WPPI 2011

As I write this blog post, I'm finding it so hard to believe that my first WPPI really has already come and gone. Months of anticipation, planning, and excitement all came down to this past weekend and just like that it's passed! Pretty insane. But I've said it a million times before and I'll say it again...it was amazing!!! I headed out there with Ty LaMothe and we stayed for 3 jam-packed, AWESOME days. During this time, we hung out with some old friends, made some new ones, and filled our brains with knowledge till we couldn't take anymore!!! Let me break it down for you, day by day :)

SUNDAY:

-Crazy fun drive into Vegas with Ty LaMothe.

-AMAZING business/branding platform class from Bob & Dawn Davis.

-Dinner at the Hash House a Go Go with awesome friends. (Check out the size of those portions!!!!)



Myself, attempting to eat the ridiculous pork loin sandwich without the provided fork and knife. The guy in the background found this so funny that he came over shortly after to get a picture of it as well!! Hahah



-B School party with some more awesome friends! Here's some photo booth shots from it!








MONDAY:

-Bobbi & Mike's motivational platform class. I love Bobbi & Mike!!! Their class was my first priority for WPPI.(Did I mention that I LOVE them??!!!)

-Hung out in the Showit lounge and met some cool people!

-While we were in line for lunch, Ty and I got introduced to the Jarvie Window. Crazy stuff!!!





-Exploring the trade show and getting 10 pounds of marketing material and product samples from the companies!!

-Jasmine Star's kick-butt motivational platform class. But really...when DOESN't she rock?

Jasmine and I having a rather animated looking conversation after the class.



Someone pointed out her striking resemblance to JLO in the photo. What do you think?



-Unite worship night. A big group of photographers gathering together to worship Jesus in the midst of sin city....AWESOME.

-Great dinner and even better talks at dinner with Ty at Diego!!


TUESDAY:

-Lazy morning, enjoying our breakfast and people watching.

-Yet another visit to the Showit lounge to hangout and chat about the awesome new stuff coming to Showit this year!! SO excited :)

-I was SOOOO excited to see Bobbi & Mike in the food court during lunch and got a chance to hang out with them and chat for a bit :)

Here's myself and the Bobbi part of Bobbi+Mike.



-Roberto Valenzuela's RIDICULOUSSSSS shooting platform class. This man is a genius with a camera. And this class was definitely the favorite of them all for me and Ty! SO much knowledge packed into our brains!!

Grabbed a shot on my phone of one of the quotes he included in his presentation. Love it!



-We finished up the night with an informative pricing platform class from Jared Bauman. After that we headed back to our room to get a good night of sleep and pack our bags to head out the next morning!

So, my advice to anyone considering going to WPPI next year is.....GO!!!! Nothing can replace the experience I had there and I am SO happy that I went. If you missed out on this year, don't let 2012 pass you by too. I'll see ya there! :)

The Rodriguez's: Family Session.

Last weekend I met with the Rodriguez family at a super awesome location that they picked out themselves, for this fun family session. (I will definitely be shooting here again!!). I will be shooting Cindy & Jesse's vow renewal/wedding at the beginning of March and they chose to replace their engagement session with a family session so that they could get some photos of their adorable little ones as well! Working with them got me super pumped for their wedding which will be my first to kick of the 2011 year, followed by many more!!
Check out some of my favorite shots from their session!! :)

Bianca: Headshots Session.

I mean it when I say that Bianca is one of THE sweetest and most down to earth girls I have ever met in my life. It's one of the first things I noticed about her...that, and that she is ALWAYS smiling. Bianca contacted me to do these headshots for her, for an upcoming pageant she was will be competing in. As I stood in her room with her, helping her make final decisions on outfits and accessories for the session, I couldn't help but notice the LOADS of trophies, tiaras, and sashes from her previous victories. I couldn't imagine how she had managed to win so many things in her lifetime. I said "So you've pretty much been doing pageants your whole life, huh?" to which she replied, "Just since 2006". I was stunned. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised though...with her awesome personality and the fact that she is INSANELY photogenic, she makes for quite the competitor! I'll be at home watching and saying "I knew it!" when she claims the Miss America title one day!!

Here's the highlights of my session with the lovely, Bianca....













I fell in love with this outfit!!!!