April 9, 2013
Lots to catch up on! Every year around March, I get to go to Vegas to attend the WPPI photography convention. That stands for Weddings and Portrait Photographers International, and with around 10 thousand photographers attending, that makes it the largest photography convention in the world. I’ve been a member of WPPI for a few years now and have won several awards in their online and prestigious print competitions (last year I earned a black ribbon for my floating girl, this year I took home two accolades!)
Last year was my first time attending and now I try my best to make it an annual ritual. It wasn’t any less overwhelming this year – in all the right ways. There is a massive trade show full of new shiny toys and products (last year I bought a printer the size of me, this year I bought an event photobooth – more on that later 😉 as well as loads of free classes taught by the best photographers in the industry.
Every year I return to my real life with my notebook full of scribbles and my head full of dreams.
The amount of photographers attract some kick-ass models, and with a new desert location I figured I should shoot some stuff for fun while I was down there.
For starters, there is this amazing abandoned ghost mine town in the desert called Nelson Ghost Town.
The family operation has been collecting and preserving amazing props and the location is overwhelming and amazing to shoot! I barely scratched the surface and I’m looking forward to spending a whole day there next year. I wanted to shoot more at the crashed plane but there was a freak storm and we had to cut it short.
Melissa from New York is the beautiful long-haired model that looks like Olivia Wilde (I could not stop staring until I figured this out) that I photographed at this location. She was staying with friends that happen to be cirque du soleil performers – with cirque du soleil horses (need I say more?).
That weekend we went out to their ranch with another model as well – Katia, a Russian LA model who is classically beautiful, I could barely decide what images to show here! Such a cool opportunity.
You can see my friend Joao Solano here using a shovel as a reflector (it actually worked out pretty good!)
Me with the models/Me trying to be a model. Vertically Challenged.
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