So, it took me just about FOREVER to get around to posting something about my first ever attendance at WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) in Las Vegas. I guess I have spent this whole time trying to recoup …. this was also my first trip to Vegas.
I was lucky enough to have planned just about 5 entire days in February to soak it all in! I met my “sista from another mista”, photography partner in crime in Vegas. Let’s just call her Siri, the bad luck traveler. She got stuck with delayed flights, unexpected layovers and lost luggage! Seriously, how do all these things happen to one person??
Vegas is amazing! It’s like a normal city on crack! I was amazed by all the lights and noises and shiny things to look at!
So, back to the reason I went to Vegas in the first place … WPPI. My first day there was filled with classes, trade shows and invite only parties! I felt like a total rockstar!!
My first class was In Camera Artistry-Using Any Light Source with Jerry Ghionis. The class was packed and I stood the entire time. It was well worth it though! If his appealing Australian accent didn’t make it interesting enough, the content was amazing!
Next was Bombshell Boudoir: Making Every Woman Beautiful with Jen Hillenga. This was a much smaller yet equally amazing class! A lot of it was a nice refresher and I did learn lots of new info!
That evening, we had tickets to the hottest party at WPPI, Airplanes & Blazers! It was an interesting time leading up to the party itself .. My roomie, Siri, the bad luck traveler, still did not have her luggage … so she did not have her outfit to wear to the party! If you don’t already know how girls function .. we had planned out our outfits weeks ahead. This was throwing a major cramp in our evening. We caught a taxi to the mall to shop for a few essentials and a new outfit for the party. A few hours later, we were ready to roll! By this point, the sinus sickies I was trying to avoid before I left for Vegas had caught up with me and my throat felt like it was burning! We got back to the hotel and decided we were going to tough it out … I mean, how often are we in Vegas with invite only tickets to this party? At the last minute we decided to go with comfort vs. cuteness and wear a little more of a casual outfit … such a good idea!
The next day, we only had one afternoon class scheduled. That was amazing planning on our part due to the late night before!
Our afternoon class was Wedding Lemonade with Dawn Shields. I really got a lot out of this class! It talked about making the most of your sometimes less than desirable wedding locations. It gave me a new insight on the formals time and what to look for in an ugly location to make it look its best. Very helpful class and Dawn was super sweet!
Tuesday evening was the Canon sponsored 80’s party! We arrived, again with our outfits all planned out. By this time, Siri’s luggage had arrived and we were good to go for 80’s accessories! Um, we were super rad! The party took a little bit to really get going but once it did, it was awesome! The dessert bars were super yummy too! Way to throw a party, Canon!
Wednesday, we had one class on the schedule! The morning class was Fashion Flair for the Wedding Photographer with Lindsay Alder. I really got a ton of useful info out of this class as well! Lindsay talked about looking for locations to add a unique flair to your images as well as shooting for an album. Amazing class!
Our afternoon was filled with trade show goodness! It literally took about two solid days to go through the two huge rooms/buildings full of companies that serve every need a photographer may have. It was like a dream!
Thursday, we had our last class. It was amazing! It was The “She” Marketing Phenomenon with Sue Bryce. I must have been living under a rock because this was my first experience with Sue. We are now Facebook friends! I could not believe the feeling I had when I left her class. She spoke like a real person and not an instructor, which made everything so much easier to take in. Her content was awesome and she has true raw talent that she is so willing to share with others. Such a perfect way to end the classes at WPPI!
We finished checking everything out at the convention and started sightseeing at that point! We walked for 8 hours straight and countless miles! We saw a little bit of everything! It was just enough to get me excited to return next year!!!
Thanks WPPI for hosting such an amazing event!!
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