A bit belated, but wanted to do a quick post on WPPI 2010! It was a fantastic experience in so many ways & since rehashing everything will be a bit overwhelming, I’ll do a quick recap on what I learned in lovely bullet-point style:

– Having a fantastic second-shooter boyfriend to hold your hand through your first WPPI experience is totally amazing & invaluable. But leaving the guys behind and making it a girls trip is also a good call :) Road-tripped it to Vegas with the best roomies a girl could ask for – Serena Grace, Caroline Tran, & Sarah K Chen. It was so fun & inspiring sharing the trip with them!

– Take some classes. I only browsed the trade show last year, but took 2 classes this year – Elizabeth Messina & Jonathan Canlas – which both blew my mind. They are both utterly fantastic film photographers, and though I’ve been infatuated with the depth & color of film forever, I never strongly considered shooting it until I heard them speak. I don’t think the change will be happening in my professional work anytime soon, but I am definitely hoping to start shooting film personally.

– Bring a point-and-shoot to capture all the fun moments & DON’T FORGET THE CHARGER. My 5D was charged up all nicely but I didn’t quite feel like lugging it all around the MGM. My point-and-shoot died literally 1 hour upon entering into Vegas city limits. Sad day!

– And lastly, what happens in Vegas apparently does NOT always stay in Vegas, since I basically caught the bubonic plague there and it followed me all the way home to Los Angeles. Lame.

Some quick photos of a few of my favorite memories…

Roomies before the Airhorns & Lasers party..

One of my few shots with my 5D.. Sarah & Serena peeking out the window upon our arrival to our suite:

So happy to finally meet Tey Garcia & Karen Atrero – the sweet girly halves of amazing husband & wife photog teams!

A shot from the Fuji booth… with the cost of Polaroid film starting to cost me all my limbs, I would love to get my hands on a Fuji Instax!

Fun at the SmugMug party (my first time donning a Snuggie!)

A pic with my SD girl Jackie Wonders.. I [heart] her!

On the way home from Vegas (after a quick stop at the delicious Mad Greek), we stopped off in the middle of nowhere for a quick impromptu portrait session. The light was gorgeous!

Sarah’s Contax.. you can see some of her lovely film captures here:

And one of yours truly, courtesy of Serena. It’s been ages since I’ve had a portrait taken of me, but these girls are excellent at making you feel as un-awkward as possible.

And a quick last group shot before heading back into LA!

Hello from WPPI! I’m here at the convention in Las Vegas until Thursday so my apologies ahead of time if email replies are a bit slow the next few days! My roomies {Caroline Tran, Serena Grace, Sarah K Chen} & I drove in yesterday afternoon and are looking forward to classes, parties, & meeting lots of new people! You can follow all of my adventures over the next few days on Twitter.

Leaving you with a quick picture of us before the Airhorns & Lasers party last night (because a camera phone pic is better than no pic at all!)

Many thanks to these amazing blogs for recent features! When I meet with couples in the early stages of their planning, I often send them links to some of these spectacular sites to get their gears turning and to see what options are out there. These blogs are overflowing with ideas that are both budget-friendly, eco-friendly, & party-for-your-eyes friendly, and flood you with inspiration from every angle! I am a firm believer that you don’t have to break the bank to have beautiful & unique details for your day – it’s all about infusing YOU into your wedding and brainstorming with the help of gems on the web like these!

A little peek of Liz + Adam‘s balloon engagement session in the sweet “Love This!” spot on Green Wedding Shoes. Jen’s blog is one of my absolute favorites and is an endless well of inspiration!

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Tina + Sam‘s wedding featured on Ever Thine, Ever Mine, Ever Ours. Lydia is rapidly growing on the blogging scene and it’s easy to see why – beautiful handpicked features daily!

Part One
Part Two

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Sarah + Brad featured on Trendsetting Wedding. If you are planning a lovely urban wedding, this is your go-to blog! She features the most stunning city weddings & sessions.

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