MODE: The World’s Photography Festival

Minnesota Twins photographer and content manager Brace Hemmelgarn takes you inside Target Field for a two-part sports photography experience. The session begins with an educational seminar on shooting live sports and large-scale venues, followed by a 60-minute guided walking tour of the ballpark with cameras in hand, covering real-world shooting insights and access to Brace’s favorite vantage points.

A panel of sports and lifestyle photographers digs into what it actually takes to cover professional leagues, major events, and bucket-list assignments, from press passes and access to the relationship-building that keeps careers alive.

Andy has spent over a decade working as a nomadic filmmaker for brands like Sony, Toyota, CamelBak, Huckberry, and some of the top outdoor brands in the world, alongside tourism boards across the globe and his own documentary work. Often operating alone in remote places with no margin for error, he has learned that the most important creative decisions happen long before the camera comes out. In this masterclass, he walks through how he researches locations, anticipates variables, builds shot lists, and sets a production up to succeed before a single frame is captured.

Chris makes the case that great filmmaking doesn't require a full crew or expensive equipment, drawing on his experience shooting a music video entirely on iPhone with battery-powered lights. Participants will build a backpack-ready production kit and take it straight into the field.

Dark skies have taken Andy Best to remote corners of the world he never would have found otherwise. This workshop is built from years of failures and hard-won successes, and the throughline is always the same: preparation is everything. The settings are the easy part. The real skill is in knowing how to read the weather three days out, scout a location you've never stood in, time a moonrise to the minute, layer your planning until there's nothing left to chance, and show up with no excuses left to give. That's what gets the shot.

A forward-looking conversation on how AI is being incorporated into commercial photography workflows, from pre-production ideation to post-production delivery. Panelists share how these tools are reshaping the industry and what photographers need to know to stay relevant, creative, and competitive.

Minneapolis-based filmmaker and early AI adopter Chris McDuffie walks through how he has integrated AI tools into his motion work from ideation and storyboarding through post-production, including voice cleanup, VFX, and B-roll generation. A practical, experience-driven look at where AI and filmmaking meet right now.

Dan Saelinger has built a career on inventive imagery, working across stills, motion, CGI direction, and generative AI. In this workshop, Dan teaches participants how AI fits into a working commercial photographer's toolkit, not as a replacement for craft, but as another way to solve visual problems. He will cover where the technology genuinely helps, where it falls short, and how to keep your creative fingerprint intact.

A forward-looking conversation on how photographers and creatives are incorporating AI into their work, exploring the creative, ethical, and practical dimensions of a technology that isn't going anywhere. Grounded in curiosity rather than fear, the panel aims to leave attendees more informed and more empowered.

A casual, open gathering for agency professionals, photographers, reps, and industry creatives to connect during MODE. Hosted by Sari Rowe, whose vast network in the commercial production sphere brings together a cross-section of the advertising and photography world in one room.

A conversation on the craft, business, and lifestyle of building a creative career in the outdoor industry, with adventure photographers and filmmakers working across personal projects and high-stakes assignments for major brands in some of the world's most challenging environments. Plus a look at photography's role in the conservation movement: how images drive public awareness, shift policy, and connect people to places worth protecting.

Paul shares the story behind his aerial photography practice, from his first flights over New York City to shooting the Fourth of July fireworks from an open-door helicopter. A presentation on the unexpected journey that led to him shooting from the sky, and the technical and creative challenges of making images no one else can.

A candid, high-level conversation about how agency work operates. Panelists dig into how photographers get discovered, how usage and licensing are evolving in the age of AI, and what it means to get seen now.