PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF OHIO
Teach, connect, and feel at home.
Join us in Newark, Ohio for practical education, honest conversations, and a photography community that shows up ready to learn.
An audience that makes teaching rewarding.
PPO Summer School brings photographers and educators together for focused learning and plenty of time to connect. Our members participate, ask thoughtful questions, and continue the conversation long after class ends.
We want our speakers to feel just as welcome as our attendees. Our team handles the practical details so you can concentrate on teaching and enjoy your time with us.
Small classes.
Real conversations.
Summer School is intentionally small and personal. You won’t be presenting to a sea of anonymous faces or trying to have a conversation over the noise of a crowded convention center.
Our class sizes give speakers time to answer questions, learn attendees’ names, and stay for the conversations that develop naturally between programs and over meals.
Think of us as the introvert’s conference. Friendly, welcoming, and never overwhelming.
WHAT OUR SPEAKERS SAY
“From the moment you arrive, you are welcomed like family. There is such a wonderful sense of community, connection, support, and genuine enthusiasm for learning from one another. They show up, they participate, they ask great questions, and they make being an educator incredibly rewarding.”
Marisa Balletti-Lavoie
Photographer, educator, and two-time PPO speaker
Professional Photographers of Ohio is an AMAZING group of talented photographers who love to learn! The leadership has created a beautiful environment for encouraging others to grow both in business and in creativity!
Jessica Robertson
Speaking at the PPO Summer School was an awesome experience. Everyone on the PPO team was extremely supportive, and made sure that I had everything I needed to teach my classes. They care deeply about photography and education, and it showed throughout the entire weekend working with them.
Pete Coco
What PPO provides.
These are the standard elements we include when welcoming Summer School speakers.
Travel
Reasonable travel expenses are reimbursed according to the terms of your speaker contract.
Lodging
Your room at Cherry Valley is provided for the duration of your speaking engagement.
Meals
Meals during Summer School are included, with plenty of time to sit down and connect.
Speaker Fee
Speaker fees are negotiated based on program length, format, and teaching commitment.
YES, WE FEED YOU WELL
Come hungry.
Meals are a part of the Summer School experience, not an afterthought. We gather around the table, catch up between programs, and maker sure our speakers are very well fed throughout the event.
Cherry Valley is known for fresh food, seasonal ingredients, and relaxed dining. Our speakers consistently comment on the meals. Marisa Balletti-Lavoie has joked that we only hold the conference so that we can eat all day. She’s not entirely wrong…
CHERRY VALLEY HOTEL
Room to teach.
Room to breathe.
Summer School is held at Cherry Valley Hotel in Newark, Ohio. Spacious classrooms, comfortable guest rooms, inviting gathering spaces, and garden paths around the pond keep everything close without making the weekend feel confined to a conference room.
Education starts the conversation.
Our attendees include working photographers, artists, studio owners, and emerging professionals with a wide range of experience. They come for useful ideas they can put to work, but the relationships built over meals, demonstrations, and hallway conversations are just as important.
Come for the education. Leave with a community.