Viva Las Vegas!

I was away this week because Lily and I went to the annual photography convention in Las Vegas, hosted by the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI). This year there were over 10,000 photographers that attended and it was by far the biggest they've ever had. It was a week of learning, workshops, networking, shooting, seeing the latest equipment, and of course sitting at the blackjack table!

The highlight for me was meeting up with some great photographers from all over the country including Canada for a photo shoot on the strip! (a BIG thanks to Chris+Lynn Jaksa, Jason Groupp, & TJ for hosting this) We began the shoot in Aladin:

Here are a few of my favorite images:




Click here to check out this sizzling HOT slideshow!

This year I also entered the WPPI 16x20 print competition. There were over 2700 entries and only one grand prize winner per category. I ended up getting the Award of Excellence for one of three prints that I entered:

This is a shot I took from Mari's wedding last year in Long Beach - the beaches there aren't very "scenic" so I turned around and saw that recycling container made for an interesting background. This picture will be included in the 2007 Awards of Excellence Album! It's an honor to have my work in the same book as some of the best photographers in the world.