WPPI 2009 has not disappointed thus far. This is my third year attending the convention and it is the best by far. Not only am I learning a ton from the top people in the industry (while at the same time not feeling nearly as overwhelmed as previous years), but I am also meeting so many great people and reconnecting with a bunch I met last year here, many of whom I know I’ll continue to keep in touch with for years to come.

The Karate Dog I’m completely creatively inspired by some of the talks I’ve heard, and completely ready to tackle some of my top business goals I have for this year thanks to some great business-oriented sessions! However, I’m approaching physical exhaustion from the lack of sleep and overload of information and festivities. Nothing I can’t handle… I’ll just need about 20 hours of sleep when I get home to recover.

So far I’ve taken just a few photos and am hoping to break out the camera a bit more tomorrow. Here are a few of my favorites…

The view from our hotel room window just after sunrise yesterday morning.

I took this also through our room window earlier today. Those streaks running through the image are actually the reflection of the drapes, which I think gives the image a bit of mystery. For the processing, I experimented with a darker, moodier feel thanks to the inspiration of Ryan Schembri who spoke last night. I love the cinematic feel…

For a small break and to regroup after the morning sessions, Meg and I spent some time just hanging out in the room talking. We took advantage of the awesome view we have and spent that time sitting on the window sill. I love this photo of her.

And her view of me.

If any photographers are here and want to meet up at some point, shoot me an email! I’m checking it often throughout the day and would love to get to meet some of you blog followers!

City of Angels movie download

I’m in Vegas until Thursday, February 19, for WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International), the biggest wedding and portrait photography convention in the world!

There’s Something About Mary full

WPPI is always an amazing experience. This is my third year attending the event and each time it just gets better! I walk away with so many ideas, so much new information and a ton of inspiration to make my photography and my business even better. Plus, there are always the incredible friendships that begin and that are enhanced here with so many wonderful, creative and fun people in the industry.

The Karate Dog video

Between the gigantic trade show and seemingly countless classes and speakers, not to mention the social festivities, they keep us pretty busy here. So, I’m going to try my best to keep the blog updated on all the goings-on… buuuuut, because I would like to at least get a little sleep while I’m here, I may not update as often as I would like.

If you’re a photographer and have never been to WPPI… GO! If you’re planning on attending this year, leave a comment here. I’d love to get together with new people since we’ll all be in the same place anyway.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

On Tuesday, Meg and I ventured out to the Salton Sea to meet up with a group of 20 or so SoCal photographers who organized a photo excursion on The B-School. We had no idea what we were in for, but the day turned out to be one of the most fun days of shooting I’ve had in a long time. I met so many cool photographers, took so many great shots, and got to spend time in an area of Southern California I didn’t even know existed.

We started the day by meeting up with everyone at The North Shore. There was this creepy, old abandoned building with an empty swimming pool behind it. Graffiti like this was painted all over the place.

I love the way the light was spilling onto this wall. Since Meg and I weren’t able to bring models because we couldn’t find anyone who was available, we shot each other. Landscape photography is fun, but I really love having people in front of my camera, which is why you’ll notice I used Meg quite a bit. Love this expression of hers.

Also at the North Shore, there was this partially buried playground. I’d really like to know more about these random places all along the Salton Sea. They’re so creepy– kind of like a post-apocalyptic view of society.

Love this one. I call it “Happy Meg.”

Then we made it to Bombay Beach. This place was something else… After just walking around for a few minutes, we ran into these. Yick! I couldn’t help but snag a few shots.

Thought this was poetic in a certain way.

A more revealing shot of what this place looked like.

Regis Chen — on his iPhone. Classic face.

More of the landscape.

I think this is my favorite shot of the day. This used to be a trailer that has since been completely destroyed. Most of us in the group were oddly drawn to this structure… probably because it was the most intact and, thanks to the lawn chair and BBQ out front, told more of a story than the others. The wood has almost completely rotted away, but there was still slight evidence of Christmas decorations. I’d love to know the story behind this thing.

After shooting with natural light all day, Meg, Regis and I decided to start having some fun with off-camera lighting in front of our darling trailer. This shot required three Canon Speedlites (one on-camera, one off to the right, one setup inside the trailer to the left) and one silver reflector to bounce light onto the subject. We shot each of us individually at first…

Then Meg put them together in Photoshop.

While setting up the shot, most of the group wandered over to join in. Each of these were shot individually and then Meg put them together in post. It was so awesome to see our concept come together like this!

Here’s a quick shot I got of the setup.

And finally, a nice group shot thanks to a tripod, timer and the awesome sunset light.

Such a great time! At the end of the day I was exhausted, but totally energized by being with so many creative people and being able to experiment with shooting in a completely relaxed way. Definitely going to make more time for this kind of shooting this year. Can’t wait for the next Day Trip!

Lost in Translation buy UPDATE: Meg posted some new images on her blog and I stole this one. Regis, Meg and I just did not want to stop shooting, so we set up this last concept right after sunset before we lost all light. So fun to be silly and shoot.