Why read the manual when we can do it for you? In this exciting new webinar series, the National Press Photographers Association announces they are working with the best camera manufacturers in the world to get all the hot new gear into the hands of their network of trusted professionals. In turn, the talented professionals from the NPPA will demonstrate all the important features of cameras that you might not know existed. In the first segment, sponsored by Canon, Denver-based freelancer Joe Mahoney, will be showing us all the functions of the Canon C300 Mk II, a powerful camera from one of the leading camera systems. Mahoney expressed his excitement for this new series. “We’re all trying to tell stories with the best tools and techniques yet not wanting to be buried tracking down how to use it all. Having an authoritative and easily accessible source of information will be valuable and a great way for NPPA and the manufacturers to help the community stay current and knowledgeable.”
Join us for this opportunity to learn along with Joe and ask questions about the camera. “The Canon Cinema line has always appealed to me since it occupies a good place between DSLR bodies and an ENG rig. So, I’m looking forward to talking to Canon about the C300 to learn more about what it and the different varieties of Cinema cameras can do,” says Mahoney.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro, a cinematographer, educator or student, this series is for you. “When we have a complete understanding of our equipment and it’s capabilities, the gear becomes an extension of ourselves. We manipulate the equipment to create the images and capture real moments. As photojournalists, it is vital that we master our gear and stay abreast of new features. This educational series produced by the NPPA will highlight not only what the features are and how they work, but also inform us as working professionals about real-world scenarios where those features can be most useful and how to avoid potential traps or issues we may face as we work to bring the news of the day to our audiences,” says Oliver Janney, a member of NPPA's board of directors.
Event Details
*These events are open to NPPA members only, if you are not currently a member join now. If you are a member you will need to login to your account to register.
CANON C300 MK II DEMONSTRATION
Date and Time: Wednesday, Feb. 17, 8-930pm EST
Location: NPPA ZOOM
Registration fees: Free for NPPA members and students
CANON R5/R6 DEMONSTRATION
Date and Time: Thursday, Feb. 18, 8-930pm EST
Location: NPPA ZOOM
Registration fees: Free for NPPA members and students
The demonstration sessions above were recorded and can be viewed by members via the link below.
Panelists
Wednesday Session
Joe Mahoney
Joe Mahoney is a National Assigning Editor for Visuals at iPondr. He previously worked as a staff photographer and multimedia editor for the Rocky Mountain News. In 2000 and 2003, he was part of the photo teams at the News that won Pulitzer Prizes for Breaking News Photography. He was the director of multimedia for the PBS affiliate in Denver and started his career with the Associated Press. Joe has been part of the News Video Workshop faculty since 2010.
Dirk Fletcher

Dirk Fletcher is a field representative working with professional users of Canon’s cinema, video and professional still products. Prior to joining Canon, he was the Department Chairman (and faculty) at Harrington College of Design in Chicago for twelve years. The program focused specifically on commercial aspects of photography. Before moving to Harrington, he was the staff photographer at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for five years.
He holds an MFA in Independent Filmmaking from Governors State University and a BA from Brooks Institute of Photography. His book, Digital Photography Lighting for Dummies, was published by Wiley Publishing in 2010 and is still widely available.
In addition to photography and filmmaking, he is an avid builder of large format and panoramic cameras, grills year round and shoots a compound bow. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two teenage boys.
Dirks work can be viewed at dirkfletcher.com or in Instagram @dirkfletcher.
Thursday Session
Monica Herndon
Monica Herndon is an Emmy-nominated photojournalist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. She works in a hybrid role, contributing to both still and video coverage on stories across the newsroom. Before moving to the cheesesteak capital of the world, she spent five years at the Tampa Bay Times, in St. Petersburg, Florida. While in St. Petersburg she led the photographic coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and covered other local sports teams. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Visual Journalism from the University of Miami in 2014. Monica is the current Chair of the National Association of Black Journalists Visual Task Force and a member of NPPA and Diversify Photo.
Tony Kurdzuk

Canon U.S.A. Senior Pro Market Rep. Tony Kurdzuk spent the majority of his career as a photojournalist in the New York metropolitan area. He was a staff photographer at The Star-Ledger in Newark, NJ for nineteen years, where he was instrumental in the paper’s conversion from film to digital in the late 1990’s, and later with video using Canon DSLR cameras. Tony was awarded Photographer of the Year three times by the New Jersey Press Photographers Association, was National Press Photographers Association Northern Short Course Photographer of the year in 2006, and was also a member of The Star-Ledger team awarded the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News.
Tony joined Canon U.S.A. in 2015 as a Pro Market Rep for the northeast region. Currently, he primarily provides support for the photojournalism community, including major national agencies like Getty Images, Thomson Reuters, European Pressphoto Agency, both large and small newspapers, and freelance photojournalists. He is part of the Canon Professional Services staff that regularly attends major events like the Super Bowl, US Open (golf and tennis), national political conventions, the Olympics, along with national and regional tradeshows. Tony is an expert in wired and wireless networking of Canon cameras, Canon robotics and remote cameras.