Tintype by Mark Cornelison

The Biennial is excited to announce our Keynote Speaker for 2025 is photographer, writer and artist Sam Abell. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, he is known best for his 33 years as a staff photographer for National Geographic. Six monographs have been published of Abell’s work: Stay This Moment, Sam Abell: The Photographic Life, Amazonia, Seeing Gardens, The Life of a Photograph, and Sam Abell: Library.  In 2024, Sam Abell was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame, and received Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Photo Society and the Los Angeles Center of Photography.

The Paul Paletti Gallery will host a show of Sam Abell’s photographs (Sam Abell: A Journey Over Continents and Decades) from September 5- December 31, 2025.

We were truly blessed to have Larry Schiller as our Keynote speaker. He is a great story teller, and it was fascinating to learn about his wide ranging and creative activities, past and present, and the ways he created opportunities that led to his photographs and directing experiences.

“Photography always seemed to me a kind of benign magic. Light, precious metals, mysterious chemistry…wield the camera like a magic wand, murmur a few hopeful words…and on a good day you can conjure up proof of a dream.”

We thank Keith Carter for his warm and rousing keynote speech about what he’s learned from making art for 50 years and for the gift of his time during his visit. For those who were unable to attend in person, the Keynote was recorded by Marvin Young Photography and can be found by clicking the button below.