Inspired Photo Blog

One week ago, I was running around Las Vegas sleep deprived and grinning from ear to ear at the Digital Wedding Forum’s annual convention. For one week, 600 of the world’s best wedding photographers gather for workshops, networking and a chance to blow off some steam. Photographers flew in from all over the world, including London, Australia, Finland and South America. It’s surreal to meet people that you know virtually through their blog or the forum. Walk right up to them and start talking as if you’d known each other for years.

The best part was getting to hang out with my friend Mark Kegans. One of the funniest people I know, he had me laughing all day. Attending the convention last year was a first for both of us. There were so many photographers from California and Mark was the only photographer from Iowa. As I introduced him to all my friends from Portland, he jokingly called us the Portland Mafia and it’s stuck ever since. So this year, I designed t-shirts at Cafepress with the same font used for the Soprano’s.

The DWF convention is not a collective of “has been” photographers retired to the lecture circuit. They are leading-edge photographers at the peak of their careers, sharing their experience and insights. The presentations and workshops are exciting and media driven. As Mark commented, these guys are so good they simultaneously inspire you while making you want to rip your eyes out.

Everyone asks, “what did you learn?” It’s hard to pin down exactly. At this point in my career, there aren’t many lightning bolt revelations. That’s not to say that I didn’t come away with great information. Little tweaks that I can make to my style and business have a huge impact. The wealth of knowledge comes from the personal, one on one interaction with my peers over drinks at the hotel bar between midnight and 3 AM in the city that never sleeps.

This year I decided that no matter what, I was going to hop in a taxi and eat at In-N-Out. If you’ve never eaten at In-N-Out, you’re really missing out on one of the freshest tasting burgers. They are all over Southern California and sadly are one of the things I miss about living there. Laugh if you will, but they are that good. The menu is simple. A single or a double patty, french fries, shakes and sodas. That’s it! You can watch them peel potatoes, slice them up and drop them in the fryer. Now I’m hungry!

Mark taking a moment to model for me in the stairway at the hotel. We spent a lot of time in the stairways as the elevators were not working for most of the week. By the way, all of these images were photographed with my Canon SD500 Digital Elph. A great camera that fits in your shirt pocket and also does great video clips. More on that later…

Myself, Jeanie Ow and Mark. Jeanie and her brother Jeff are infectiously nice, energetic and talented. She lives in Canada, so Mark and I called her our “CanAsian” friend. I think it’s going to be the next buzz word…just wait.

Randy and Jenna Bebb. Yes, this is the part where I start stalking the celebrity photographers. Jenna and her husband Steve were one of the presenters at the convention. They were recently voted “one of the 10 best wedding photographers on the planet”. Very down to earth and approachable, you can quickly understand why they are so successful. Thankfully, they are in the “other” Vancouver.

Angelica Glass, myself and David and Quin Cheung. Angelica’s work has been an inspiration to me and it was great to meet her in person. David and Quin (also CanAsians) were presenters this year. They are always stylish and always laughing. Just being around them makes you feel good.

John Michael Cooper or Alt F and myself at the Westin Casino. John is one of the most creative and alternative thinking photographers in the wedding industry. Also a presenter, he orchestrated a “shoot out” in the desert with a couple and a vintage 1955 Thunderbird convertible.

The inimitable David Williams from Australia. His “Almost Alone with David Williams” seminar last year had a profound influence on my style and approach to wedding photography. One of the most sincere and heartwarming gentlemen you’ll meet.

David Beckstead was the other photographer involved in the desert shoot out with John Michael Cooper. This was a unique opportunity to see both of these amazingly talented photographers in action, up close and personal. The dry lake bed was a beautiful location, even when 5 tour buses loaded with photographers arrived for the shoot out. The wind kicked up as the sun set and all of us were covered in dust, but the light was spectacular.

The absolute best part of the trip was the annual Portland Mafia sloppy dancing video. Last year, John Prutch, my competitor, neighbor and friend, put together video clips of our group dancing solo in odd places. The idea is to take you out of your comfort zone and have fun. It was so popular last year that we decided we would put more effort into capturing video. I spent my free time capturing video clips with my Canon Elph of our Portland crew and as many of the presenters as I could find. I was fortunate that so many jumped in this year with total abandon. JP helped me put all the clips together and set it to music. We call it Sloppy Dancing II or “Sloppy Seconds” and it’s quickly become part of the annual experience. Next year, I have a feeling there will be a lot more video contributions.

The convention for 2008 has already been announced and will be in Tampa, Florida during January. I’m still recovering from the smoky casinos and waiting for the dust to settle financially, but can guarantee that I wouldn’t miss it. A quick shout out to all my new friends…see you in 2008!