Meet Our Team
Our team brings together award-winning photographers, seasoned instructors, subject-matter experts, and experienced logistics professionals. Many of our instructors have been recognized by major photography competitions, publications, galleries, and media outlets. But what matters most is how that experience helps you capture better images in the field. Read on to learn more about them.
David Swindler
Founder - Photography Instructor
David Swindler is an award-winning landscape and wildlife photographer. Among others, he has been recognized by the International Photography Awards, Siena International Photo Awards, International Aerial Photographer of the Year, Sony World Photography Awards, International Landscape Photographer of the Year, and National Geographic. He received a degree in chemical engineering and worked in the semiconductor industry specializing in optics and photolithography. In 2014, he left his day job to follow his true passion. He has traveled to some of the most remote regions of the world and has extensive experience photographing a wide variety of subjects and conditions. As the founder of Action Photo Tours, he finds great satisfaction in helping others learn photography, especially in the wild desert environment near his home in Kanab, UT. David is an expert in night photography and loves to get out and shoot the starry night skies.
Gallery Awards and Media Coverage
Having guided photo tours for years, David is very familiar with many different types of cameras. He is a master with light and composition. But most importantly, his dedication to his clients is what really sets him apart! But don't take our word for it - read what others are saying: Trip Advisor.
Kevin McNeal
Photography Instructor
Kevin McNeal is a Washington-State photographer who is passionate about photographing grand landscapes that reflect the most unique places on earth. Capturing moments of magic light and transferring this to print is the ultimate goal. His images hold a combination of perseverance, patience, and dedication to capture landscapes in fresh ways. The stories of how these images are rendered come across in the feelings the images convey. He has traveled all over North America, shooting diverse landscapes and finding remote places with the hope that we can convey to the public that this earth is worth caring for. His award winning images can be seen in galleries and showings across the United States. He was recently invited to the Art Wolfe Art Gallery for the Environmental Photography Invitational. Kevin was the grand winner of the Landscape category for the Natures Best Magazine and was selected for the Smithsonian National Museum of History in Washington D.C.. He is a regular contributor to publications like Outdoor Photographer.
Artist’s Statement
“I believe that the Earth shares secrets with us that only can be discovered by trying to understand our position on this planet. We are never fully intimate with the planet but are given brief moments that make our souls want more. These glimpses of nature’s power are fleeting and never the same twice. I also believe it is important to share with those who want it. The treasures that await us given the patience that is out there. What I try to do is bring some of that magic to my images to share with the rest of the world. Each of my images tells a story that everyone can relate to in some way whether it is success, fear, or challenging oneself to overcome obstacles
View Kevin's Portfolio.
Ryan McGinty
Photography Instructor
Ryan McGinty is a seasoned landscape photographer living in the Palouse area of southeastern Washington. His first-hand experience in this unique agricultural area makes him the perfect instructor to lead people to out-of-the-way places for those once-in-a-lifetime rainbows, sunsets and sunrises in the beautiful rolling hills. He loves chasing the light and diligently checks weather apps to get the latest sun and rain predictions, cloud formations, wind and temperatures for the best locations and light.
His interest in photography started at an early age and continued in college with graduate work at Brooks Institute of Photography. His experience in portrait, wedding, film, and medium and large format photography give him an extraordinary background for his award-winning landscape photography.
His passion for the Palouse is only exceeded by his passion for photography and his desire to show people his favorite places. He takes a legitimate interest in his clients and strives hard to ensure they get the best shots. His photographs have been published in books, calendars and travel guides.
Wendy Casey
Photography Instructor
Wendy Casey is a Utah-based landscape and wildlife photographer with more than 40 years behind the camera. Her photography journey began in 1982 with her first photography class. She built her technical foundation in the film era through extensive darkroom work and developing and printing her own images. That experience continues to shape the way she teaches exposure, light, camera settings, and composition.
Wendy’s photography has taken her from Utah’s dramatic red rock country and the Alaskan tundra to the vast plains of Africa. She specializes in landscape and wildlife photography, with a particular passion for wild horses and animals in their natural environments. As an exhibiting fine art photographer, she photographs with the finished print in mind, creating images designed to tell a story, evoke emotion, and be enjoyed beyond the camera screen.
As an instructor, Wendy is known for her warm, patient, and encouraging teaching style. She helps students slow down, see with intention, and take creative control of their cameras, especially through Manual mode, thoughtful composition, and field-based problem solving. Through hands-on instruction and collaborative post-processing sessions, Wendy meets photographers where they are and helps them build the confidence, technical skill, and vision to create images they are proud to print, frame, and share.
Gallery Facebook Instagram
A.J. Rich
Photography Instructor
A.J. Rich is a southern Utah native with more than 25 years of experience as a photographer, senior graphic designer, and art director. His background gives him a powerful eye for composition, balance, light, and visual storytelling. His photography has been recognized by the International Aerial Photographer of the Year and the Epson International Pano Awards. His commercial work has also appeared in national publications, including Parents Magazine, Runner’s World, and Harvard Business Review.
A.J. earned a degree in graphic design with a minor in photography. His work has evolved from commercial photography and portraiture to landscape and aerial photography, where he finds his greatest challenge and fulfillment.
Whether exploring the remote deserts of the Colorado Plateau or hiking into alpine landscapes before sunrise, A.J. is continually searching for fresh perspectives and extraordinary light. In the field, he helps photographers slow down, look beyond the obvious, and make stronger visual decisions before pressing the shutter.
While A.J. enjoys teaching advanced techniques such as focus stacking, panoramas, and exposure blending, his greatest passion is helping photographers truly see the landscape. For him, the best photographs aren’t simply found; they are anticipated through patience, observation, and a deep understanding of light, atmosphere, and composition.
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Shane McDermott
Photography Instructor
Shane is a seasoned photography instructor with more than 25 years behind the camera and over ten years of experience leading photo workshops. His work is rooted in presence, patience, and a deep relationship with light, shaped by a lifetime spent exploring both creative expression and the natural world.
For more than 30 years, Shane’s practice of yoga and meditation has helped him see beyond surface appearances, and he brings that same awareness into the field. He doesn’t just teach people how to photograph beautiful places; he helps them slow down, truly see, and develop their own creative vision.
Many photographers arrive at iconic locations chasing “the shot” they’ve seen before. Shane gently guides them away from imitation and into genuine discovery, helping them understand how light, form, color, and texture can speak directly to their own sensibility. His passion is helping participants move from simply capturing a scene to creating something that feels alive and deeply personal.
That creative process continues after the cameras are packed away. Shane also guides photographers through RAW processing, adjustment layers, and thoughtful image development, helping them translate the emotion and magic they felt in the field into finished photographs that reflect their own vision and passion.
Josh Miller
Photography Instructor
Josh has been a professional photographer and educator for more than
twenty years. His work has been published by National Geographic, Sierra Club, Audubon, Microsoft, The Wall Street Journal, and Outside Magazine. Josh is also passionate about the environment and shares his photographs and knowledge with conservation projects whenever possible.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Josh developed a passion for “the high country” and “bad” weather. He became interested in photography while working at Denali National Park for a summer job during college, and after graduation he moved to the mountains of northern California to spend as much time as possible climbing, skiing, and photographing in the Sierra. In addition to being a professional photographer, Josh is a California
credentialed art and science teacher. Josh and his wife spent seventeen years running an environmentally focused high school academy in Northern California where they were both honored as teachers of the year. Josh also loves to travel, and after the Covid pandemic, he and his wife spent nearly two years abroad traveling and photographing the world with their two young boys.
During workshops, Josh loves sharing his passions for the environment and travel, and his expertise as both an educator and photographer helps students improve their technical skills and feel comfortable pushing their creative boundaries.
Kevin Dobo
Photography Instructor
Kevin’s passion for landscape photography began more than 40 years ago during a youth group bicycle tour along the coast of Maine. At just 16 years old, he returned home, developed dozens of rolls of film, and quickly realized that what had captured his attention wasn’t people, but coastlines, forests, light, and the natural world.
That early connection between photography and outdoor exploration has shaped Kevin’s life ever since. His photographic journey and active outdoor lifestyle led him from his native Ohio to the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, through the Rockies of Colorado, and eventually into the Desert Southwest. He now lives in Kanab, Utah, where he leads Action Photo Tours day tours, overnight tours, and multi-day workshops.
Kevin’s primary passion is Southwest monsoon storm photography, which began after attending Action’s Storms & Saguaros workshop. From his first successful lightning capture, he was hooked. Since then, he has built a strong working knowledge of weather forecasting and spends weeks each summer chasing storms across southern Arizona and New Mexico.
In addition to storm photography, Kevin enjoys intimate landscapes, abstract and minimalist compositions, drone photography, and astrophotography. In the field, he enjoys helping guests slow down, recognize strong light and composition, and experience the simple pleasure of capturing a magical moment outdoors.
Sarah Shumaker
Photography Instructor
Sarah brings a rare combination of backcountry experience, technical camera knowledge, and patient instruction to every workshop she leads. As an avid hiker, canyoneer, and 4x4 explorer, she has spent years traveling through remote corners of the desert Southwest in search of unique perspectives and locations far beyond the standard roadside view.
Her love of photography grew from that time outdoors. The more Sarah explored wild canyons, rugged backroads, and hard-to-reach desert landscapes, the more she wanted to capture those places and share them with others. She enjoys studying maps, scouting new locations, and finding scenes that feel fresh, personal, and full of discovery.
Sarah is especially skilled at night photography and enjoys teaching guests how to photograph the Milky Way and the starry night skies. In the field and classroom, Sarah is often praised for her technical expertise. She is comfortable working with a wide range of camera systems and enjoys helping guests understand their settings, solve problems quickly, and gain confidence with their gear. She also brings strong post-processing skills in Lightroom and Photoshop, helping photographers carry their creative vision from capture to finished image.
James Surveyor
Operations & Logistics Manager
James is our Operations and Logistics Manager. When you contact us, you will likely get to meet him! He wears many hats to ensure our operations run smoothly so we can deliver top-notch customer service. Prior to joining the APT family, he worked for the Moenkopi Developers Corporation (MDC) of the Hopi Tribe for thirteen years. As their CEO, he managed multiple businesses, mentored staff, and led a number of initiatives to grow tourism in the Hopi community. Most notably, James was integral in the development and implementation of the Hopi Arts Trail project, a non-profit partnership between the Arizona Commerce Authority and MDC supporting Hopi artists and entrepreneurs. The Hopi Arts Trail was recognized in 2013 by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer for Best Cooperative Marketing. James launched “Experiencing Hopi Tours”, the first hotel based cultural tour for the Moenkopi Legacy Inn & Suites in 2015.
James developed his interest in photography through his work for MDC. Driving the dirt roads of his native lands with photographers introduced him to the joy of capturing sunrises and sunsets. “One of the things I learned is that timing is just as important as location, you often have a very small window to get that perfect shot.”, says James.
In his spare time, James enjoys being home with his family, his dogs and cats, and living Hopi “Katsi” or the Hopi way of life. James enjoys playing chess, reading, hiking, fishing, camping, good food and great conversation. He loves working with people and enjoys “tackling the tough stuff so he can get to the good stuff.”
Jean McCormack-Kramb
Client Relations Director
It's exciting times at Action Photo Tours as we continue to expand! So once again, we welcome a new teammate, Jean McCormack-Kramb! Jean joins us as the Client Relations Director and will work closely with each one of you to ensure a personal and tailored experience.
Raised in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, Jean has a lifelong passion for the outdoors and relishes new adventures. She spent over 10 years in the international travel industry and directed business development. Jean is a strong believer in building lasting relationships and thriving communities. She will play a pivotal role as we continue to foster a supportive, engaging, and stimulating Action Photog community.
Jean and her family split their time between Georgia and Nevada. In her spare time when she’s not racing through airports, Jean is a history buff, and is completing her Masters in Irish Studies at the National University of Ireland. She bought her first camera a year ago and has loved learning to capture her experiences as she treks across the globe. She looks forward to being a part of the growing Action Photo Tours family!
