The Man Behind the Camera

If you’ve attended the Association for Talent Development’s International Conference & EXPO during the last 30 years, you’ve likely seen a friendly face lugging his camera around and taking photos of anything and everything. That face belongs to Les Kamens, an expert photographer based out of California’s Bay Area with The Photo Group (a company that he shares with his wife, Nikki).

In this exclusive interview with The Conference Daily, Kamens reveals how he started in the field, his connection to ATD, and how he juggles the myriad requirements of conference photography.

How did you get started in photography?

I’ve always had a fascination with photography. When I was three years old, my mom’s camera was my favorite toy. When I was 10, my father gave me a Kodak Instamatic 104. He said if I took care of it, he’d get me a better one. I still have it to this day—and that was the spark that took me on this photographic journey.

How did you initially start shooting ATD’s International Conference & EXPO?

Our marketing team, headed by my wife, Nikki, reached out to Nancy Elder, former director of meetings for ASTD (now known as ATD, formerly the American Society for Training & Development), when the conference took place in San Francisco, California, in 1991.

Describe your typical day at the conference. How do you decide which sessions to attend? How do you plan your schedule?

The best way to describe a typical day is to show up with a blank slate, because there is nothing typical. We create everything instinctively, according to the circumstances and assignment.

I can honestly say that I’ve shot many of these conferences, and each one is different. They each have slight nuances that depict new technologies and different messages to be told. There are always new ways of doing business and engaging the attendees to learn and bring back information to their chapters, corporate offices, schools, and businesses. The team and I need to be creatively flexible to capture that.

The amazing ATD staff determines the nuts and bolts of scheduling by requesting different aspects of the conference for their specific needs. Then, Nikki comes up with a game plan and distributes assignments to the crew.

How much time do you spend editing photos during the conference, and how do you manage to find time to do so during the hectic days?

I am thankful I am not doing this alone. As in all strong organizations, it is important to recognize the talents of each person and how we can use those talents to the best of our abilities. But we tackle it to get it done as soon as possible. Ultimately, we all have a lot of fun!

What have been some of your favorite experiences at ATD’s conferences?

Photographing Maya Angelou, Peter Yarrow, and Barack Obama, to name a few. The most amazing thing was the first computer I saw on a trade show floor. The first international conference was very exciting. I love talking to all the folks at the conference and making lasting friendships.

What kind of things do you typically take pictures of outside of ATD’s big event?

I really enjoy riding my bicycle, coming up on an interesting visual, and finding the abstract sense of it. When in doubt, make art.

Read more about ATD25 at conferencedaily.td.org.