March 9-16th, 2013
This was my second year to attend WPPI in Las Vegas, the biggest annual convention for professional portrait photographers. I was with Catie Bartlett once again, and our new recruit Jodi Campbell. (We missed our Carly Carlson this year!) We decided to drive this year… and in the words of G.O.B. Bluth, “we made a huge mistake”. Ok, maybe not, but lesson learned and we’ll have to try something different next year. Because 18 strait hours, from Oklahoma to Vegas (and back), in the car is torture. But we had a lot of cool photos opps- a blizzard on the way there, and sight-seeing on the way back.
We stayed in the MGM Grand this year, which was THE BEST, and really the only way to go. Robby & Savannah Doland attended the convention separately, but I was so excited we were able to meet up- love those guys! The biggest lesson I RE-learned this year is not to try to attend a class EVERY block, but rather choose a few topics to focus on, thereby getting a lot more out of it. I probably had a lot more tip if I’d written this post a few months ago, haha. But that was the biggest thing to stick with me. I was a lot better about it this year. I was also stoked to see some of my photo idols in person and sit in on there classes, such as Sue Bryce, and Rob & Vanessa Adams! Rob and Vanessa are incredible talents, and I had the privilege of learning from them both in depth during my trip to Seattle for Creative Live! (But that’s for a later post.)
I focused on stretching the legs of my Canon 5D Mark III, 45mm tilt-shift lens, and my fun new toy- the Fujifilm Instax 210. From here, I’ll tell the story in pictures. (Any photos of me were taken by Catie or Robby.) Many of these images are available to purchase as a print. Please email me if you’re interested!
Triple exposure somewhere in Arizona:
Double exposures on Las Vegas Blvd:
This year we got wind of one of the raddest parties happening during WPPI- LAZERS & BLAZERS! More double exposure experiments, dressed up all fancy before heading out.
Also, if you can’t fully appreciate how jealous you should be about this party… here you go:
http://vimeo.com/61754257
Toward the end of our trip, I had to show Robby & Savannah around my all-time favorite spot in Vegas- The Neon Museum.
Fulfilling our tourist duty:
On the way home, we hit the Hoover Dam (I’d never seen it before)…
…and the Grand Canyon (second visit for me- the first time being also on the way home from my first trip to Vegas):
Grand Canyon Pano:
Somewhere in New Mexico:
As always, can’t wait for next year! Finally posting these photos has made me so anxious. Who’s in??
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On our way back from a wedding, Catie and I stumbled across a really neat abandoned property. We couldn’t resist checking it out! There were still all kinds of furnishings just left inside a few dilapidated buildings, now covered in vines and tall grass. Nature had completely taken over. It was really interesting! The photo of me was taken by Catie.
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Finally getting my third and last WPPI post up! On our last day in Vegas we visited an area called El Dorado Canyon in Nelson, NV.
On the way to our intended location, we decided to pull off the road and get some fashion-style shots in the pure desert scene. Although the Vegas landscape doesn’t vary much, it was a refreshing difference from Oklahoma, and we had so much fun shooting in the dry sand, with a backdrop of mountains.
It was still pretty early in the day, so we did what we could with the lighting! It wasn’t ideal, but the “harsh desert sun” look really added to the concept in a way.
Who doesn’t love a good proportion illusion?
The next set of pictures are actually in El Dorado Canyon. Their property is littered with cool vintage objects, old cars, a few barns, and even a wrecked airplane. This location has been used in parts of big productions such as 3000 Miles to Graceland, and has also been used as a shooting location for big name musicians and fashion photographers.
We found a gutted bus that we could have easily shot in for hours! The entire inside was painted white, creating an amazing, natural reflector. Behind the scenes shot of Catie Bartlett:
The photo of me on the left was taken by Catie:
These last couple of Catie were taken by the place crash scene.
As I mentioned before, we definitely plan on returning to WPPI 2013- hopefully you can see why!
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Most of our time at WPPI was consumed with rushing around to classes and browsing the trade show, but toward the end of our trip, we had time built in to explore Las Vegas and some surrounding areas and attractions. (Unfortunately Carly had to fly home before this part.)
The Neon Boneyard Sign Museum is easily my favorite place in Las Vegas. They are an organization that rescues and sometimes restores retired neon signs. It’s an expensive endeavor, so to fund it, they give guided history tours through the sign yard. They also allow client shoots there which I’d love to have the opportunity to do- so if anyone wants book a shoot in this location, you’ll have the coolest pictures around! It would be awesome for engagements, bridals, band promos, etc. In fact, this has been a music video location for the likes of Jimmy Eat World, The Killers, and more! Contact me for destination shoot pricing! The photo of me was snapped by Catie Bartlett.
After our tour, Lisa, Catie, and I decided to hang around downtown Las Vegas and see what else we could take pictures of. It was a really cool area, and we landed in front of a wall with a fun pattern. Below are some more Lensbaby photos, as well as various shots from the day. Photo of me by Catie Bartlett.
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