Suspect Photography

Suspect Photography is proud to announce the return of its highly anticipated creative gathering, the Suspect Photography Retreat in the Woods, taking place from September 22 to September 25, 2026. Nestled in the heart of the scenic Catskill Mountains, this immersive four-day educational experience will be hosted at AutoCamp Catskills in Saugerties, NY, where attendees will reside in premium private Airstream cabins nestled in the woods.

This year’s event centers around the theme, “Dance in the Woods.” Attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to collaborate with a professional ballet dancer leaping through the forest canopy, along with participating in several other intricately styled editorial shoots. These sessions are designed to push creative boundaries, allowing photographers to work in complex setups and bring their unique visual concepts to life.

The 2026 retreat features a highly structured curriculum offering dedicated tracks, each led by our all-star faculty of industry leaders. This system allows attendees to deep dive into specialized fields and fast track specific goals, or they can custom choose the individual lessons they’d like to experience. These exclusive tracks include:

• Cliff Hausner (Lighting): Harnessing strobe foundations, action-freezing flash techniques, and balancing artificial light with ambient forest conditions using the Profoto system.
• Vincent Versace (Fine Art Printing): An exclusive, hands-on printing course and portfolio development track utilizing state-of-the-art Epson printers.
• Chloe Ramirez (Contemporary Portraits): Focusing on human connection, organic posing, and the business architecture of modern portraiture.
• Sean Kernan (Unlocking Creativity): Utilizing improvisational and conceptual exercises to break creative barriers and renew your artistic vision.
• Mat Thorne (Book Creation & Design): Guiding students through the sequencing, layout, and editing required to turn a body of work into a compelling photography book.
• Dakota Lee (Styling Photoshoots): Orchestrating the relationship between photographer and model, professional wardrobe styling, and on-set art direction.
• Sara Fox (Landscapes & Lightroom): Leading excursions capturing the breathtaking Catskills landscape as well as Adobe Lightroom file management & processing.
• David Brommer (Retreat Director): Leading core discussions on photographic style, curation, and helping students maximize their overall creative direction during the retreat in the woods.

To ensure a completely supportive environment, the retreat is limited to just 30 participants. Attendees will have full access to loaner gear and technical support from world-class industry sponsors, including Nikon, Profoto, Epson, Neewer, thinkTANK, and B&H Photo, whose experts will be on-site with equipment and advice. In addition to intensive classroom instruction in the forest amphitheater, the experience includes landscape excursions to the Platte Clove Preserve and the scenic Kaaterskill Falls, communal dining, Sunrise shoots, evening campfire gatherings, and wellness activities such as morning yoga.

“This retreat is designed to be a complete creative reset,” says David Brommer, Retreat Director and founder of Suspect Photography. “We remove all daily distractions so that dedicated photographers can focus entirely on refining their technical skills, developing their distinct voice, and returning home with a renewed passion and a portfolio of stunning physical prints.”

“Our faculty represents a handpicked group of instructors who are highly respected leaders in their fields,” Brommer adds. “Whether you are shaping complex light on location, designing a cohesive narrative for a book, producing physical prints, unlocking your creative vision, or building your photography business, you are getting direct, personal guidance from the absolute best in the industry.”

Registration is now open, with limited spots remaining. The fully inclusive package includes four days of instruction, portfolio critiques, styled model shoots, premium Airstream lodging, and gourmet catering.

To secure your registration, view the full curriculum, or learn more about the event, please visit the official event page at https://www.eventcreate.com/e/suspectretreatinthewoods.