Each Year Wedding An Portrait Photographers from around the world gather in Las Vegas for the annual WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) convention. This year the event was held over the Valentine's Holiday at the MGM Grand.
There were an estimated 12,000 photographers in attendance for the event and it was HUGE! This is our 3rd time to this event and it was by far the biggest one yet. We attended the Business Institute, and several platform classes ranging in topics from studio portriature to marketing.
Every year WPPI puts on a great show with tons of stuff to do. There is always a reception or two that are sponsored by some of the biggest names in the photographic world. This year both Canon and Nikon held events, one dinner and one concert featuring Blues Traveler. Photographers from all over the world sit next to each other, learn about each other's businesses and share stories that are amazingly simular.
One of the highlights for me personally each year is sitting in on the print judging. Literally thousands of images are presented each year for judging. They range in genre from wedding to portrait to commercial to journalistic. All have a place here. There are several international panels consisting of some of the biggest names in photography sitting as judges. Just listening to the debates on everything from the way an image is presented to the content is a learning experience. We spend nearly 4 hours this year listening to various prints being evaluated and one of the overall theme's that made it's way to the forefront was the use of the simple white mat placed around an image. It almost seemed to be taboo as we seen image after image presented with this type of matting. Judges found it unappealing and distracting from the image's message. This was a little disheartening as we had submitted images that were all matted in this format. While not all judges seem to agree with the downgrade to scoring as a result of using such a presentation method, it was one of the biggest drawbacks that many images suffered in their final tally.
Other highlights included an awesome tradeshow that was so big it took to large halls to hold it all. Every manufacturer you can think of was there offering their wears to the hoards of photographers. Each had something special to offer just for the show. Many had elaborate booths with massive amounts of samples and "take aways" that left your head spinning. We still haven't gone through all of the information yet but there were several nuggets that we plan to put into action in the coming year.
The long and short of going to these conventions for me personally is the opportunity to be inspired by 12,000 international photographers, tons of vendors offering new and exciting products for our customers and ultimately to gain insight into how we can operate a better stronger business just for having participated.
If you are a professional, full or part time and don't belong to this organization, you are missing a lot. I encourage you to become a member of WPPI online. Then set some time aside for next year's convention, it will be in fabulous Las Vegas once again between March 6 and 11. If you want to take your business to the next level, or even just get it off the ground this is a perfect place to start.
-Aloha
