WPPI 2009 - Viva Las Vegas!

I just got back from the big Wedding and Portrait Photographer International pow-wow in Las Vegas. It's where the people who sell stuff to photographers, the photographers themselves, and the wannabe photographers all get together and try to convince each other to buy stuff, compete for the title of most popular social butterfly, or--for newbies-- to create the illusion of actually being in the industry at all. It's quite entertaining! And of course, we all had a few drinks.

Here we are arriving at the airport. That's Jake.



He just turned, with the beginnings of a tear in his eye, and said "Viva, Las Vegas." What can you say to that?

And Mary, who just saw Wayne Newton stepping out of an Escalade limo with Kanye West. I know, it doesn't make sense when rappers fly commercial.



Jake got inspired by Canon.



Cory joined us after a later flight. I found these great frozens in the basement of the MGM grand. We carried them into Puck's.





Below, we have two guys in arty hats enjoying Blues Traveler a little too much at the Nikon BIG Event. If I had a plastic flash diffuser for every arty hat I saw at this convention, I'd be Gary Fong. Can somebody pass me an arty hat, PLEASE?



The view from our 1500 square foot suite at the MGM Grand.



Whole Foods fans, this is Vegas.



I own some dorky camera stuff, but this dude has some brass, standing in front of the Apple booth wearing Steve Jobs' official uniform with a view camera attached to his Canon 1Ds... I'm speechless.



Sometimes I wonder where my Pictage dues are going, then I see the wonderful boots on this go-go dancer at the Pictage party.











I loaned Cory my SB900 so she could set the world alight with the promise of liberty for huddled masses.