Get ready, folks! WPPI is right around the corner. There are some big changes brewing for 2017, so who better than WPPI Director Jason Groupp to help you navigate the new venue and program updates.
If you read my monthly column in Rangefinder (and I know you all do!), then you are no doubt aware that last month I pointed out the exciting new ways that WPPI 2017 will be different than years past. We have a new venue, new speakers and educational programming, and new ways to reinforce our tight-knit community (where newcomers are always welcome). If you’ve already registered, great! If not, early-bird pricing ends on November 8, so register now.
Here are a few specifics on why WPPI 2017 will rock your world:
We Get To See Each Other Sooner
I’ll be honest; I’m really worried someone is going to show up at the MGM in early March and be surprised no one is there! WPPI 2017 this year is February 5-9.
LOTS Of Cheap Rooms To Stay In
Photos courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino (left) and Las Vegas Convention Center (right)
This year our room rate is $79/night at the Westgate hotel and there are tons of options easily accessible to the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). For those of you not familiar with the LVCC, The Westgate is probably the most accessible hotel to it, and where most of us will be staying. The walk to the convention center is exactly the same distance as it was from the elevators at the MGM. The good news is you’ll no longer have to walk through a smoke-filled casino of drunken partiers to get to your room.
Still the Least Expensive, Most Intensive Program Out There
As a WPPI membership benefit last year, we gave you a free Full Platform Pass with access to over 50 classes. I’m happy to announce you’ll get the same offer again for 2017! One quick note: Your membership will need to be valid at the time of WPPI 2017, and you may need to renew your membership if you’ve already used your membership benefit (you get one Full Platform Pass per year) even if your membership is still valid. (I know it’s a little confusing; it has to do with the timing of our show this year.)
More Personal Classes
We are adding even more PLUS and Master Classes to choose from! We will also be adding a full-day video editing intensive for those who want to get your filmmaking on. See the full list of Platform, PLUS, Master Classes, and Photo Walks here.
5 New-ish Speakers Bringing You Niche Education
From left: Johnson Wee, Jay Goldman, Amanda Holloway. Photos courtesy of the photographers
• Johnson Wee has given some smaller classes in the past, but this will be his first Platform session, and he will be one of the few next year who is bringing his expertise and technical knowledge all the way from Asia. He’s a talented superstar on the rise who, at press time, was named MPA’s Overseas Portrait Photographer of the Year for the second year in a row. Congrats, Johnson!
• Cheryl Walsh, while no stranger to us and our competitions, will be giving her first Master Class, titled “Underwater Fine-Art Portrait Photography in 9 Billion Easy Steps.” Trust me, this will sell out fast!
• Jay Goldman is certainly no newbie to the WPPI audience, but it’s been a few years since he’s presented. He’ll be bringing his expertise from his little corner of the world (Los Angeles) with his “90-Minute Crash Course in Artistic Bar/ Bat Mitzvah Photography: Fine-Tune Your Preparation, Confidence and Anticipation.”
• Amanda Holloway will be joining us for the first time with her Master Class, “Pixel Pushing: Using the Sales Funnel to Psychologically Motivate Higher Sales.” Get on board and find out how she’s killing it in the senior portrait market!
• Tyler Wirken’s PLUS Class, “The Ins and Outs of Documentary Wedding Photography,” should prove to be a very in-depth, hands-on approach from one of the most respected, under-the-radar veterans out there right now. I have nothing but mad respect for this guy and I am stoked he is joining us this year.
We Have the Biggest, Baddest Print and Filmmaking Competition On the Planet
Of course, don’t forget The Annual 16×20 Print, Album and Filmmaking Competition, February 5 and 6. Live judging in eight rooms, over two days with some of the best education you can imagine—see your work judged amongst your peers! It’s open to all, whether you enter or not.
Danny Dong (far left) and He Feng (center) celebrate their wins in 2016. Photo © I Heart NY
We close out WPPI with a bang—our Awards ceremony will be on Thursday, February 9. Come dressed to kill and ready to accept your award!
Is it February yet?! We can’t wait! As always, if you have questions you can reach me at jason.groupp@emeraldexpo.com. I’m here to serve!
from Photoforward http://ift.tt/2flfnzh
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment