A Day (well, week) in the Life: Vegas Style

Vehhhhhhhhhhhgassssssssss. Oh how we miss it...

We went there for a week for the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) Convention, and just got back Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Adam and I were SO excited to go, it was pretty much all we could think and talk about... and still is!


(Normal people unpack when they get to their hotel room... Photographers take pictures :)


(The view from our room in the morning)

So there are two parts to WPPI: 1) tons of classes, seminars and workshops with the world’s best photographers and 2) the whole ginormous trade show part of it. Many of my friends know that I’m a learning-junkie (haha, yes, I realize how nerdy that sounds, but it’s true) so I was totally hyped about the amazing classes they offered. Adam and I split up so we could cover more ground, and between the two of us, we went to 22 classes... some days having class from 8AM-8:15PM, with a couple breaks in between to quickly grab a bite to eat or stop in at the trade show.

But let’s talk about the WALK. From our room to the convention, it was about a 15 minute BRISK walk, that we took at least 4 times a day. It was actually kind of cool at first, because I’m not a morning person, so this was a nice transition for me to get awake and chipper for my morning classes. Apparently the WPPI planners figured out the hard way that this walk didn’t stay fun for long, so they put up hilarious signs all the way down the long, never-ending hallway to keep us tired photographers motivated... “FDA Approved Weight-loss Plan,” “You’re a photographer. Picture yourself there,” “The only things certain in life are death and this walkway,” and our favorite, “Complaints Box,” with an arrow pointing to the trash can. We had some interesting conversations with fellow photographers from all over the world on this long walk. :) Another thing I thought was hilarious in the morning was the Starbucks line. People would wait in line for a half hour just to get a cup of coffee. Now that’s what I call caffeine addiction! I, on the other hand, was content with a granola bar and water from the vending machine :)

The classes were truly an invaluable experience. To say that we came back pumped and inspired is definitely an understatement! We can’t wait to put into action everything we’ve learned.

At the trade show, we perused many different vendors... from albums, to equipment, to labs, to software... and we came back with lots of ideas for new products we will be offering our clients! Whoo hoo!

There were also a bunch of parties (many of which we didn’t go to because between the early mornings, the many classes and the three shoots we had while there, we were exhausted!), including one sponsored by Nikon- a free Blues Traveler concert for WPPI members. Fun stuff. We also fully took advantage of our buy-one-get-one perks at the MGM for some delish food and cocktails.


(About to go to Blues Traveler)


(The Blues Traveler concert)

We’ll tell you more about our shoots in the upcoming weeks, as we get around to processing our photos. We're SO looking forward to sharing them with you! Here are a few, though, that fellow photographers from Arkansas, Dale and Meredith of Benfield Photography, took of us in between shooting...





Between our shoots and classes, we met, hung out with, and learned from photographers from all over the world... Indiana, Colorado, California, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, Arizona, Delaware, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Zealand, Canada, London, Australia, Cuba and the Philippines... just to name some!

We also managed to squeeze in a bit of “Us Time.” On Valentine’s Day, Adam and I went out to dinner where we had our dinner reception (we got married in Vegas)- Sedona Restaurant & Lounge. Reservations were at 8, and before we knew it it was 1:30! That’s some major conversation :) After dinner, we went Salsa Dancing! Next time, we’re definitely going to get there a few days early so we can hit the town before the convention starts. Oh, we also managed to gamble a bit, and came up $200 on blackjack and craps... not as big as the $2,000 we came up when we were there for our wedding, but UP is definitely good- I'll take it! :)


(Us on Valentine's Day)

Looking forward to next time...