Last year was the first year that I attended WPPI at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and it was such a great experience.  This is the national wedding and portrait conference held every year with tons of speakers and educational happenings.  It looks to be a little different on the drive to the airport this year.  Last year I remember driving at about 5am in almost a complete whiteout thinking that I hope the car in front of me doesn’t speed up.  I couldn’t see the road, so the only thing I had to go on was their tail lights and the tracks they were leaving on the snow covered highway.

There were some highlights last year that were definitely at the top.  The shoot at the Neon Boneyard, the KISS workshop, the speakers, and the trade show were all great.  I think there were a couple of parties in there somewhere as well.  It is funny because the number of people that I met last year that I have stayed in contact with has been great.  Connections with other photographers pushes us all to to improve and to expect more from our industry.  It is also nice to be able to bounce ideas and goals off of each other.

I also remember last year going with a crappy little cell phone (a Motorola Razor) with no Internet access or texting keyboard.  So my iPhone will come in handy this year to say the least.  There is already a WPPI app available.  I also did not use Twitter either, so 1000 tweets later from last year and here we are.  I am sure there will also be a lot more “following” going on to know what is happening…

I have a pretty big agenda for this year, so it will be interesting to see how much sleep I actually get.  I think last year I got about four to five hours a night.  I thank my friend Ramiro for being an early riser and getting us out the door in time for the 8am classes.

So far I have four shoots (a TTD session, a studio shoot, and an urban Vegas street shoot, and a mentor session and shoot with Victor Sizemore at Nevada’s Dry Lake Bed) so I guess I need to decide what I am bringing with me for these.  I am signed up for three master classes with awesome photographers Kenny Kim, David Beckstead, and Alycia Alvarez.  Then  you throw in on top of all that the platform classes that I want to see that don’t conflict with the other things already on the agenda…Mike Fulton and Cody Clinton with Tri-Coast, John Michael Cooper, and a few others.

There are some parties that I am going to hit as well… Pay it Forward, Air Horns and Lasers, and then there are about three or four that all overlap each other.  The one main booth that I want to check out at the trade show is the California Sunbounce booth and the Tofurious booth to say hey to Lawrence.  I will also hit the KISS wedding book booth to see their new linen soft KISS albums to see if that might be something that I want to offer my wedding clients.  I am sure there will be others that I will check out as well.

Here a few shots from last year…

Jack and Owen are growing up so fast! I love it when I get to shoot with kids over time. It is so nice because it only takes them a few minutes to get bored with my cameras and then they go about their way. 

I shot with them over three years ago for the first time here.   We have then shot a few more times over the last couple of years.  It is amazing to see the changes that happen over the years.

We started our session on the golf course at the Kokomo Country Club.
We then finished up at the Daisy’s Sip-N-Dip where we snacked on pretzels and ice cream.

Maybe some of these pictures will bring back the warmer temps!

Owen is an awesome golfer!  Check out this swing!

Jack has the golf game down to a science…Put the ball in the hole…Simple.

Better watch out!  Owen has that look in his eye…

Loove this shot…It won’t be long until they will both be at your elbows instead of your waist.

Who is ready for ice cream?  Let’s go!

Let the fun BEGIN!!!

Kokomo, IN - Joel and Meghan were married at Oakbrook Church with their reception following. We had the Photobooth kicking as well there, so check that out here.

Thanks Joel and Meghan for an awesome wedding day.  I wish you both the best in your future together. M

Getting ready is always such an interesting time for the bride…I think there are nine in this picture helping with a couple more waiting to help.

I loved the way Meghan’s mom looked at her when she was all ready to go see Joel for the first time…

Looove this shot of Meghan right after they saw each other for the first time…

 Meghan looked awesome!

This is reason enough to have the Canon 50L f1.2 lens.  This was a really dark hallway with windown light that was quickly falling….Looove this one!

These next two shots cracked me up…you guys are crazy!

Awww…Put a ring on that finger!! (The funny part to me was that this is her right hand.  So somebody needs to tell her that the wedding ring goes on the left hand.)

During the wedding ceremony Meghan and Joel had a very special moment in their ceremony where they washed each other’s feet…I had heard of this, but I had never seen it before in an actual wedding.  It was beautiful to say the very least…

I am pretty sure that this is one of two looks from Joel…either 1) I am ticklish and this is hard not to laugh…or 2) I am the luckiest man alive right now and I know it. :) 

Meghan lifted Joel right off the ground…

Meghan’s dad gave a great speech to the couple…I always think during these speeches that I am so glad that I don’t have to do that some day.  Thank God for giving me two boys.  I would be a mess…

Joel’s brother Drew gave a hilarious best man speech…I think he made the top three of all time for me.  That is not an easy task as I have seen a LOT of speeches.  So if you need some help on your best man speech at your next wedding go see Drew!

I love this next shot…lots of spinning…lots of laughing…dresses flying.

I have shot twins before, but both times they were older, so this was a lot of fun being able to shoot with these little guys when they were about a week old. They were so cute. It was so funny because already at a week old you can tell that their pesonalities are already different.

Thanks to the Ousley family for a great session! M

I am pretty sure that Sydney is going to be an awesome BIG SISTER for these guys!

I shot with Sydney a while back.  It is amazing how much she has grown…

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