Photography news and tips for the hobbyist or seasoned pro
This was my first year at WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International). For those of you who might not know what it’s about read on. If you’re well versed in what WPPI is all about then read on anyways to hear what I thought of it. I did the trade show and a few platform speakers. Keep in mind that I did pretty much the bare minimum you can do at WPPI. There are a lot more things that I’ll have to experience next year. Here are the coles notes of how I found the convention:
Source: http://www.wppionline.com/
1. Make sure you stay at the Signature by MGM. This will save you so much time getting to the convention and the classes every day since the convention is held at the MGM.
2. WPPI is huge and if it’s your first time it’s overwhelming. Make sure you plan ahead of time who you’re going to see speak. Research who they are and what their talk is about or you might get disappointed.
3. The Vegas Strip is not cheap. This was the first time I stayed on the Vegas Strip for longer than 3 days. We found a Whole Food supermarket the day we left and was like, “oh yeah, groceries would’ve been smart.” The worst was paying $17 for a grilled cheese sandwich at the Citycenter. It wasn’t even that good of a sandwich!
4. The trade show is HUGE. It takes about a full day to browse the whole trade show. Make sure you save time by knowing what you want to buy or research ahead of time.
5. Every year there is non-WPPI sponsored party. The theme changes each year. Last year it was called “Airhorns & Lasers” and this year it was “Airplanes & Blazers”. It was such a fun time. If it wasn’t for Terence Law telling us about it I wouldn’t we would’ve missed out on a great party. Thanks Terence! Here are some pictures from the photo booth they had there:
(Aiofe and I were showing everyone what our trip was like. Texting each other to find out where the other one was all the time :)
Those are pretty much the things to remember if it’s your first time.
On the way to Vegas we were on the same flight with Dave & Quin Chung of DQ Studios. If you don’t know them check out their stuff.. Great photographers and really nice human beings. We arrived in Vegas and found out our car rental agency overbooked and we had no car for the night. Payless, if you’re listening shame on you! We got our car the next day and found it helpful to get around the strip, the town and to the Valley of Fire State Park. It’s a great place to go if you want to get away from the bright lights of Vegas. There’s some really cool rock formations out there and Aiofe and I had a great time hiking and spending some alone time (without the sound of slot machines everywhere).
Rodney Lough Jr. and I at WPPI
One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Rodney Lough Jr. I don’t even need to explain who he is. If you’ve never heard of him just take one look at his work and you’ll know why. Rodney, having a math & statistics background liked to poll the audience a lot. One question was, what do you look for in a photograph? People shouted out answers such as: light, composition, colour, etc. I sat back and waited till there was silence and dug down and thought about why I do what I do. It’s because of emotion, feeling. So I blurted out “EMOTION!”.
Rodney turned and asked. “Who said that?”
Figuring out I probably gave him the answer he was looking for I excitedly but with reserve answered. “Me.”
“Stand up.” I stood up. “What’s your name?” Rodney asked.
“Jeff Cruz, ” I answered.
“Give this man a round of applause.”
Later I found out that the exact word he wanted to hear was passion. I think passion and emotion go hand in hand. Without one there can’t be the other. Here are a few images that evoke emotion in me and I am passionate about making them. What are you passionate about? Drop me a line!
How do these pictures make you feel? Do they spark some sort of emotion for you? What sparks your emotion and passion? Click here to drop me a line and tell me what you think!
As always Jeff your pictures are outstanding. It sounded like a great experience in Vegas (minus the $17 sub par grilled cheese sandwich, OUCH!)
I look forward to checking out some of the stuff you recommended above. Can’t wait to see what you shoot next. Cheers!
Hey Pedro! Thanks so much! I’ve been seeing your newest photos. Keep it up! They’re looking great!
Great WPPI post, Jeff. I’m hoping to finally make it out there in 2012 and see what the hype is all about in person. I agree that Signature MGM is one of your best bets especially if WPPI is at the MGM. It’s a short walk, even if you end up getting a room in Bldg 3, it’s quiet and away from the casinos, and the room itself is really nicely furnished. My wife and I are Vegas-aholics and we stayed at the Signature during our last two visits. Looking forward to your future posts!
Thanks Joel. Hope to see you there next year!