David Hessemer earned a bachelor of arts degree in speech, rhetoric and communication from the University of Oregon. He also holds a second degree in photography from the Brooks Institute of Photography. Upon completion of that degree, he started a photo studio in Portland, Oregon where Nike Corporation was his main client for over 15 years.
His family then moved to Maui where he started a destination wedding company and shot over 1,500 destination weddings before moving to Southern California. Hessemer's passion has always been shooting assignments for nonprofit organizations worldwide. After moving to California, he started a nonprofit which specializes in preventing modern day slavery and human trafficking. He was a featured speaker at Oaks Christian School's TedX event in 2015, and eventually joined the faculty teaching photography.
Amber Seat, an internationally recognized photographer and visual artist, has an undergraduate degree in electronic media from The Master’s University and a Master's in Fine Art from the Academy of Art University in fine art photography. Her thesis project, We’re Unable to Answer the Door, earned her the best-in-show award from the academy and has been exhibited in multiple cities internationally and published in various books. Seat accepted a position with AV3 News in Palmdale, CA, as a reporter, writer, and producer during college. After college, she worked in Washington, D.C. as a private school's visual arts teacher and content creator. She has taught photography, film, and yearbook at Oaks Christian Middle School since 2019. She finds joy in helping students understand they can create powerful stories through photography and filmmaking. Her students have won countless local awards, been invited to exhibit in Barcelona, Spain, and consistently have their work published and exhibited. When not teaching, she enjoys working on personal photography projects, traveling, serving in her church, and spending time with her family.
