WHAT HAPPENED IN LAS VEGAS?

I have no idea where to start. I had such an awesome time at WPPI. This was my first year going and I can't even begin to tell you what I learned. I went to Las Vegas with Lora and Kelly, and couldn't have chosen anyone else to go with, they were the perfect roomies. I meet Lora last year in September at WPPI Roadshow in Atlanta, but never spoke to her after that. I was nervous about our trip because I did not know her personally and was afraid that the three of us would not get along. We had such a blast being roommates and what I was afraid of was completely opposite, we got along quite well!!! Lora is an amazing person with a big heart for photography. She is a mom, wife, and a beautiful person inside and out.

We left Atlanta Sunday morning and arrived in Las Vegas after lunch. We were so excited about our trip that we were like girls at a New Kids on the Block concert. After we checked in we did a little gambling just for fun- after all we were in Las Vegas. The only time I ever gambled was when I was a little girl. My dad use to give me, my sister, and my brother each a lottery ticket so that we could choose our numbers - Does that count? I had no idea what I was doing, but I did win $3.50. I was so excited, I know that $3.50 is not a lot of money but hey it's better than nothing.





I arrived at WPPI lost and wandering without a vision. Don't get me wrong I had my passion for photography, but I did not know who I was or how I was different from other photographers. Photography has helped me discover a side of me that I did not realize I had. God has definitely used photography to develop a real passion in my life.

I attended Jesh De Rox's class and left with joy and a new sense of direction!! I also attended Jasmine Stars' class and it rocked my world. She spoke about Ghetto Fabulous Marketing. The last session I attended was Justin & Mary's class. Mary reminded me that I can do whatever I want!! Don't let anyone tell you that you can't follow your dreams. I have been having this little thing called fear stalking me for the past couple of weeks. To make matters worse my memory card deleted wedding pictures from a wedding that I had second shot for Kelly. I felt horrible. I wanted to crawl in a hole and cry. I started to question God - Is this really what you want me to do? Did the pictures delete for a reason? God are you trying to tell me something? I sent Daniel a text and told him what happened. I told him that I wanted to go home. But as good as he is, he reminded that everything would be ok (we were able to recover the pictures !!!) I knew that WPPI would be good, but I didn't think is was going to be that GOOD!! I left Las Vegas with a new mind set and a sense of refreshment. God showered me with his GRACE.

The highlight of my trip was Wednesday morning at Photog Unite. Photog Unite is where a group of photographers come together to glorify God. We had worship and then Mike Larson began to read the Word. We then divided into small groups by regions and just began to talk about God and photography. It was so awesome to hear from other photographers, what God was doing in their lives and businesses. I was reminded of how important it is to have community. So many times we think we can cruise through life with out putting God first on our to do list. Don't get me wrong, I will be the first to admit that I am guilty, but it galvanized me to start putting God first! I met so many new friends and definitely felt like I have known them for many years. I can't wait for WPPI 2011.

This is Kira Lauren from Kira Lauren Photography. I found her blog a few months ago, we had exchanged a few emails. I knew she was coming to WPPI but did not think I would meet her. Well guess what - we were both at the same booth, I recognized her and asked her name, and told her who I was. We both got excited and could not believe that we just so happened to end up in the same booth.



Lora and I



Kelly and Lora





Jasmine and I





[B]ecker and I





Photog United 2010 Picture by: Liana Lehman-Hall