Meet Your Hosts

Your hosts have more than 30 years combined photography experience in a variety of genres and techniques. They have been featured in F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast, On Landscape Magazine, Wild Women in Photography Podcast, Shout Out Colorado, and more. They have repeatedly heard others in the field express the desire to connect so they founded a company to address just that.

They aspire to bring you together and provide opportunities to connect so you may have the chance to create endearing relationships as they have found…

CONNECT ~ IMAGINE ~ CREATE

  • Shanda Akin

    Shanda is a freelance photographer based in Durango, Colorado. Her photography and art are the result of the need to explore remarkable and depleting natural places, narrate a vision through imagery, and to share her unique and personal point of view. She is an adventure-seeker with an insatiably nomadic soul and experienced world traveler who has ventured into far reaches of the earth seizing exceptional moments in 48 countries and counting.

    In 2019, Shanda transitioned from a successful 25-year career in the United States Air Force into entrepreneurship to fulfill her passion for photography. She published her first photography book, The Beauty of Durango and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in photography through the Academy of Art University.

    Website

  • Martha Montiel

    Martha is a nature and landscape photographer born and raised in Mexico City and now based in Colorado.

    Martha’s fascination with photography started at a young age. As an adult, it grew as a way to show others the beauty of our natural world. Her background and university classes were focused in art and graphic design but her love of photography was solidified after participating in a black and white photography class where she learned to develop her own film.

    Photography has continued to fuel her love of the outdoors, her sense of adventure, her love of connecting with others and a desire to inspire others to conserve and protect our planet.

    Website

  • Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero

    Jeanie has a diverse background, including roles as a software engineer, massage therapist, English teacher, and photo restoration artist. Jeanie recently co-ran a software business with her husband, gaining recognition in books, magazines, and on PBS. She is intensely curious and loves learning new things.

    Since 2017, she has channeled her creative energy into photography, believing it can transform our perception of the world. While some see her as hiding behind the camera, she feels deeply connected to the moment when framing a shot. Her goal is to inspire others through her photographic journey.

    Jeanie lives in the Rocky Mountain foothills near Fort Collins, Colorado, volunteering as a photographer for Larimer County Natural Resources.

    Website

Your hosts are proud members of Nature First The Alliance for responsible Nature Photography and strive to follow Nature First seven principles

  • Prioritize the well-being of nature over photography

  • Educate yourself about the places you photograph

  • Reflect on the possible impact of your actions

  • Use discretion if sharing locations

  • Know and follow rules and regulations

  • Always follow Leave No Trace principles and strive to leave places better than you found them

  • Actively promote and educate others about these principles