On February 18^th, 2011, I headed to Las Vegas, Nevada and met my fellow Scott Robert Community for my first experience at WPPI, the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Convention.

I arrived, not knowing what to expect for this entire week amongst 16,000 photographers.  Come on, an entire week in Vegas?  Normally I’d be there for just a weekend.  Prior to attending, I had a list of recommendations to accomplish during my stay, including WPPI-U.   The week passed by quickly and I learned so much and went home with a handful of takeaways.

Scott Robert Lim at Pixel 2 Canvas with his awesome trigger system!

Walking around and observing, I realized the many reasons why people attend WPPI.  Photographers use WPPI as an opportunity to learn, network with others, keep up with the latest trends, and to achieve excellence. Luckily, being a part of Scott Robert Lim’s community, from Scott & Zabrina Deng, I was able to meet a number of top photographers from around the world – Louis Pang, Jose Luis Guardia Vazquez, Jennifer Hudson, Jerry Ghionis, Matthew Jordan Smith, Richard Sturdevant, and the list goes on.  Thank you Scott, and thank you Zabrina for introducing me to these people who achieve excellence.

Scott and Matthew Jordan Smith

Scott, Me, Jerry Ghionis, Jenny, Darrell, Henry

WPPI-U taught us many of the tools we need today.  Learning from other successful photographers from around the world was an incredible experience.  I realized those who made it share many of the same themes – they all failed many times and all recovered, time and time again.  So what is failure?  How did they get their 30+ weddings in one year?  Persistence.  What’s so different from their town compared to where I live, the Bay Area?  Demographics matter.

Corey (the 'cee' in ellecee), Darrell, Henry, Linda (the elle in ellecee!)

My biggest takeaway is understanding there is a standard of excellence and there are people who continue to achieve it.  Those who win Accolades and win awards for their prints are people who devote themselves to their trait – people who have true artistry and continue to work for it.

Congrats Tauran, Scott, Zabrina and Jeremy!

Jennifer Hudson, the Grand Prize Award winner in multiple categories, was my favorite.  Her work is in an entirely different category from the rest.  I attended her platform class and I was touched and blown away because she touched my soul.

Her never-ending journey towards excellence is an inspiration, and all she asks in return is to be heard.  Louis Pang is another Award Winning Photographer his talents is something admire as well – he’s a great educator and shared invaluable techniques in such short amount of time.  He’s a very friendly and humble person.  No matter who you were and where you were from, he was willing to hang out and chat.  CM Leung is another Award Winning Photographer I like, he won the most awards last year, and 100% of his prints placed this year.  Congratulations.  Last but not least, Scott Robert Lim is yet an Award Winning Photographer, someone who I admire, follow, respect, and learn from.

Jenny, Louis Pang, CM Leung, and me

Award Winning Photographers!

Scott proved that he can still do it by winning many accolades at WPPI.  Remember that image, , “Beauty in Beijing” of Zabrina, Jenny, Tara and me?  To my surprise, the print judges placed it 3rd!!  (click the link above to read what we did that evening!)

To end the week, Scott held his 3rd annual WPPI Part at the MGM Penthouse.  When we entered the penthouse, I was in awe because the place was extravagant and truly reflects what it’s like to reach excellence.  Since the party was “shut down” earlier in the day, it was fantastic hanging out with the Scott Robert Community, meeting and learning new things from different people.  Everyone that was mentored under Scott has a personality that truly reflects who he is.  Everyone is fantastic.

After this week, I learned that I have a long journey ahead of me.  Being educated and mentored by Scott Robert Lim put me many steps forward, but to keep on going, I need to continue practicing and showing the world what I can do.  Stay tuned, and wish me luck.  My path to excellence starts here and my goal is to see my print posted in the Awards Gallery at WPPI 2012!

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Where will I be in 2011?

• Paris, France – Scott Robert Workshop – March 23 – April 4, 2011
• Hawaii – August TBD

See my 2011 special Wedding Pricing!

Have questions?  Want to book a shoot?  Leave me a comment OR e-mail me and I’ll get back to you!:  michelle@michellenicolephoto.com