Wedding and Portrait Photographers Intl.
I just returned from a 4-day trip to Las Vegas for WPPI, the largest tradeshow and convention in the industry. It was a lot to take in and I’m still recovering. I went on the trip with Mark and April Brandes, who I work for at their portrait studio and my co-worker Gloria Mesa.
What a great time reconnecting with some old friends. I even got to see one friend, speak in front of a crowded room. That was cool.
There were so many great speakers with such a wide variety of things to say, styles of photography and perspectives to learn from that I will have plenty to think about and be challenged by for the rest of the year.
The tradeshow was HUGE. Overwhelmingly so, actually. One thing I learned is that there are about 5 billion different album companies and options, but so many of them are practically the same. It was reassuring to know that my preferred album company stood head and shoulders above the rest, and according to them, the overcrowding of the album industry has in fact HELPED them distinguish themselves as completely unique.
This year I will be rolling out a couple of new album options, a fresh new approach to slideshows and a lot of other fun ideas.
On the entertainment side of the trip, I was lucky enough to see the Blue Man Group at Caesar’s Palace. That was awesome. It was a complete sensory, interactive experience and was just plain fun. Definitely check it out if you have the opportunity.
For our last night in Vegas I had the opportunity to meet and “party” with (more like socialize) Gloria’s friends from the forodefotografos.com, a group of Spanish-speaking wedding photographers, in an incredible suite at Mandalay Bay. We had 180* view looking up toward the strip. Here’s a shot from my ultra hi-tech 2 megapixel camera phone:
