You may have heard there’s a little photography convention in Vegas every year. Over ten thousand photographers (mostly of the wedding and portrait variety) gather along with every possible associated vendor for the annual WPPI convention. Just the scale alone of the event is impressive. If you want some new inspiration or to further your understanding of the industry and it’s latest trends, WPPI is where you want to be.
This was my second year attending the conference and I thought I’d share my personal take on the event. Previously held in the MGM, this year’s event was moved to the Las Vegas Convention Center. From what I understand, the move was done to offer a little more room and save on overhead costs (something we all understand as business owners).
Honestly, I prefered the MGM, but the conference is really about the people. Regardless of the venue, you’ll get your money’s worth if you make new connections and hang out with old friends. I spent the first evening at dinner with friends I had met at a workshop last summer. It was great catching up, comparing notes, and learning about different markets.
The Keynotes
As a WPPI member, you get to see all the major keynote speakers at no charge (you just have to get yourself to Las Vegas). The keynotes are a tricky balance of inspiration and education. The really good ones will leave you in tears or push to take your business to new levels.
My favorite speaker this year was Me Ra Koh, a family and wedding photographer turned serial entrepreneur. Just look her up. She does so many great things, it’s hard to keep up. The story of her journey was truly an inspiration.
Also at the top of the list was Peter Hurley, my headshot mentor. Sure I’m a little biased. But it was great to check in with his latest teachings and wisdom. A great headshot is all about the expression, and he’s always got some new tricks to share.
Both speakers really stressed the importance of our roles as photographers—not in a technical sense but a very human sense. As photographers of people, we have incredible power and responsibility to pull the best from our subjects. That hard work of course makes for a great picture, but it can also change lives.
I also really enjoyed the talk from David and Luke Edmonson, a father son duo. David, Luke’s father (insert Star Wars joke, he did), creates elaborately staged period portraits. Some are inspired by famous painters. The talk was inspiring from purely an artistic point of view, something we all need as artists.
The Classes & Expo
Throughout the conference, attendees have a wide selection of available courses to go in depth with acclaimed instructors about lighting, posing, business, or creativity. I attended a quick class with Joe McNally on location lighting. I picked up a few tricks in the hour and half class, but really I just wanted to watch Joe work & teach.
On the expo floor, I went in with a plan. If you don’t have a plan, you’ll wander from booth to booth drooling over new toys. Trust me, you will. I’ve been researching studio management software, so I spent time visiting a few vendors and peppering them with questions. I also visited WHCC, my preferred printer, to learn about the latest print and marketing pieces they offer to better promote my business.
All the major camera makers were there offering sensor cleanings. It’s a great opportunity to get your gear checked without having to send it away.
Another great feature of the Expo is the print competition. If you need a new spark in your images, you’ll want to start hanging around the print competitions. You’ll learn a ton!
Final Thoughts
Will I go next year? I’m honestly not sure at this point. It’s a costly adventure and my business focus now is really on my local market. One big frustration was the registration process. It’s quite a tedious and time consuming ordeal to simply register and select an itinerary. The additional classes typical carry a fee, which is quite reasonable, but I found myself not registering for anything beyond Joe’s class because I just didn’t want to deal with the registration software. Given where software is today, I’m really surprised there’s a not a better solution.
Last but not least, I joined Levi and fellow Photofocus readers and contributors for a photowalk on the Las Vegas strip. As a people photographer, I tend to gravitate to the behind the scenes shots of our gang having a great time or in deep thought as they get the shot.
Did you go to WPPI? Let me know what you thought in the comments!
I had the same registration problem with PhotoPlus in NYC as you did with WPPI. I think it’s the same software as WPPI. I tried to explain the problem to them but they were not interested. Like you, I enrolled in fewer of the paying classes just because it was difficult to figure out the system. I will try again in October.
Art, lets hope they start to see the problem. I’m guessing it’s a software vendor unrelated to the photo industry. It just really surprising with all the fancy software these days that there’s not a better option.
Hey, Scott. We both attended Joe McNally’s pohotowalk and the Photofocus photowalk. I didn’t care for the venue. Very isolated. I will say that the trade show floor was quite roomy. Not as much bumping into people just trying to walk around. But I go the WPPI as a bit of a vacation from my real job (which is in finance) and to learn new tips and tricks. You can use the monorail to go to the strip and many attendees were doing that, but man, I was exhausted from just walking around the trade show floor and to and… Read more »
Hey Scott! Bummer about the registration process for you and the others. For some reason it didn’t give me any hassle. I found the WPPI app super helpful this year. In years past it was terrible at best and the fact that the MGM had ZERO cell service made it even worse! 😄 Seemed like the trade show hall was overall “nicer.” It felt brighter, more roomy yet at the same time it felt like we hadn’t grown into the space yet. It felt almost empty, incomplete in some spots but I did like that it was all under one… Read more »
Great points Leon. The app definitely came in handy throughout the conference.
I just stumbled across your article Scott (searching for thoughts on print competition randomly) and wanted to say “Thank You!” for your kind words. We do need the Art side of things – along with Craft! Just really appreciated your comment. Thank you sir!