SO, the image you saw as the teaser for this post is a clear indication of this year’s WPPI experience in Las Vegas: Spontanious, a lot of fun, and filled with delirium. ALTHOUGH…I think that even in Val’s rested state, she STILL would have sang a Justin Bieber song….OUT L.O.U.D…..in the middle of the trade show floor….for a free Kelly Moore Bag. <–The Posey Bag to be exact (which Amelia and I had BOTH bought the day before).
It was the last day of the trade show and there was about an hour left before they closed the booths. Kelly asked if anyone would sing and dance for a free bag, and Val was the first to jump to it. LOL THIS> STILL> MAKES> ME> LAUGH
At the end of last year, I wrote myself a few tips so that when I went back this year I would remember and prepare myself. So, these are my tips for next year:
TIPS FOR WPPI 2013:::::::::::::::
* Pack Snacks::: OH! And Water. (We are in the desert after all).
* Be Social::: I am a total photography nerd and I realize that I would choose to sit in a class before actually socializing. But meeting people is one of the MOST fun parts of the experience. In fact, it was REALLy cool to sit with my friend Lindsey that I met last year and to run into another French friend, Marie that I had met as well. 🙂
* PreBoard and DON’T FOGET YOUR PASS:: Because if not, there’s NO chance of getting in. I’ve been known to be pretty persuasive in my life. And when Amelia and I first arrived on the Sunday, I didn’t have my registration copy printed. Needless to say, there was no chance of me convincing “Mr. Not-so-nice-guy” of letting me in.
* Bring a Sweater <– From Amelia ::: Cause For Real…It’s cold at MGM.
* Bring a Friend::: If you can, bring someone you know. If you don’t know anyone who’s going from your area, reach out others…find someone. It makes the experience more enjoyable, (and losing your money at the casino more bearable.)
* Just bc You’re a Photographer, doesn’t mean you have to shoot every slide::: You see, in Junior High, we learned to take notes. Somehow, though, in the era of modern technology, others have forgotten how to do so. Taking photos of the instructors slides is distracting and potentially offensive.
{{On a lighter note, bring a paper + pen. Even if you don’t use it, I suppose you could always use it to put your hair up.}} 😉
* Pack Light + Pack Ahead::: I suppose these go hand in hand. I have a TERRIBLE habit of waiting until the last minute to do things…and somehow I always end up over packing. You know, like the kind of overpacking where you have to sit on your suitcase and have a friend zip it up. Yes…that bad.
I would say that overall, this year was a TOTAL and COMPLETE success. Having Amelia there was so much fun and for Val and I….this is our second annual WPPI experience and I’m hoping to make a tradition. We were happy to have Chris there with us too representing Louisiana as well as Laura + Jeremy Reaux. It really was an awesome year, and totally worth the investment. I walked away inspired and ready to continue pushing for my dreams.
I was too busy cracking up at Val to ACTUALLY shoot this, so Amelia grabbed my camera out of my bag and started shooting this. I’m SO happy she did….because I’m still cracking up over it.
Do you see what I mean about Pre-boarding?! This was taken during Lindsay Adler’s 8:00 AM class on the Wednesday!
And it was STILL packed. The preboard passes are a MUST if you plan to actually get into any of the really good platform classes.
As a side note, do you see the kid in the front (looking at me). Yes, he is ACTUALLY an aspiring photographer….in fact, he knows Jerry Ghionis personally! Pretty cool, right?!
On the first day of the trade show, Amelia and I agreed (which…when do we not..) that we wanted to go to the Kelly Moore booth. Big Mistake. Or maybe it wasn’t. 🙂 We both walked away with Posey bags!
Amelia makes life fun!
More of Val’s silliness
Tiny Tiny Val
With so little sleep, Amelia was crashed at the hotel while I caught an afternoon class. She absolutely loves Bobbi and Mike so I had to say hello. Turns out, they’re just as cool in person and as they seem on the blog.
Amelia always says that I’m the Bobbi and she’s the Mike, so I’m happy to finally meet her!
If you or someone you know has debated over going to WPPI….just go. DO it! You WON’T regret it.
Fun tips!!!