Viva Las Vegas!
Three Days at the Wedding and Portrait Photographer's Convention (WPPI)
It is our job [as photographers] with light to carve and give dimension.
Winifred Whitfield, Portrait Photographer

Just got back from an amazing short trip to the WPPI Convention in Las Vegas. That’s right…14,000 photographers from around the world descending on the MGM to visit hundreds of vendors, to listen to platform speakers, and take Master Classes from award-winning photojournalist, wedding and portrait photographers….and yes, there was quite a bit of free stuff: chocolate-dipped strawberries, loads of gift certificates and lip balm, pecan-crusted chicken, miniature artichoke/spinach bread bowls, and a few too many grapefruit rum coolers (sounds strange but it’s actually quite refreshing!)

Highlights of the week besides the rockin’ STUDIO 54 Party that Pictage threw for its members on Tuesday night (think glowsticks, endless drinks, faux fashion show, go-go dancers, and a truly fun DJ) were the connections made with countless photographers from around the country as well as my Master Classes. One of my favorite classes was with the highly talented and down-to-earth Photojournalist Deanne Fitzmaurice who won a Pulitzer Prize for her images which documented a young Iraqi boy whose life irrevocably changed after nearly being killed by a bomb in a Bagdad schoolyard then coming to the U.S. for a series of reconstructive surgeries. She also spoke about the multi-media revolution and how many opportunities there are for blending the mediums of writing, photography, and video in this digital age.






Other highlights of the week included Master Classes with the gorgeous diva Winifred Whitfield who specializes in intimate portraits of women (she’s a photographer and a true digital artists…very stylized and unique one-of-a-kind portraits), Jerry D’s lessons in make-up and boudoir, Anthony Cava’s hard-liner approach to pricing and business ownership, hilarious wedding photographer and Brit Dennis Orchard who spoke about his love of photography and keeping things simple, and the super funny, and accessible Kay Eskridge who has formed a mini-empire side business (she keeps it separate from her mainstream portraits) shooting intimate, sexy portraits celebrating women’s sense of sexy. Very fun speaker and a woman that I think would be great to have as a girlfriend!

I’m stoked to have attended this year. Just as the Santa Barbara Writers’ Conference kicked up my level of commitment to the craft, attending this year’s WPPI Conference has kicked up my level of commitment to photography ten-fold. Looking forward to deepening my connection to other photographers around the world, building my business, and feeding my creative muse this year.

A huge thankyou as well to Andrejka and Cherry Thomas, two friends and fellow photographers in Santa Barbara…..now that was a fun trip!

Viva Las Vegas!

Rachel S. Thurston Photography