Fast Forward is PPI’s one-day photography conference designed to help photographers accelerate their creativity, sharpen their skills, and build meaningful industry connections. Whether you're a professional photographer, aspiring photographer, content creator, or creative entrepreneur, Fast Forward delivers hands-on learning, inspiring speakers, networking opportunities, and real-world business insights in a high-energy, community-focused environment.
Tentative Schedule for the day:
- 9:00 Doors open
- 9:30 Welcome Message
- 10:00-1:00pm - Annie Marie (more info coming soon)
- 1:00-2:30pm - Lunch On Your Own
- 3:00-6:00pm - Peter Hurley: From Zero To Shebang
- 6:30-7:30 - Fall Image Competition Awards Presentation
- 8:00-? - Networking Hang-out at the Residence Inn, Ankeny where we will have a room block. Reservation link coming soon!
We are excited to be featuring Peter Hurley as the main speaker for the afternoon of this event! Peter Hurley is a world-renowned portrait photographer, author, speaker, coach, and a proud Canon Explorer of Light. Widely recognized as the leading authority in headshot photography, Peter has personally trained thousands of photographers through his dynamic teaching style and the principles outlined in his bestselling book, The Headshot. His work and expertise have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Good Day NY, and Nightline. A TEDx speaker and YouTube sensation, Peter continues to inspire a global community of photographers with his passion, presence, and pursuit of excellence. In 2024, he received the prestigious ICP Professional Photographer Achievement Award at the United Nations, cementing his lasting impact on the photography industry. He lives in New York City with his wife and their twin daughters.
Fast Forward Course: From Zero to SHABANG! A live coaching masterclass with Peter Hurley
Every portrait photographer knows the feeling: the lighting is dialed in, the scene is set, you look through the viewfinder and your subject looks like the life just got sucked right out of them.
Human beings behave strangely in front of a camera. Shoulders tense. Smiles go flat. The person who was cracking jokes five minutes ago suddenly looks like they're posing for a mugshot. That's not a lighting problem or a lens problem; it's a coaching problem. And closing that gap is what separates photographers who take pictures from photographers who create images people actually want to be seen in.
No one closes that gap better than Peter Hurley.
Peter has spent his career turning bland, guarded expressions into what he calls SHABANG’n shots. That split-second collision of adrenaline, emotion, and authentic personality that makes a portrait stop people in their tracks. It's the difference between a technically correct photo and an image that makes you say "wow." In this session, he's pulling back the curtain on exactly how he gets there, then proving it live.
What You'll Learn
- How to read a subject's tension in the first ten seconds and know exactly what to say to break it
- Peter's signature verbal and physical coaching cues — the specific language that gets a genuine reaction instead of a forced smile
- How to build rapport fast with total strangers who've never been photographed professionally
- The mental framework for directing someone toward their SHABANG moment instead of just shooting and hoping
- How to keep shooting through the awkward warm-up phase instead of stopping and starting
- Common coaching mistakes that keep subjects stiff and what to do instead
- All taught while Peter is doing a Live Demonstration
This isn't just a lecture. It’s Peter Hurley shooting LIVE while bringing the best out of his subject on stage. You’ll watch him coach them in real time using the same techniques he uses with executives, actors, and his A-list clients.
Who This Is For
Portrait photographers at any level who may very well be technically solid but want their images to carry more life, more personality, and more impact. If you've ever nailed the lighting and still walked away with a flat, forgettable shot, this class is built for that exact problem. Peter always says that it’s more important for a photographer to have good people skills than it is for them to have good technical skills. The technical is actually easier to teach than the ability to connect with your subject on a human level.
Walk in with a good eye. Walk out knowing how to direct your subjects toward the elusive SHABANG’n shot!
This event is paired with a hands-on workshop the following day, you can attend one or both. If both, you will need to register for each day separately.
