WPPI 2010

Most of you know that I am a member of Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) and went to the 2010 convention/tradeshow at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last week. I went for the second half of the convention to attend the tradeshow and see/meet many photographers that I know or have been wanting to meet. At the tradeshow I had the opportunity to listen to some great speakers, namely Joe Buissink and Still Motion at the Canon Booth. Both of their talks were very informative and inspiring. Joe is such a passionate guy, it’s hard not to get motivated and inspired while listening to him speak. I was super impressed with the folks from Still Motion…be sure to check out their work!

I got to hang out with 2 of my favorite people – Diana and Martin of Yan Photo

On Monday afternoon Becker did 100 headshots in 1 hour just right outside the MGM Grand. It was pretty awesome. Here he is shooting Dane Sanders…if you don’t have his book, get it!

On Monday night I went with Becker and a group of [b] school peeps to do a little lighting workshop on the strip. We got to learn from lighting experts like Nick Adams, JVS Pictures and Joe Photo. I met some awesome photographers who I’ve been in touch with online, but never met in person. It was awesome. Here are a couple shots I got that evening. The [b] school has been an integral part in my photography business. If you’re an aspiring photographer I highly recommend joining the [b] school…totally worth it! Our model was fellow photographer, Kelly Lane.

The highlight of my trip was when I won a VIP Pass to WPPI 2011. On Monday at the tradeshow I got a T-shirt from the people at Emerge Contest. They told me to wear my shirt the next day and I’d have the chance to win a prize. The next day I decided to wear the shirt and I just happened to run into J Sandifer at the ShootQ booth (thanks to Martin and Diana for taking me there). He noticed my shirt and told me to draw a poker ship out of the bag…I got #11–the winning number for the prize I mentioned above. I’m so excited about it! I definitely plan on entering the Emerge Contest.

I’m really glad I went to WPPI this year. I had so many opportunities to meet some really cool and talented photographers from around the world. I learned a lot and had a great time!