Deep inside the belly of the Mandalay Bay Resort on the north end of the famous Las Vegas strip, there is an elaborately themed passageway leading the millions of visitors that transgress the glowing rooms on the first floor of the resort bearing hundreds, if not thousands of video gaming machines and the resort’s various conference centers, meeting rooms, and underwater aquarium (aptly named Shark reef). Lining the walls of this walkway are numerous shops, cafes, and restaurants strategically placed to appease the appetites of both those seeking retail therapy and a growing contingent of hungry conference-goers.
One of the small cafes just down the hall from the North Conference Center is Libertine to Go. This cute little cafe is situated inside the wall bearing a neon blue sign to attract patrons to take a peek at their chalkboard menu located just outside their window. On the other side of the window is a little seating area with high-top tables and leather-bound benches. It is here that I currently sit having just consumed the largest, and most delicious Chicken sandwich I have had in ages. I was a bit stunned when I opened the $15 meal box and was only greeted with the sandwich inside (albeit, a large sandwich). Much to my surprise, the sandwich alone surpassed my hunger pains leaving me fulfilled and satisfied. As anyone has ever been to Vegas before knows, it is a cheap place to get to (airfare is often significantly cheaper than most destinations) and a cheap place to stay (you can find rooms on the strip far cheaper than your local Howard Johnson). But the trade-off to those wallet-friendly amenities is that it can be extremely expensive to eat, drink, and partake in daily activities. So when I was able to complete a lunch meal for less than what it would cost at my local mom and pop cafe back home, I was more than pleased.
So what exactly am I doing at this behemoth of a resort might you ask? And what does it have to do with Volkman Photography? I am here to “get my learn on” at the Wedding and Portrait Photography International’s (WPPI) annual conference. This five-day conference and expo has been the go-to place for photographers around the world to come together and share ideas, network, and most importantly, learn what the latest and popular trends are in the wedding and portrait photography industry. It is here that we are able to evolve our end-product aesthetics, gain invaluable strategies to improve our business, connect with friends, be dazzled by stories from industry icons, create lasting memories (I mean, who doesn’t like going to a popular tourist destination while on the company dime?) and, most importantly…be inspired.
Gaining inspiration both in your professional and personal life is, at least to me, a very important aspect to developing as an individual. On a professional level, WPPI provides speakers from around the world that are inspiring me to raise the bar in several aspects of our photography business.
For example; the internationally acclaimed wedding photographer David Stanbury came across the pond from England to share how he perfects the craft of wedding storytelling. Seth Miranda, used his thick Brooklyn accent to share how he uses creative exposures in-camera to produce unique images that go beyond the imagination of even the most creative individuals. I was able to hear Nacho Mora and Vinny Labella, a husband and wife team from Look Fotographia in Madrid, Spain share how they capture authentic stunning moments emphasizing wedding photojournalism with distinct black and white portraiture. I had a very inspirational discussion and demo of how to properly incorporate light painting by another award-winning photographer Ben Connelly of Australia. Ben brought an extensive display of various lighting tools and equipment that allows us to create amazing portraits in even the darkest conditions. There were classes on a wide range of topics relevant for us including business operations and senior portrait photography. I even learned how to create a Tik-Tok account (Don’t know what this is…ask your kids)!
In addition to the plethora of educational opportunities at WPPI, I was able to network with a lot of other photography professionals from across the globe. Whether it was meeting for drinks with influential leaders in the business like Pye Jrsa of LinandJrsa Photography and Co-Founder of SLRLounge.com (who was extremely influential in teaching us proper practices early on in our business venture) to Jen Rozenbaum (the queen of boudoir photography), and Roberto Valenzuela (whom literally wrote the books on posing), to meeting up with other photographers in the area like Erin Casselius of Pink Spruce Photography out of nearby Viroqua, WI whom I was able to discuss area trends, experiences, and venues with that impact us locally in the southeast Minnesota and West-Central Wisconsin market. Making these connections with so many people not only allows me to confirm that we are providing not only industry standards but ensure that we exceed the expectations of our clients.
In the end, I feel my experience at WPPI has been and will be, a critical asset to continued success for not only our clients but our business operations as a whole. I certainly hope to make it back to WPPI in the future so we can continue to innovate and bring an enhanced experience for our clients. Until then, cheers to Las Vegas and the staff, speakers, and volunteers at WPPI for making the 2020 Conference and Expo a resounding success!