Archive: March, 2011

Isabella and I have just came back from a week-long trip to the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) convention in Vegas.  For those who don’t know, WPPI is this HUGE annual photography event in Vegas, with trade show, classes, competitions, photo-shoots, and parties that will make any photographer feel like a kid let loose in a candy store!  Last year was the first time for me to attend (see our prior post “Quenching Thirst In The Desert” for the benefit shoot Henry and I attended for a really awesome non-profit organization called Thirst Relief!), and while everything was exciting and fun, I remember leaving Vegas feeling utterly exhausted, from attending classes every day from morning til evening, with barely any time left to check out all the vendor booths.  So, this year, I’ve decided to take things slow, and just enjoy being in one of my favorite places on earth, seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

So, nope, we didn’t party like crazy, but in only a week’s time, we’ve enjoyed and gained so much!

My trip started with a two-day workshop with Alycia Alvarez, an award winning Dallas/Fort Worth photographer specializing in maternity, babies, children and families.

Here’s a silhouette shot of our beautiful model Mia from the class.  I have always preferred shooting outdoor with natural light.  Maybe it’s because I love the sunshine, the warmth, the winds, and the motion and energy that I can capture outdoor.  However, I still adore the timeless look of classic studio photos.  I am especially drawn to the mood that can be created by a clean background and dramatic lighting.  Silhouette shot is now one of my favs.  :-)

Here’s another shot:

Alycia showing the class how she works:

Here’s our cute 8-month model, Madeline.  She was probably wondering: “Who are all these strangers and why are they all holding something funny in front of their face?”

Feeling a little insecure… but no problem, daddy is right here:

Love this one!

Here’s our youngest model, a newborn boy:

This is from another evening, when we attended Sony’s Fashion Show with new friends Aika Cardin and Andre Maltais.

Nigel Baker from America’s Next Top Model was hosting the show. During the event, he randomly picked 5 people from the audience, brought them on the stage to take portraits of them.  I was jumping up and down and waiving to him, hoping to get his attention so he would pick me. In fact, you can see me waving my hands frantically in this pic from his blog: click here if you are supremely bored and want to see a blurred image of my back. Oh, I was the one near the bottom left, black hair ;)

Hmm… Nigel with hair?  Almost didn’t recognize him.

My first time at a fashion show  :-D

This is my fav dress of the show!  So pretty!!!

She was smiling at me  :-)

The back is so sexy…

This is from another evening. We were on our way back to our hotel from the Canon Mardi Gras Party.  I think we look so dorky (but really happy!)  :-p   Thanks Eloy Ayala for helping us take this shot:

One of the highlights of this WPPI trip was Jesh De Rox’s “Beloved: The Revolution” class.  It was quite an experience.  Within the short 2 hours, the whole class laughed and cried together.  Jesh believes that the main attribute of happiness is healthy relationships, and noted that “the relationship with the self” is lacking in most people.  He demonstrated the power of using images as doorways back to remembering what is most important in life. While most photographers focus on making beautiful images, he focuses on making his couples feel beautiful and bringing out the authenticity and intimacy of their relationships.

“Beloved is the belief that, as photographers, we have the ability to change the world, one relationship at a time.” — Jesh De Rox

I am very inspired and touched by what he is doing, and am looking forward to his Beloved seminar in LA come this fall.

Later on, we also got a chance to catch up with old friends as well as meeting new ones.  Isabella even managed to squeeze in a shopping spree at the outlet (she got me a nice pair of boots :) I feel like I have a personal shopper now!)

Overall, this WPPI visit was a surprisingly “spiritual” experience for me.  The classes and seminars I attended not only improved my crafts but more importantly also recharged my soul.  I came home with my heart filled with tremendous LOVE and my mind filled with fresh ideas of how to improve my business.  Lots of changes to come this year!!

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