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About

Steve Simon first picked up a camera at 11 in his hometown of Montreal and began working professionally three years later. While still in his teens, he wrote a weekly photography column that appeared in several Canadian newspapers, including The Montreal Gazette, Toronto Star and Ottawa Citizen. Soon afterward, The New York Times published the first of three articles he wrote about photography.

He has photographed on assignment in more than 40 countries and is the author of five photography books, including The Passionate Photographer. His long-term projects have explored faith, political life, public tragedy and the impact of HIV and AIDS in Africa. His photographs have appeared in publications including The New York Times Magazine, Time, Life, Mother Jones and Le Monde.

Steve has taught at the International Center of Photography and the School of Visual Arts in New York and previously headed the Photojournalism Program at Loyalist College in Ontario. He has presented at photography festivals, conferences, universities and organizations internationally. His talks bring together photographs, lived experience and practical ideas that help photographers move past hesitation, trust their instincts and develop a more personal way of seeing.

Selected experience

Canadian Press Photo of the Year for coverage of the Edmonton tornado.
Global Health Council Media Award for Heroines & Heroes: Hope, HIV and Africa.
Created and taught the Editorial Photography course for the School of Visual Arts Master of Professional Studies in Digital Photography program.
Presented at PhotoPlus Expo, Gulf Photo Plus and B&H Photo, and delivered online lectures for the Eddie Adams Workshop.
A set of prints from Empty Sky: The Pilgrimage to Ground Zero was acquired for the permanent collection of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The work was also presented at Visa pour l’Image, followed by an onstage interview.
Long-term photographic projects include America at the Edge and more than two decades documenting American political conventions.

Selected speaking engagements

Steve has lectured at photography festivals, journalism conferences, universities, arts institutions and corporate events in North America and Europe. Selected engagements include:

Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan, France
Apple, Cupertino, California
Macworld, San Francisco
B&H Photo, New York
CAJ Global Journalism Conference, Toronto
Global Health Council Conference, Washington, DC
The Ohio State University
New York University
The University of Texas at Austin
University of the Arts, Philadelphia
Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara
Oklahoma Arts Institute, Quartz Mountain
Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly Ryerson University
University of Wisconsin–Madison

“Simon’s talk was inspiring. His ability to recognize and capture compelling human stories in a photo essay was as unique as the stories were moving. I also appreciated his generous, frank and funny stories about his efforts to establish himself as a professional documentary photographer.”
— H. Lewis Ulman, Professor Emeritus, Department of English, The Ohio State University

Watch Steve

LightSeekers: Japan

A short film made in Japan, where changing light, chance encounters and the life of the street keep asking us to look again.

Watch the film on Vimeo ↗

Presentations

Explore presentation topics, audience takeaways and practical details. Each engagement can be adapted to the audience, event and available time.

Illustrated photography presentation

The Passionate Photographer: 10 Steps Toward Becoming Great

A practical and inspiring presentation about moving beyond hesitation, strengthening your photographic voice and transforming enthusiasm into a clear personal vision.

Drawing from his book The Passionate Photographer, Steve Simon shares a practical ten-step process for moving beyond hesitation and developing a more personal way of seeing. Through photographs from his long-term projects, he explores the choices, instincts and persistence behind the work—from the emotional aftermath of 9/11 and a road trip along America’s border with Canada to American political conventions and stories of resilience from Heroines & Heroes: Hope, HIV and Africa. Combining personal experience, practical guidance and humor, Steve looks at trusting intuition, moving beyond preconceptions, finding meaning in your work, mastering technique and gaining access through respect and trust.

Possible audience takeaways

A clearer understanding of personal vision and how to strengthen it.
Practical ways to move beyond photographic fears and creative hesitation.
Strategies for trusting intuition while remaining technically prepared.
Ideas for finding direction through projects, practice and persistence.
Approaches to photographing people with respect and establishing the trust that makes access possible.
A practical framework for assessing strengths, addressing weaknesses and deciding what to work on next.

Audience: Camera clubs, photography organizations, schools, festivals and conferences
Experience level: Adaptable for photographers at different experience levels

Additional details for organizersSelect to view technical requirements, recording policy and fee information.

Technical needs: For in-person presentations, Steve presents from his own MacBook Pro. The organizer provides a projector or display, suitable sound, a microphone when appropriate and a compatible connection to the presentation system. For virtual presentations, platform details and a brief technical check are arranged in advance.
Recording: Recording is permitted only by prior written agreement. When approved, a private replay may be made available to the organization’s members for a limited period. Public posting, sharing or reuse is not permitted.
Fee: Fees vary according to presentation format, duration, audience and travel requirements. Please inquire with event details for availability and a quotation.

Illustrated photography presentation

The Personal Project: Articulate Your Vision and Move Your Work Forward

A practical presentation about finding a subject that matters to you and developing it into a coherent body of work with a more recognizable visual voice.

Personal projects give photographers the freedom to explore what matters to them, work beyond the limits of a single assignment and develop a more recognizable visual voice. Drawing from his own long-term projects, Steve Simon looks at how an initial idea grows through the act of photographing. He discusses finding a subject close to your interests, moving beyond your comfort zone, gaining access and making deeper connections with the people and places you photograph. The presentation follows the project from the first photographs through editing, sequencing and finding an audience, with possibilities that include a photo essay, exhibition or book. The emphasis is on beginning before every answer is known and allowing the work itself to show you where the project needs to go.

Possible audience takeaways

Ways to identify a project rooted in personal curiosity and genuine interest.
How to begin with an idea without overthinking it or waiting for perfect conditions.
Approaches to research, access and building trust with the people you photograph.
The importance of working with intention while remaining open to unexpected discoveries.
Practical considerations for editing, sequencing and recognizing the strongest photographs.
Ideas for developing the work into a coherent story and finding the audience it deserves.

Audience: Camera clubs, photography organizations, schools, festivals and conferences
Experience level: Adaptable for emerging photographers, experienced professionals or mixed audiences

Additional details for organizersSelect to view technical requirements, recording policy and fee information.

Technical needs: For in-person presentations, Steve presents from his own MacBook Pro. The organizer provides a projector or display, suitable sound, a microphone when appropriate and a compatible connection to the presentation system. For virtual presentations, platform details and a brief technical check are arranged in advance.
Recording: Recording is permitted only by prior written agreement. When approved, a private replay may be made available to the organization’s members for a limited period. Public posting, sharing or reuse is not permitted.
Fee: Fees vary according to presentation format, duration, audience and travel requirements. Please inquire with event details for availability and a quotation.

Illustrated photography presentation

The Joy of Photography

An encouraging presentation about taking creative risks, trusting your instincts and rediscovering the pleasure that first drew you to photography.

Photography can challenge us, surprise us and bring us more deeply into the world. In this lively and encouraging presentation, Steve Simon shares lessons gathered from a lifetime of wandering with his cameras, following his curiosity and learning to trust what he sees and feels. Through photographs and stories from his own experiences, Steve explores how patience, persistence and creative risk-taking can lead to more meaningful pictures. He looks at the relationship between technique and instinct, the gradual development of a personal style and the importance of staying open to the unexpected. He also shares practical ways to work a scene, move beyond the obvious and recognize the possibilities that can appear when we remain present and keep photographing. The Joy of Photography is ultimately about reconnecting with what first drew us to the camera. Participants will leave inspired to photograph more freely, take chances, pursue the subjects that matter to them and find greater pleasure in the process, knowing that their strongest work may still be ahead.

Possible audience takeaways

Moving beyond technical concerns to concentrate on seeing and responding.
Developing a personal photographic style.
Taking creative risks and moving beyond familiar solutions.
Practicing patience and remaining open to unexpected moments.
Using personal projects to create direction and momentum.
Editing photographs into a stronger, more coherent body of work.

Audience: Camera clubs, photography organizations, conferences and general audiences interested in creativity, visual storytelling and renewed photographic inspiration
Experience level: Adaptable for photographers at different experience levels

Additional details for organizersSelect to view technical requirements, recording policy and fee information.

Technical needs: For in-person presentations, Steve presents from his own MacBook Pro. The organizer provides a projector or display, suitable sound, a microphone when appropriate and a compatible connection to the presentation system. For virtual presentations, platform details and a brief technical check are arranged in advance.
Recording: Recording is permitted only by prior written agreement. When approved, a private replay may be made available to the organization’s members for a limited period. Public posting, sharing or reuse is not permitted.
Fee: Fees vary according to presentation format, duration, audience and travel requirements. Please inquire with event details for availability and a quotation.

Illustrated street photography presentation

Master the Street & Raise Your Game

A practical presentation about strengthening observation, responding more quickly and working beyond familiar habits to make more compelling photographs on the street.

Street photography is an exercise in observation: paying attention to the spontaneous theatre unfolding around us and being ready when gesture, light, composition and human behaviour briefly come together. Drawing from a lifetime of wandering through streets and public spaces with his camera, Steve Simon shares practical ways to work more instinctively and respond quickly to unfolding moments. Through his own photographs and the work of other photographers, he explores equipment choices, camera settings and techniques that can reduce hesitation and leave more room for seeing. He also discusses approaching strangers, making street portraits, working a situation thoroughly and improving the odds of returning with the photograph you sensed was possible. Steve believes that photographic style is not something we manufacture. It gradually reveals itself through the pictures we make over time. This presentation encourages photographers to work beyond familiar habits, take creative chances and become more attentive to the lyrical, humorous and decisive moments that communicate the energy of life on the street.

Possible audience takeaways

Strengthening observation and anticipating moments before they disappear.
Improving response time through preparation and simpler camera choices.
Approaching strangers and creating more natural street portraits.
Working a scene beyond the first obvious photograph.
Balancing technical control with intuition and spontaneity.
Allowing personal style to emerge through practice, persistence and volume.

Audience: Camera clubs, photography organizations, schools, festivals and conferences
Experience level: Adaptable for photographers beginning to explore the street and experienced photographers looking to sharpen their instincts

Additional details for organizersSelect to view technical requirements, recording policy and fee information.

Technical needs: For in-person presentations, Steve presents from his own MacBook Pro. The organizer provides a projector or display, suitable sound, a microphone when appropriate and a compatible connection to the presentation system. For virtual presentations, platform details and a brief technical check are arranged in advance.
Recording: Recording is permitted only by prior written agreement. When approved, a private replay may be made available to the organization’s members for a limited period. Public posting, sharing or reuse is not permitted.
Fee: Fees vary according to presentation format, duration, audience and travel requirements. Please inquire with event details for availability and a quotation.

Illustrated photography and editing presentation

The Magnetic Image: The Art of the Edit

A practical presentation about recognizing the photographs that truly hold attention and making clearer, more confident editing decisions.

Making photographs is only part of the process. The decisions we make afterward—what rises to the top, what belongs in a sequence and what we leave behind—shape how others understand our work. In this practical presentation, Steve Simon explores the qualities that give certain photographs their magnetic pull. Drawing from his experience as a photographer, editor and educator, he looks at first impressions, emotional connection, gesture, light, composition and the relationship between a photograph’s main subject and its supporting elements. Technical perfection matters, but content, feeling and visual clarity often matter more. Steve shares a thorough approach to editing that helps photographers trust their choices without endlessly revisiting the same material. He discusses creating useful criteria, gaining distance from recent work, comparing similar frames and seeking articulate second opinions when we are too close to our own photographs to see them clearly. The goal is not simply to eliminate weaker pictures. It is to recognize the images that continue to reveal something, assemble a more coherent body of work and understand what our strongest photographs can teach us about where to go next.

Possible audience takeaways

Recognizing the visual and emotional qualities that make an image hold attention.
Moving beyond technical perfection to consider content, feeling and meaning.
Creating useful criteria for making more confident editing decisions.
Comparing similar frames and identifying the photograph that communicates most clearly.
Gaining objectivity through time, distance and constructive second opinions.
Editing individual photographs into a stronger portfolio, essay or sequence.

Audience: Camera clubs, photography organizations, schools, workshops, festivals and conferences
Experience level: Adaptable for individual photographers refining a portfolio and groups interested in critique, sequencing and visual storytelling

Additional details for organizersSelect to view technical requirements, recording policy and fee information.

Technical needs: For in-person presentations, Steve presents from his own MacBook Pro. The organizer provides a projector or display, suitable sound, a microphone when appropriate and a compatible connection to the presentation system. For virtual presentations, platform details and a brief technical check are arranged in advance.
Recording: Recording is permitted only by prior written agreement. When approved, a private replay may be made available to the organization’s members for a limited period. Public posting, sharing or reuse is not permitted.
Fee: Fees vary according to presentation format, duration, audience and travel requirements. Please inquire with event details for availability and a quotation.

For organizers

Presentations are available in person or virtually and typically run 60–90 minutes, including audience questions. Topics, examples and pacing can be adapted for the event, and organizers are welcome to suggest a particular area of interest for consideration.

Each inquiry is reviewed before it is forwarded. Organizers are asked for the event date and location, audience size, preferred presentation, engagement type, format, duration, budget range, technical arrangements and any recording request. Scope, timing, travel, fees and permissions are then confirmed directly before a booking is made.