It seems like just yesterday I was attending my first WPPI in 2008. I was so excited to hear from some amazing speakers and delve into a wealth of new knowledge.
I had been following the PIF blog and had offered to help at the first PIF party that year. This is where I met, in person, Lindsay Teal, whose brainchild the PIF blog was. If you don’t know of it, it’s a photographers resource, so make sure to check it out.
I was going to WPPI by myself and would for 3 years before Josh joined me for the first time last year. If you know me, I am not an outgoing extrovert, in fact I get very anxious and shy around people I don’t know. I’m not one who strikes up conversations. (although over the years it has gotten MUCH easier) The thing is, WPPI kind of forces you step outside your comfort zone and do things you might not normally do. ( keep a clean mind people) 
This is now my 5th year going and EVERY year I walk away with something new… be it ways to enhance my skills, tips to improve my business, or amazing new friends. I value everything I gain from the experience and no two people will take away the same experience.
Sitting in my first classes, I remember Doug Gordon on his flow posing, his personality so large it took me by surprise, viewing breathtaking imagery from Jim Garner as he explained the experiential shooting style and then the 3rd year taking master classes from Cliff Mautner on lighting ( he shoots Nikon too, whoot!) and last year from the amazing Jose Villa. I have pages of notes. (handwritten of course, I am not the lag my laptop around with me and do it digitally type of person)
If you have never been, be prepared. You WILL BE overwhelmed… first of all it is Las Vegas, a city that truly never sleeps and it can seduce you with its glowing neon lights, happy slot machine sounds, and the dream of a big win… (I always drop a few bucks here or there just in case) but on top of all that, you are going to have information delivered to you every few hours that will excite you, ignite your passion, and make your head spin. You will walk the tradeshow floor, wishing you had an endless bank account, feeling elation when you purchase great deals, or jealousy when you can’t. ( jealousy is ok in small doses, it can be healthy and drive you to work harder for the next year) { i am not a doctor, so i cannot endorse that last statement} And you will meet people that will change your life… forever.
Here are some helpful tips for those of you attending:
~Grab some bottled water at Walgreens or CVS on the strip, keep drinking, keep hydrated… it is DRY in Vegas (some of you might be hungover too) and you don’t want to go broke buying hotel bottled water… unless you’re gambling, then they give you free small bottles of water. (if you can pass on the free cocktails) lol
~Have purell or hand sanitizer with you at ALL times, there is a lot of people touching a lot of things.. and you WILL get sick if you don’t take care of yourself… That said, some airbourne or emergen-c wouldn’t hurt either.
~Bring a TON of business cards, they do drawings in the classes for giveaways and they are good to handout to all the new friends you will be making… It’s called NETWORKING people!
~Plan out your day and make sure you get to your classes on time or they might fill up. Have a backup class chosen if you don’t get in, or change your mind, or… if you just are not feeling the class you are in… it happens to all of us.
~Dress for comfort during the day (flats, a sweater, hoodie, or cardigan) it can get chilly in the classrooms. Dress to impress at night. It is Vegas after all!!!
~While your stocking up on bottled water, some hotel rooms have mini kitchens… if yours does grab some fruit, a box of cereal, trail mix, whatever… having snacks handy during the day will save you MONEY.
~If you HAVE to have your Starbucks fix… get ready to stand in line, you are NOT alone.
~You don’t need to carry your camera to classes, (unless its a hands on) you will just get a sore neck from lugging it around… if you take it to the tradeshow they will put a nifty colorful zip tie on it, so they know you didn’t steal it.
~Speaking of tradeshow, you do not have to take every flyer you get handed… you will end up with 20lbs of “stuff” and with airline’s fees nowadays you don’t want to be even close to the weight limit. If you do take everything you get, go through it before you leave… trust me you don’t need ALL of it… make a gameplan of what you are shopping for, which booths you HAVE to go to, and where they are.
~Try to get out and SHOOT. Hey you could always attend one of my styled shoots, shameless plug for my shoots in, 3, 2, 1…
Monday- http://emmajanephotography.contactmystudio.com/workshops/3128f93472074ef6
Wednesday-http://ghosttownthesequel.eventbrite.com
or someone else’s styled shoot, or just going with a group of people… Las Vegas is a place like NO other… so getting some amazing shots of the strip are a must.
So now we come to the FUN part of this POST……..
My buddy George over at WPPI was more then happy to provide me a complimentary registration to give away. So……. I’m not going to make you go like my Facebook pages……..
(emma jane photography or Couture Clicks) but if you want to we’d be super appreciative…
What I want to know is… If you have NEVER been to WPPI before, WHY do you want to go, what do you think you will get out of it?
If you have been previously and have yet to purchase… What did you learn during prior years and what do you think you would get out of going this year?
Leave a comment and I will choose at random Wednesday at 9am PST.
So… get going… share this on your facebook if you have already registered, share with whomever… I am excited to help someone go and expand on their dreams!!!
and just because a post is boring without photos… Here is one.
If you can’t make it to WPPI this year… Save the Date for next year- March 7th-14th 2013.
Interested in more information about my styled shoots visit Couture Clicks.
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