and audience participation to examine how creatives can engage emerging tools without abandoning the discernment, perspective, and values they already bring to their work.

Liz introduces photographers to vibe coding, the practice of using large language models to write functional code without any developer background. Through a live demo, she shows how a creative producer mindset is all you need to build tools, apps, and interactive art pieces that expand your practice in unexpected directions.

With a foundation in documentary and travel photography working for National Geographic for the first decade of her career, and shooting for clients like Bon Appétit and Saveur, Penny De Los Santos walks participants through a real professional food shoot, complete with stylists, props, and all the prep work that happens before the camera comes out. Participants will get a front-row look at a high-end commercial shoot.