Speaking
“What we learned from Lee is that there is incredible beauty in the details that are found in landscape portraiture… Lee's work is completely unique, full of depth that just pulls you in — kinda like the man himself.”
— Carla Lehman, Professional Photographers of Alberta Light Matters Conference organizer
Photo by Amy Liu.
Lee Nordbye is a dynamic, personable, and encouraging speaker who can engage photographers through his bold, fine art images, “behind the scenes” stories and flair for humour. In his talks, Lee is open about his challenges with mental health and the importance of his “mountain therapy” in helping him overcome these challenges. Whether in person or online, audiences of various sizes have been engrossed and captivated by Lee’s soulful photographic style that highlights the intimate details and nuances of the natural world, and his stories of exploration and discovery.
Lee can speak at conferences, corporate events, camera clubs, and other group gatherings. Virtual options through platforms, such as Zoom, are available. Lee can also be booked for select podcast appearances.
Listen to Lee on Frames Magazine or You Can Learn Photography podcasts.
"Lee has emerged as an interesting and dynamic speaker on a variety of subjects, and he was a big hit at my annual Land and See conference. Whether discussing black-and-white photography or post-processing, Lee was engaging, helpful, and a true professional. I learned a lot!"
— Dave Brosha, award-winning portrait and landscape photographer; Land and See Conference organizer
Topics/Talks
Photo by Dave Brosha.
An Artist’s Adventures and Misadventures in the Mountains
In this talk, Lee recount stories of ascending mountains, exploring glaciers to look for ice caves, skating on wild ice, hiking in the Rockies, and trekking in the Himalaya. Pairing his stories with bold visuals, Lee also throws in a misadventure or two as he recounts in detail what energizes him to take up adventures. In this presentation, he’ll share the inspiration for each of his visual stories, as well as some tips and tricks he uses for capturing his unique images.
Length 45 to 120 minutes | Geared for camera clubs; photographers of all levels; can also be catered to non-photographers
Exploring Wild Places
A passionate traveller, Lee’s experiences in the world range from the sand dunes of Namibia to the Himalaya of Bhutan and the icebergs and dancing aurora of Greenland. In this presentation, Lee recounts his stories from these wild places through both his bold imagery and tales from behind-the-scenes. Lee will talk about what got him excited about each visual story, as well as tips and tricks for taking images in dramatic landscapes.
Length 45 to 120 minutes | Geared for camera clubs; photographers of all levels; can also be catered to non-photographers
Making Monochrome Magic
Geared to camera clubs, in this talk Lee focuses on the art of creating bold black and white imagery by listening to your heart and gut. Lee presents his process from inspiration to printing his black-and-white imagery. For him, fieldwork and editing are a 50/50 partnership in creating a monochrome work of art. As a result, Lee devotes time in this talk to walking through what he looks for in the field and, in some detail, his editing process as it is applied to his imagery. He will also devote time to discussing how to prepare your images for printing and the critical decisions you need to make before the image comes off the printer.
Length 60 minutes | Geared to camera clubs
“Not only is Lee an incredibly talented photographer, he is a funny, engaging and talented speaker. As Lee spoke on his adventures, the passion that drives his need to create breathtaking art and the lengths he goes to in pursuit of incredible mountain vista art, he gave us a unique insight into creating landscapes. When one thinks of landscape art, we envision wide vistas and blue skies. What we learned from Lee is that there is incredible beauty in the details that are found in landscape portraiture… Lee's work is completely unique, full of depth that just pulls you in — kinda like the man himself. I highly recommend him as an artist and a business teacher.”
— Carla Lehman | Professional Photographers of Alberta Light Matters Conference organizer,
participant and photography business owner