Today I take off for Las Vegas, for five and a half days of learning. This will my second time at WPPI and I am so excited to go back for a second round. Last year I came back with so many ideas and new strategies to put into my business, lots of new industry contacts, but most of all a reignited passion for doing what I love. Bring it!

Some of the speakers I am looking forward to learning from are Dane Sanders, Jerry Ghionis, Bobbi & Mike, Jesh De Rox, Tamara Lackey, Jamie Schultz and Vicki Taufer. I hope to squeeze into some other classrooms too and hear from other great industry leaders like Jose Villa and Kirk Voclain who also inspire me. It’s crazy to think that so many of the greatest photographers are all in one place.

Since I started my photography business, I really feel like my photography and teaching was brought to a new level. I think one of the reasons this might have occured is because of attending events like WPPI. Through the years I have taught and mentored so many students, but I havne’t had any professionals in the field pour into me. Even my masters in art education didn’t teach me about photography per se, but more on how to teach better. But as I have watched photography change from film to digital, it so crucial for me to attend photo conferences like this one, so I can stay current with industry standards.

I also love meeting new people! There is one thing all of us at WPPI have in common. And it’s that we all LOVE photography. So this year, I am going to be uber social and try to meet as many new people as I can, but also make lots of time to connect with my photography community who are all making the pilgrimage to WPPI.