The event was held on October 2, 2025 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Session Description:

Join us for a dynamic and thought-provoking Speaker Night, where four of our club members will share their perspectives on landscape and nature photography.

Hamid Vafaee Mollamahmoud will guide us through the evolving concepts and artistic approaches in landscape photography, highlighting key influential artists and the shifts that have shaped this genre over time. He will explore how contemporary photographers reinterpret nature, ecology, and the environment through innovative visual languages.

Our guest speakers — Diane Weiler, Liana Najem, Chris Das and Hamid himself — will share their personal experiences and insights, focusing on landscape, nature, and wildlife photography. This interactive session will allow us to learn from diverse viewpoints, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the ways photography can capture, question, and reflect the natural world.

This is not just about beautiful images; it’s about broadening our perspectives, engaging with new ideas, and approaching nature photography with curiosity and an open mind.

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Hamid Vafaee Mollamahmoud Bio:

Hamid Vafaee Mollamahmoud is a photographer, educator, and visual artist originally from Iran, now based in London, Ontario. With a degree in photography, he has over seven years of teaching experience at art schools, universities, and training centers. His artistic journey includes the solo exhibition "My City Loner" (2016) and curating the group exhibition "ELECTROBRICOLAGE" the same year. He has actively participated in numerous photography competitions, exhibitions, and art festivals. Since moving to Canada in 2024, Hamid has continued his artistic practice and community engagement, particularly through the London Camera Club, where he also serves on the program committee. His work explores the intersections of nature, culture, and human experience through photography.

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Diane Weiler Bio:

Diane Weiler Diane was born and raised in London Ontario Canada. In 1979, after living and working in numerous cities in Canada, she settled in British Columbia (BC) to pursue a career in the mining industry. For 24 years, she worked in a progression of positions in the Analytical, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) fields. She worked at many different mine sites around the province as well as on a few exploration projects in Russia. Following her mining career, Diane worked as an OH&S officer for different industries. Diane retired in 2006 and took up photography as a hobby. She joined two Camera Clubs in Vancouver and learned a great deal from the other members. Her greatest passion became photographing Wildlife and Nature, and she has travelled to many countries to explore and capture her images. Diane moved back to London in 2009, joined the London Camera Club and continued her photography journey. Diane enjoys travel, hiking, birding, live theatre, reading, and most of all - being out in nature.

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Chris Das Bio:

• Chris got his start developing photos for the Strathroy High School yearbook back in the days of Grade 13!
• After selling his business three years ago, he fully recommitted to his passion for photography.
• His regular travel to Southern Africa is a source of incredible wildlife photography opportunities.
• This passion led him to create his own guiding business, Das Travel.
  

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Liana Najem Bio:

I’m Liana, 30 years old, born and raised in Calgary with Lebanese roots, and recently moved to London, Ontario. My love for photography started with my dad, who gave me my first camera and always captured moments of us growing up and it’s what inspired me to pursue an education in Photojournalism. Since then, my camera has been my constant travel companion as I’ve explored the world. While I don’t pursue photography professionally, I believe every image should tell a story and move its viewer in some way, even if it’s not the same story I see. My biggest influences are Platon, Annie Leibovitz, and Sebastião Salgado, whose work inspires me to stay intentional with every frame. Much of my work comes from nature, landscapes, and my travels with Pilgrim Relief Movement, the NGO I run, though I’m working to grow in the area of portraiture. My dream is to one day see my images published in National Geographic or even be recognized with a Pulitzer.