WPPI 2010: New Beginnings

I wanted to blog about my trip to Las Vegas as soon as I got back from the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) Convention but it has been so busy for me that I am only now getting the chance to sit down and do so.

As most of you know, WPPI is the largest photography convention in the world and this year it expanded even more in popularity as 14,000 photographers, including my brother Brad and I, descended on the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas for the opportunity to learn from the best in the business.

For my part, I chose to concentrate this year's learning on lighting. I went to a great masterclass (limit of 32 students) with Neil van Niekerk talking about using on-camera flash in new ways to get better lighting on the fly during a hectic wedding day.

I also had a masterclass with one of my favourite photographers, Kevin Jairaj, and he didn't disappoint with his hands-on workshop of using PocketWizards or other triggers to shoot with off-camera flash in creating more dramatic lighting in your images.

I had one more masterclass and this was with Khara Plicanic talking about the advantages of using InDesign over Photoshop (and other applications) for designing your albums and other studio materials. She has such a great energy for the subject and has been helpful to me via email whenever I have questions.

One of the highlights for sure was attending the Scott Robert Lim party at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. We had been lucky enough to see Scott in Edmonton for our PPOC-Alberta annual convention the week before Vegas and he was very inspiring. We were then able to make some great connections with Scott at his party and with a number of photographers from around the U.S. and Canada. We ended up closing down the party and heading back to the MGM at 5:45am!

This year I decided to take in at least one show and saw the Cirque du Soleil show, Ka. It was truly amazing and I was so thankful I decided to spend the money and see it. The rotating stage was breathtaking as were most of the stunts that were performed on it! I highly recommend this show!

We also took the drive over to see the Hoover Dam and marvel and the grandeur of this man-made wonder. I love a bunch of the shots I took there! We went on the mini-tour down into the bowels of the Dam but I wasn't thrilled with that so much. But overall, I am also glad we decided to take it in the Hoover Dam as well.

But the ultimate best thing that happened in Vegas (and won't stay in Vegas) is the amazing connection I made with the only other Edmonton photographer I knew of at WPPI this year. Kinga Dyrda, and her husband Rafal, have proven to be a couple of the nicest down to earth persons I have ever met. I instantly felt like I've known them for years. We ended up spending most of our waking hours together the entire trip and I had a blast. Kinga has an infectious drive to better herself as a photographer and I feel so lucky to have met her, to be able to call her a friend, and to share in our learning experiences!

Definitely one of my favourite weeks as a photographer so far! I can't wait to see where events take me from here!

Comments

[Kinga]

Oh my gosh, Jeff! That was one exciting week for me too. Meeting you was definitely MY highlight. Had a wonderful time :) Lots of wonderful memories ... Looking forward to the future learning and shooting :)