Speaking
Carly Sullens, M. Photog., M. Artist, CPP, ATR, is a master photographer and registered art therapist known for weaving fine‑art history, expressive process, and practical technique into unforgettable learning experiences. She has taught with the Santa Fe Workshops, International Photography Hall of Fame, and multiple PPA state affiliates, guiding photographers to move beyond perfectionism and into purposeful, emotionally resonant work.
Explore the classes below, or reach out to create a customized experience designed specifically for your organization or audience.
Intent to Image:
Learning to Create from Within
Move beyond technique. Create through meaning.
Before the shutter clicks, something deeper stirs, a feeling, a memory, a truth. Some images are taken, others are felt. This workshop invites you to slow down and create from within, allowing personal meaning to guide what you see and how you share it.
It’s about rediscovering what only you can bring to your images, and why that matters. A process that moves past technical perfection and into image-making rooted in authenticity, emotion, and intention.
Through guided exercises, expressive journaling, and hands-on demonstrations, you’ll explore the connection between who you are and how that shapes the choices you make behind the lens, whether you realize it or not. Along the way, you begin to see how every creative choice, from what you photograph to how you shape it in post, reflects something deeper.
As you move away from automatic habits, your process becomes more intentional, more expressive, and more connected to who you are and what you want to say.
This isn’t about getting it “right.” It’s about getting it real.
The work that emerges doesn’t just look beautiful, it feels purposeful, personal, and undeniably yours. Because what is innately yours can never be stolen; it’s simply waiting to be uncovered.
“I knew I needed to create something beyond the work I had always done, so I signed up for Carly Sullens’ class, The Meaning Behind the Making: A Creative Journey. As a teacher, Carly is a rare mix of grounded, gentle, and incredibly insightful. Her background as an art therapist and her talent as an artist shine through in everything she does. She teaches with verbal prompts that feel safe and inviting, never judgmental, and always encouraging. The goal was never perfection but honesty, learning to express the stories within rather than simply creating a beautiful image.
Through her thoughtful guidance, I created photographs unlike anything I’ve ever produced, work I never dreamed I was capable of making. For that, I am forever grateful.”
- Lori Probst, M. Photog., CPP
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2 Hours to 4 Hours
Full Day
Multi-Day
(customizable)
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Keynote & Workshop Topics
Creative Growth
Personal Development
Fine Art
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All Levels - Ideal for photographers of all levels who want to move beyond technique and create with greater meaning and intention.
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Keynotes • Lectures • Hands-On Workshops • Experiential Exercises
Keynotes: 30–90 minutes
Deep-Dive Lectures: 60–90 minutes
Workshops: 2–8 hours
Multi-Day Sessions
Websites & Branding for Photographers:
Practical Guidance Without the Overwhelm
Many photographers feel stuck with their websites or branding. Their site may have been built years ago, and while they know it matters, it’s hard to know what truly deserves their time and energy in a fast-changing tech landscape.
This class offers clear, grounded, timeless guidance for photographers who want a website and brand that feel understandable, easy to maintain, and supportive of where they want their business to go.
This is not a traditional website or branding class. It’s a guided experience that helps photographers make business decisions that feel authentic and supportive, with built-in space to reflect on and apply ideas in real time. Participants work through prompts together, applying insights to their websites, brands, and communication in ways that honor both their photography and their natural way of working.
Drawing from years of experience building and maintaining websites for photographers, artists, and creative organizations — including leading the redesign and ongoing management of the International Photography Hall of Fame website — Carly brings both a creative eye and practical understanding to the process.
Photographers leave with clarity, confidence, and a sense of direction they can actually sustain.
Ideal for:
Photographers at any stage who feel overwhelmed by traditional business advice, unsure if their website or branding truly reflects them, or ready to build a business that aligns with their personality and values.
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2 Hours to 4 Hours
Full Day
Multi-Day
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Workshop Topics
Business
Professional Development
Marketing and Branding
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All Levels - for photographers at any stage who feel overwhelmed by traditional business advice, unsure if their website or branding truly reflects them, or ready for more clarity and intention in their online presence.
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Lectures • Can be on location on Zoom
Deep-Dive Lectures
Workshops
Multi-Day Sessions
Beyond the Basics:
Editing as an Act of Creative Expression
Where editing becomes art, and every adjustment carries purpose.
Most photographers learn to edit with the goal of correcting, fixing, or polishing an image. But editing can be so much more — it can be an act of creative decision-making that defines your style and strengthens your artistic voice. In this visually rich class, you’ll learn how to use editing not just to enhance a photograph, but to shape its atmosphere, emphasize emotion, and bring your vision fully to life.
Editing is where artistry meets intention — where every choice you make in tone, light, and color can transform a good image into something unforgettable. You’ll explore how thoughtful editing adds clarity, depth, and mood without losing authenticity. It’s not about filters or formulas; it’s about understanding what to amplify and what to hold back to make your images speak clearly.
Through guided exercises and visual examples, you'll experiment with painterly techniques, creative layering, and mood-driven adjustments — discovering how to edit with confidence, creativity, and control. Whether you want your images to feel bold, timeless, cinematic, or surreal, you'll leave with practical tools and inspiration to elevate your work beyond the basics.
An editing workshop that helps you move beyond polish to create images that resonate with mood, meaning, and style.
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2 Hours to 4 Hours
Full Day
Multi-Day
(customizable)
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Workshop Topics
Editing
Post-Processing
Creative Growth
Personal Development
Fine Art
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Ideal for intermediate to advanced photographers who want to refine their editing process and elevate the artistic impact of their work.
Beginners welcome with a basic understanding of exposure, layers, and adjustment tools.
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Lectures • Hands-On Workshops • Experiential Exercises
Deep-Dive Lectures: 60–90 minutes
Workshops: 2–8 hours
Multi-Day Sessions
Includes visual examples, guided exercises, and live editing demonstrations focused on transforming technical edits into expressive, intentional art.
The Expressive Portrait:
Moving Beyond the Smile
Where portraits become stories. And expression becomes connection.
A powerful portrait doesn’t just capture a face, it unveils a deeper story.
This immersive class invites you to move beyond surface-level smiles and create portraits that feel layered, symbolic, and authentic.
Rooted in art therapy principles and visual storytelling, you’ll learn how to compose portraits that reveal the unseen, the quiet truths carried beneath the surface. Through creative exploration, direction, lighting, and color, you’ll discover how to build a genuine visual dialogue with the portrayed, transforming your portraits from simple documentation into compelling, story-rich portraits.
Whether you’re photographing a stranger, a client, or someone you love, you’ll leave with new tools to create portraits that don’t just show who someone is, but what they feel, what they dream, and what they leave unspoken.
A portrait workshop that helps you move beyond the pose and create images that feel as honest and emotive as the people within them.
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60 minutes
2 Hours to 4 Hours
Full Day
Multi-Day
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Keynote & Workshop Topics
Technique
Posing
Creative Growth
Personal Development
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All Levels - for photographers seeking to bring more depth and authenticity to their portraits
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Keynotes • Lectures • Hands-On Workshops • Experiential Exercises
Keynotes: 30–90 minutes
Deep-Dive Lectures: 60–90 minutes
Workshops: 2–8 hours
Multi-Day Sessions
What People are Saying.
Let’s work together.
Ready to bring a fresh, creative, and transformational photography experience to your event Let’s create an unforgettable experience that inspires, challenges, and transforms.
I'd love to hear from you! Reach out below, and let’s start a conversation.
Learn More About Carly Sullens
Learn about my background, experiences, and the path that has shaped my work as an artist, photographer, and educator.
Explore a detailed record of my professional accomplishments, honors, and contributions within the field of photography and the arts.
Gain insight into the heart of my creative vision, where I share the ideas and inspirations that shape my work.
Discover the organizations and communities I am honored to collaborate with, reflecting my commitment to service, education, and the art of photography.