I recently had the pleasure of photographing the Chairwoman’s Reception at the 23rd International Marketing Conference for the US Grains and Bioproducts Council in Panama. The reception was held at the beautiful Hilton Panama, overlooking the stunning Panama City Harbor. As the sun set over the water, the view provided an incredible backdrop for an elegant and meaningful gathering of industry leaders from around the world.

The evening honored outgoing chairwoman Verity Ulibarri, who served as the guest of honor. Ulibarri operates a family farm in Grady, New Mexico, producing sorghum, wheat, forage crops and cattle, while also working as the agribusiness relationship manager at American AgCredit. Ulibarri has served on the Council’s Board of Directors since 2020 and previously served as the chairwoman for USCP in 2020. It was clear from the warm conversations and heartfelt interactions just how much respect and appreciation the organization has for her leadership. Special remarks were also delivered by President and CEO Ryan LeGrand, whose words reflected both gratitude for the past and optimism for the future of the council.

For this event, I kept my setup streamlined and efficient. I photographed the reception with a Nikon Z9 paired with the Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4. This versatile combination works exceptionally well for smaller events. By switching the Z9 into DX mode, the lens effectively becomes a 35-180mm range, giving me added reach without changing glass. From capturing candid moments across the room, wide group shots, as well as tighter compositions during remarks, this simple setup covers it all.

Lighting was handled with a single Godox V480 mounted on camera, bouncing the flash off the low ceiling to create soft, natural-looking light that complemented the warm ambiance of the space.

It was an honor and a pleasure to document such an important evening. And I am grateful to have been part of it!