As 2012 rolled around and the hype began to build about WPPI, the big kahuna of photography conferences. I was conflicted. I really wanted to experience WPPI for myself (at least once in my lifetime) but I had heard from a well respected member of the industry that conferences like WPPI were not worth going to anymore. So I decided to not try and squeeze this event into my schedule and my budget.
And then I got the Tweet. The Tweet that changed everything for me. Suddenly I was going to WPPI and was Vegas bound!
Once I got the info on how to register, I spent hours pouring over the bios of everyone who would be speaking at WPPI and what their classes were. I narrowed it down to 15 classes only to find out that I could only Pre-Board for 5 classes. What’s a girl to do? I took a step back and decided what was the one goal I wanted to accomplish this year in my photography business. Once I answered that question, I could choose my classes wisely. And now that I’ve returned, I can say that I did indeed choose wisely.
The first class I sat in on was “What’s Your Signature? The Evolution of the IHNY Session” by Jason Groupp. Until now, I had never heard of him but I’m so glad my roommate talked me into taking his class. Jason is known for his I Heart New York Sessions. If you’ve never heard of him or his sessions, I suggest you swing by his website and learn more about them. http://www.jasongroupp.com/ His two hour class sparked a few ideas of new ways to market myself in my town. And I loved that Jason sent everyone his Presentation Slides after WPPI so that I could focus on his class and not get lost in trying to write everything down on paper.
Now my next class I was pretty excited about. Edgy Posing and Lighting for the High School Senior and Beyond with Mike Fulton and Cody Clinton of TriCoast Photography. I’ve been toying with the idea working more with high school seniors so this was a perfect class for me. And I have to admit that I really want to master lighting because once I do, there are no limits to what I can create and photograph. And these guys love to make their own lighting setups. I love DIY projects. You know what else I got out of this class? A cool door prize!
But my first day at WPPI would not be complete without a 3rd two hour class. This time my roommate took me to Lindsay Adler’s Creative Portrait and Retouching Techniques class. http://www.lindsayadlerphotography.com/ Now I hadn’t planned on taking any Photoshop classes but I’m glad I went. She actually taught me a thing or two, which is always a good thing.
And the night was just getting started. Next up on the agenda was Photographers Ignite. If you’ve never heard of Photographer’s Ignite, its Photographers presenting ideas, concepts or whatever to other photographers in 5 minutes. Yep, all they get is 5 minutes on stage. To be honest, it didn’t grab my attention. Probably because I had been up till one in the morning (driving to Vegas) and then got up with the sun to get signed in to WPPI. I am not a morning person so I don’t do well when I’m forced to get up before my prime time.
Monday dawned and saw the opening of the Tradeshow. So many vendors to check out. It was cool to be able to see and touch products I have only ogled online from my desk. I’m hoping to introduce some of those products to PK Photography in the near future. I will have to say that I was disappointed in the Tradeshow though. I’ve heard of many photographers getting some really good deals at the Tradeshow. I was not impressed with the deals. Especially since most of the Vendors were already offering the same deal to everyone online via their Email List to everyone who did not make it to WPPI. Excuse me for thinking that if I made the effort to be here, I should get a deal that is not offered to everyone who couldn’t be here.
So onto the classes for Monday. Blair Phillips rocked my world. I had never heard of him before my online research of classes but I am so glad I took a chance on him since he was offering a class on Senior Photography. Blair is such a character and that helps make him unique in my opinion. Blair had plenty of ideas that were out of the box forward thinking that I just loved. Blair got me all excited about my decision to explore photographing high school seniors. And I can not wait to put together a special program for all the high school seniors with attitude!
Time to Party! Yes, this girl does party on occasion. Just a little. Monday night my SOAR Sisters and I met up for the Sony Shootout. And we started the evening off with this picture perfect moment. Then it was time to get our drink on. And time to keep the waiter from removing our drinks too quickly. Those whippersnappers would try to take our glasses before we had even finished them. At $9 a drink, I’m going to enjoy it to the very last drop. And after that, well let’s just say that some things are best left in Vegas!
It was back to the learning stuff on Tuesday evening. Keeping on the path of high school seniors, next up was Beth Forester. I’ve been following Beth for a while now, ever since I first saw her on PhotoVision. I always learn so much from Beth. But two things really stuck with me from Beth’s class. The stench! Yes, there was horrendous smell wafting through the conference Room in waves at the MGM Grand that night. It was hilarious when a wave smacked Beth. A moment I will not soon forget. Another moment to remember was when my name was called as one of the door prize winners. My lucky streak continues.
Class #6. Dane Sanders presented Marketing in the New Era. I love the way Dane makes you think in new ways. One thing that really stood out in his classes for me was when he said that the photography industry is constantly changing and evolving. And this has been true since the 1800’s when photography got started. This industry has indeed been through many changes and there are many more to come. Another statement made by Dane, “Train every day as if your life depended on it. Because it does.” And he is so right, if I don’t practice my craft on a daily basis and think outside the box, I’m going to get left behind in an industry that is constantly changing.
Are you still with me? Good. Because they saved the best for last, in my opinion. Sue Bryce – The “She” Marketing Phenomenon. I have only recently heard of Sue Bryce. I forget how I originally heard about her, but I jumped at a chance to see her at WPPI. And this time it was me dragging my roommate to a class. Sue is quite a speaker. That’s all I can say. Many were moved to tears during her presentation, including myself. There was this video she created for a client who’s Father was dying from cancer. This video so reminded me of my Father who passed away March 3, 1999 and I couldn’t help but think of him. And to my knowledge, Sue Bryce is the only speaker who received a standing ovation at the end of her presentation. She was that good. And I am so looking forward to seeing her again this weekend on Creative Live. I do believe the Internet will be pushed to the bandwidth limits this weekend.
Wow! I have written a lot here. And I’m not even close to being done with my WPPI Reflections. I just have to say that I am so thankful to all the photographers in the industry who are willing to share their time and their knowledge with those of use who are still new to the photography world. Thank You! So tune in tomorrow to hear about the food. You’re not going to want to miss my tales of the Epic Cheesecake Yacht!
Until tomorrow…