Chris Ayers is a professional photographer, technologist, and imaging specialist who has dedicated his career to democratizing photography, breaking down barriers between different imaging systems, and making it easy for images to be shared across multiple platforms.

In his current role as a Senior Engineering Manager for Adobe Lightroom, Chris is leading multiple teams that are radically changing how people enhance their images. AI and Machine Learning is fueling powerful and intuitive software that allows people of all experience levels to be better photographers. And, new digital tools are integrating video and photography editing into a single process.

At Apple, Chris’ groundbreaking work allowed the operating system to natively decode almost every third-party Camera RAW format for the first time. Over 500 Mac, iOS, and third-party apps, along with the iPhone camera, now use these imaging frameworks. Chris developed close relationships with almost every camera manufacturer worldwide--including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Leica, Panasonic, PhaseOne, and Hasselblad— creating a seamless RAW experience for photographers.

Chris’ own work as a photographer has spanned three decades — covering Namibia's first democratic elections as a photojournalist, serving as a staff photographer on Capitol Hill, creating executive lifestyle portraits for advertising campaigns and annual reports, and documenting the work of non-profit organizations who are working with young scientists, and championing eco-tourism that supports indigenous communities in the Yucatán.

In all of these areas, the through-line is human connection and enabling people to capture and share spontaneous moments that matter with the people they care about most.