MODE: The World’s Photography Festival

Walk through Minneapolis with a motion-first eye, with Chris McDuffie as your guide. He will show you how to find and capture compelling footage in real city environments using whatever gear you have on hand.

Sanjay leads an urban photo walk through Minneapolis, encouraging participants to find compelling stories in unexpected places. Rooted in his philosophy that every city has a story worth telling, this walk pushes photographers to slow down, observe, and document meaningfully.

A guided night photography walk through Minneapolis alongside Andy Best, who will teach participants how to see and shoot in low light, find compelling compositions after dark, and use the city as a landscape. Equal parts technical lesson and adventure.

The photography industry has changed dramatically, but the need to build visibility, relationships, and a clear creative identity remains essential. In this conversation, Art Streiber and Beth Huerta draw from decades of experience across photography, representation, editing, and creative consulting to discuss how photographers can position themselves in an increasingly fragmented and fast-moving industry. From editorial relationships and direct client outreach to social media, branding, online presence, and evolving industry expectations, the session explores both practical strategy and real-world experience. Part conversation, part hard-won experience, the discussion is designed for photographers across genres who are navigating how to sustain visibility, relevance, and meaningful creative careers today.

Jimmy teaches participants what goes into creating iconic album art, from building a rapport with the musician or subject to making images that carry the weight of an entire record.

Brooke transforms a space into a fully built, prop-filled set: wallpapered walls, unexpected objects, surreal staging. Participants are invited to play around, explore, and make self-portraits without any pressure to be brilliant. A brief intro from Brooke on her process kicks things off, then the space is yours. These sessions will be small groups only, to allow for genuine hands-on exploration.

Dan Saelinger specializes in vibrantly colorful imagery, collaborating with brands on set and off, working from concept through capture and managing each production from the first deck through post. In this workshop, he breaks down how to think about color, composition, and lighting to make striking imagery through thoughtful pre-planning and intentional creative choices, even when you don't have the luxury of a perfectly controlled studio.

Drawing on his work leading the AI curriculum at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, Timothy teaches attendees how to move beyond the one-off "cool image" and build AI work with genuine artistic integrity. Using photography as a foundation, participants learn how to develop recurring characters, narrative arcs, and cohesive visual stories. Hands-on and participatory, attendees will leave with the beginning of a real project.

A workshop using one of MODE's live stages. Jesse brings his documentary, black and white, backstage-driven approach to a small group, walking participants through how he reads a room, anticipates moments, and finds the in-between shots that most photographers miss. Participants shoot alongside Jesse in real time with real artists.

A hands-on workshop where participants learn the timing, angles, and technical thinking behind levitation photography, one of the most attention-grabbing techniques in commercial photography. Erick breaks down the physics and the creative logic, and gets everyone shooting.

Ro.lexx went from a high school athlete to shooting platinum album covers for Bryson Tiller, global campaigns for Nike, and concert tours. She had no formal training, no assistant, and didn’t know what a raw file was. She shares the real story of how relationships, instinct, and a willingness to figure it out built one of the most distinct careers in music photography today.

Brooke DiDonato reveals how returning to the same subjects, places, and feelings over time unlocks depths that a single attempt never could.

Tony will host small sessions after his main workshop to host a more intimate learning and Q&A session.

Photography doesn't have to live on a wall. Da'Shaunae Marisa brings images to life through tactile, interactive experiences, from photo Rubik's Cubes to immersive installations. This workshop explores how photography can turn into an object, a puzzle, and a conversation starter.

Chris breaks down the music video production process from creative brief to final edit, including how filmmakers can get into this side of the industry. Drawing on his own experience shooting narrative and performance-driven music videos with AI-assisted VFX, this is a practical look at how these projects actually come together.

Olivia transforms an entire room into a giant pinhole camera, projecting the world outside upside down and backwards onto the wall. Attendees can step inside, sit for portraits, wear costumes, or capture the projected image on cyanotype paper, experiencing in real time the optical trick at the heart of every photograph.

For over a decade GMUNK has been shooting landscapes, people, and the natural world through modified full spectrum cameras, capturing light invisible to the naked eye and transforming it into otherworldly, psychedelic imagery. This visually stunning presentation walks the audience through his infrared practice, from technical foundations and gear setup to color grading in DaVinci Resolve. He will talk about his creative philosophy, and what happens when you change the way light enters the camera.

Based on his TED Talk, Steven explores why committing to your creative individuality is the most powerful tool a photographer has right now. A timely conversation about defiance, specificity, and refusing to let platforms dictate your artistic identity.

Tony draws on his career at the intersection of science, nature, and photography, making the case for why protecting the natural world isn't separate from the work of photographing it.

Ro.lexx spent six weeks on tour last summer as a single mom and made it work. In this presentation she will discuss what it takes to sustain a career in music photography when life doesn't slow down and talk about her experience balancing tour schedules, client relationships, and raising a son who has his own camera in the pit.

AI is reshaping the industry in real time. That's not up for debate. But the creatives who will actually sustain their careers aren't just the ones who learn the tools, they're the ones who stay rooted in people, in how we see, listen, and tell the truth about what's in front of us. David Johnson makes the case for why the future is still human in the age of AI. How empathy, presence, and real human connection aren't secondary to the work. They are the work. And why those who stay anchored in human connection will have staying power as everything else gets automated.

Ben Weiland and Brian "Bobcat" Davis have spent over a decade building Fielder Films into one of the most distinctive adventure filmmaking studios today, with original films screened at Tribeca, distributed through Red Bull, and brand work spanning surfing, cycling, running, and exploration at the ends of the earth. In this session, they walk through how their films actually get made, using their own work as case studies to cover creative approach, production process, and what it looks like to tell a compelling story with a small budget and crew.

Sanjay will lead a hands-on music photography workshop using one of MODE's live stages. Participants will shoot a real performance and walk away with portfolio-worthy images. Drawing on his experience as the official photographer for Dave Matthews Band, Public Enemy, and Slightly Stoopid, Sanjay will show participants how to move beyond the obvious shot and turn unpredictable light and movement into a creative advantage.

Breaking down his instinctive but structured approach to street photography, YK teaches participants how to read an environment, anticipate a moment before it happens, and compose on the spot. Drawing on his signature cinematic and moody visual style, this session shows that great street photography is part patience, part preparation, with a little bit of luck.

In this class, Chui will show students how to film their lives in a cinematic way using whatever tools they have, whether it's a smartphone, a cinema camera, o…In this class, Chui will show students how to film their lives in a cinematic way using whatever tools they have, whether it's a smartphone, a cinema camera, or a point-and-shoot. Chui will take them through his process for filming and editing without a crew. The course covers how to create videos tailored for vertical platforms like Instagram and TikTok, as well as horizontal content for YouTube. In the digital space, learning how to effectively document and capture your work can be the deciding factor in securing future projects. As AI gains popularity, filming yourself is a powerful way to showcase the human element of creativity and stand out.