This is a forewarning for our clients and interested couples. This post is aimed at photographers looking to attend the annual Wedding And Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) convention this February in Las Vegas. It’s something we attend to improve our photographic education, bring you even more amazing images, and have a little fun. If you’re interested, read on, but if not, you may want to skip to the next post to get back to our regularly scheduled programming of awesome images.

Still here? Good. We’re coming up shortly on a special time of year. It’s when thousands upon thousands of professional photographers descend on the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas strip for the mother of all photography conventions. That’s right, it’s almost time for WPPI. This will be our second year attending, and we can’t wait. We learned so much last year. One of the biggest lessons we learned was that we didn’t have any idea what to expect. WPPI is many things to many people, but what it is to first times, is overwhelming. Last year was a record year with over 15,000 photographers attending, and to most observers, it was mass chaos. If you go armed with a little knowledge of what to expect, you can make the most of the amazing experience. Here are some of the questions we’ve been asked and things we wish we had known our first time.

Q. Where is the best place to stay?
A. If you can afford it, stay at the MGM Grand. Since WPPI is at the MGM conference center, this will be the best place to stay to get there quickly. When you have an 8 am class for a speaker you really want to see, trust us, you’ll be thankful. Even from the MGM, it can take you 15-20 minutes just to walk to the conference center through the casino, stores, and restaurants inside the MGM. If you don’t insist on being within spitting distance of the slot machines and gaming tables, and you have a little extra cash saved up, staying at the Signature at MGM is a really popular option. It’s a little more upscale with gorgeous rooms, but no casino. It is attached to the MGM by indoor moving sidewalks, and it’s closer to the convention center than the MGM itself. It will save you a lot of walking, and probably 10 minutes of each trip from your room to a class. We stayed at the MGM last year and are staying at the Signature this year. We are really excited about it because we saw the advantages of it and wished we had budgeted enough to stay there.

Q. What if you can’t afford to stay at the MGM or the Signature?
A. There are plenty of affordable places to stay nearby within walking distance such as the Excalibur, the Tropicana, etc. Just look around and you can find some really amazing deals if you are on a budget, but keep in mind, any of those places will add an EXTRA 15-20 minute walk onto your “commute” to your classes. Those 8 am classes come extra early…..

Q. What should I wear?
A. Comfortable shoes! As mentioned before, it’s a long walk to the convention center. Dress for comfort, not for style, trust us. What you wear to the parties is a different story.

Q. Wait, parties?
A. Yes! WPPI is about work, and learning, and growing, but it’s also about letting loose and having a blast with all your old friends, as well as all the new ones you just made! You’ll see various parties, some free, some that require paid tickets, some with open bars, some with $12 cocktails, and some with free giveaways. It just depends on what you’re looking for. Watch out for certain parties that try to be too secretive, which, while they can be lots of fun, you can be surprised when you cant afford drinks at the “secret location” – Our favorite party was the [b] party put on by [b]ecker, which always has a reputation of being a lot of fun and a good bang for your buck. We had a blast this year and will be going again this year, whenever he announces the date. [b] school members get first dibs at tickets, and then it goes out to everyone else.

Q. What’s up with all the platform classes, plus classes, masters classes, etc?
A. Platform classes are the standard classes that come with the full registration cost. These alone make WPPI worth it. You get to see all the big name speakers teach about all sorts of different topics. Watch out for some of the really big name speakers, as they will often have lines to get into the classes that will form hours in advance. Because of issues last year, they added a PreBoard system this year. Just go to the WPPI website and click the link, and then you can choose up to 5 platform classes to preboard for, getting you a ticket and guaranteeing you a seat, no standing in line. Another bit of advice is to go to classes based on the subject, not the speaker. If you are weak in lighting, posing, photoshop, or want to grow in technical areas like that, seek out those classes. I found you can learn the most from those classes, and there are some amazing speakers in those categories. You will also see a category named “motivational” that will have some of the biggest names in the industry included in it. These can be really hit or miss, so choose carefully. Some of these will truly be motivational, but if you are already plenty motivated, but need to work on lighting, choose the lighting class over the motivational class, even if the latter is a really huge name in the industry. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. Speak to people who went last year. Many speakers have similar programs year to year and you can find out of they are worth attending or not. If you get into a class, and it’s not what you expected, leave and go to another one. Just try to go in with an expectation of what you want to learn, and you’ll come out ahead.

OK, on to the master classes. These are more intimate classes with tens of students vice hundreds or even over a thousand like some of the platform classes. You get to have more one on one learning time with the instructor, and thus, it costs extra. These go on during the same time as the platform classes and the tradeshow, so there might be a tradeoff of a platform class you don’t get to see, but for the most part, you get a great experience from these classes.

So what about plus classes? These actually start in the days before the platform classes and tradeshow. They come at an extra cost, and are almost like mini workshops. You pick your favorite photographer and spend two days shooting with them, learning in the classroom, it’s a great experience and far cheaper than most 2 days workshops with these photographers. They are extremely small classes and a great way to start of WPPI.

Q. So what about this tradeshow only pass? I keep seeing vendors giving them away?
A. The tradeshow is a wonderful, wonderful place. It’s two giant rooms of all the photography vendors showing you their best stuff. You can see and feel stuff from all the print labs, album companies, play with the newest cameras and lenses, and the list goes on. The bigger tradeshow booths will have speakers throughout the day, with some of the platform speakers giving mini versions of their classes throughout the day. The tradeshow goes on during the middle of the day while there is a lunch break going on between the morning and the afternoon platform classes. Most of the major labs and album companies will give away free tradeshow passes if you aren’t going for the convention. The tradeshow pass will NOT let you get into any other part of WPPI though, including the platform classes. Another tip about the tradeshow, there are lots of amazing deals, so if you’re looking to buy something photography related, you can probably find a good price on it here. Don’t buy anything the first day though, it can be overwhelming. Wait till one of the later days to avoid the impulse buys. Vendors at the tradeshow will hand you all kinds of brochures. If you take them all, I guarantee you that you will NOT get in under the baggage weight limit on your flight home!

Q. During lunch? When do we eat?
A. Yes, the tradeshow takes place during the lunch hour, and when 15,000 photographers let out of classes for lunch, every restaurant in the MGM gets PACKED! Even the food court. You could easily spend 30 minutes in line for McDonalds. We actually pack snacks like granola bars or something to give ourselves more time at the tradeshow. This also saves a lot of money. Eating in Vegas gets expensive!

Q. How much time should be spent at the trade show?
A. As much as you possibly can spare. It is MASSIVE, so it isn’t unheard of to do multiple hours each day to really see everything.

Q. What should I bring to the classes?
A. Here are some good suggestions.

1. A point and shoot camera. No need to carry around a bulky SLR for classes
2. Snacks
3. A reusable water bottle is awesome. We carry empty ones in my luggage for the trip.
4. BUSINESS CARDS! Lots and lots of business cards. WPPI is awesome for networking, so you’ll be giving them to everyone you meet. Feel free to print up some cheap ones to drop in vendor boxes for giveaways or for giveaways during classes.
5. Pens and a small notebook

Q. What are the best airlines to fly?
A. The best fares to Vegas are usually through Southwest.

Q. What about photoshoots?
A. Many photographers will run photoshoots during WPPI, some free, most not. There are many levels of photographers offering these, usually with models, usually in the desert. Beware of shoots on or around the strip, as you’ll get kicked out in a hurry and maybe not get your money’s worth. These shoots are totally buyer beware. Take the same care with choosing these as you would picking a workshop.

Q. Any other words of wisdom?
A. You asked for it, so here you go:

1. Make out a schedule in advance and be prepared to wait a while for the popular seminars. Last year Jasmine Star and Doug Gordon were a 3 hour wait. PreBoard the speakers you really want to go to, but still, you will be waiting in line.
2. Use your time in line to network and meet people. If you’re shy, this is the time to grow out of it. Come out of your shell and introduce yourself to the strangers standing beside you. Make them your friends. You’ll be totally glad you did.
3. How do you find out about get-togethers, impromptu shoots, and parties? Twitter and Facebook. Have a continuous search on twitter for #wppi and #wppi2011. That’s where you will find out all the latest happenings, so check often.
4. Love your iPhone? Too bad. Almost every photographer has one. Therefore, the 3G connection around the MGM becomes so socked in that it becomes completely unusable. Here’s the secret, or not so secret workaround. Go into your menu and turn off 3G. You’ll be on an EDGE connection, but it’s faster than nothing at all.
5. Don’t jam pack your schedule too much. Leave some time for an impromptu dinner with new friends. You will meet amazing people there who will be your lifelong friends, so cultivate that!
6. No one sleeps in Vegas. Between the 8 am classes, late night parties, and general Vegas craziness, sleep is not a common occurrence. Just show up knowing this. Get up for those 8 am speakers even when you have the urge to sleep in. It’s worth it, and you’ll regret it if you don’t. Our secret? We buy a case of 5 hour energy from amazon.com and bring it with us. The line at the Starbucks in the MGM is always WAY too long. Carry your caffeine with you!
7. Don’t leave early. The closing program is Photographer’s Ignite, and it’s amazing, entertaining, and really educational.

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comment box below and we’ll see if we can help!

We just returned from a week in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. We attended the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) convention and tradeshow. Yes, we went to Vegas for work rather than vacation, but it was a great time. We learned an incredible amount, and Lisa and I are always trying to further our photographic education to continue to offer our clients incredible images and an even better experience. We attended classes taught by some of the best photographers in the industry,  met some amazing people, and made new friends from all around the country.

Some of the highlights of the week were some great photo shoots, which you will see in blog posts in the coming days, as well as the [b] school party, a great time with wonderful friends. While a week in Vegas is always a good time, this week was a lot of work with very little sleep. This was our first time at WPPI (definitely not our last) and our schedule was jam packed trying to get it all in. The popular classes had lines forming hours before just to try to get a seat in the room, and we of course had to squeeze in plenty of time at the tradeshow meeting people and finding the coolest new products for our clients.

We just got back, so we are still a little frazzled and our sleep schedule is completely out of whack. We are still trying to wrap our heads around everything we learned, but in the meantime, we wanted to say hi to all our new friends who might be checking out this blog, and show everyone a few sneak peeks from the three photo shoots. Check back over the next few days for more!