I just had the pleasure of attending one of the world’s biggest Wedding Photography conventions, WPPI in Las Vegas. What an absolutely fabulous experience. Here is a brief little journal about my trip and how absolutely inspiring it was.
YYZ, the Toronto airport. It even smells like adventure. Just like true Canadian style, the plane had to be de-iced before take off.
After a 3 hour delay, a 4.5 hour flight and a taxi ride, I arrived at my hotel at 2am. From being greeted by slot machines at the airport to being completely bombarded with the bells and whistles of the hotel casino lobby, I knew that I was in for a week of little sleep. Despite the excitement, I passed out as soon as I hit the bed.
In the morning, we met up with our fantastic crew for the week. We picked up our passes and scrolled the class lists.
Note: The best way to deal with a photobomb, whether on purpose or not, is to own it! 🙂
Part of our amazing crew: Nicole, Helen and myself.
The first stop in the tradeshow floor was our scheduled portfolio reviews. Very interesting and informative stuff here.
I was so honoured to meet and hear some of my heroes speak at the show. Jen Rozenbaum spoke about her boudoir career, Jose Villa was his usual amazing self and spoke about his use of film in the modern world of digital and Christine Tremoulet, who I just met at the show spoke about the power of storytelling.
The word of the week really was “inspiring”. From every corner of the show, there was so much amazing talent and information that it was very near overwhelming. But we held it together.
Our nightly outings were short but tasty. There are so many great restaurants in Vegas but my favourite by far has to be Spago by the incredible Wolfgand Puck. I can still taste the wild mushroom and sweet roasted garlic pizza we had. 
Some of the beautiful prints in the judged print competition and the hectic tradeshow floor below.
Utterly and completely pooped … Thanks Nicole for the snapshot.
After my very last class, we left the convention centre to notice the amazing mix of yellow light with the freshly intense blue of the setting sky.
The information overload was real. There was really so much to focus on throughout the show yet it was an awe inspiring experience that I will not forget. I am ready for another year of beauty and emotion. Can’t wait until wedding season is in full swing!
