We love photography.

And although taking a picture is still as simple as pressing a button, the creation and consumption of images at all levels has changed drastically in the past decade, year, and even months.

Most photo conferences focus on gear and technique. But something more significant has been happening around us. Digital cameras have become ubiquitous, camera phones capture more photos than stand-alone cameras, social networks have become the largest and fastest growing repositories of photos on the Internet. The impact of photography has become more significant than ever before.

We created Luminance to ask the question of how photography is changing and how society is responding to that change.

What is it?

Luminance 2012 is a fresh new conference that will bring leading voices from across industries to explore the intersection of business, technology, culture, and photography. Luminance is a 2-day conference featuring two dozen top speakers from a variety of organizations that help to create, consume and define photography in a myriad of ways. Each speaker will present a 20-minute TED-style talk on a topic relevant to their area of expertise. A brief Q&A will follow each session.

When is it?

September 12-13, 2012 in New York City. An optional, limited attendance photography workshop will also be held on September 11, 2012 at Root Drive-In Studios, with renowned pro photographers Zack Arias, Corey Rich, and Robert Seale (learn more).

In addition, the Luminance #ilovephotography Party will be held the evening of Wednesday, September 12, 2012.

Who should attend?

Photographers, technologists, designers and those who care about the direction of photography should attend. It’s a chance to engage in a dialogue with others who are creating the technology that’s driving massive shifts in the photography landscape, to learn from each other, and get inspired about what is still to come for the industry.

Who’s speaking?

Industry leaders from the photography, technology, design, social media spheres and more, including:

• Zack Arias, commercial photographer
• Chris Chabot, Manager of Google+ Developer Relations, Google
• John Maloney, CEO of Tumblr
• Eileen Gittins, CEO & Founder of Blurb
  
• Srinivas Narayanan, Engineering Manager of Facebook Photos, Facebook
  
• Eric Cheng, Director of Photography at Lytro
• Scott Belsky, Found & CEO of Behance
• Jen Bekman, Founder & CEO of 20×200
• Robert Seale, photographer
  
• Lucas Allen Buick, Co-founder & CEO of Hipstamatic

See the full and most up-to-date list of speakers here.

Where is it?

Luminance will take place at BMCC TriBeCa Performing Arts Center in the heart of TriBeCa, New York City. The Center has been home to a variety of productions including the TriBeCa Film Festival.

Find out more about the conference location and logistics.

How much is it and how can I register?

Conference tickets are $299. Admission for the 2-day conference plus full day workshop is $399. We also have discounted prices for students. Find out more and register - space is limited.