A WPPI Recap

Photography, Travel

March 19, 2013

Have you ever had an experience where you tried so hard to write out exactly what it meant to you, but words seemed to fail to you? That’s what’s happening to me when I try to explain my WPPI experience to someone who wasn’t there. When I try to talk about it, or write about it, I feel like I’m at a loss for words.

I flew to WPPI last Sunday expecting to have a lot of fun, maybe take in a few classes where I’d get some tips I could utilize in my business, and maybe have some dinners with a few friends. And I DID all of those things.  But what I didn’t really expect was to learn so much about myself. The most valuable things I learned at WPPI weren’t photography related AT ALL. In her talk on Wednesday, Mary talked about how important it is to be making a LIFE, not a living and I sat there feeling like that message was written as the theme for my trip! More than anything else I feel like I have learned however I got here, I’m here to LIVE, not to run my business. Not to be a photographer. But to have a LIFE that’s worth living and to fill up every day with happy things and stop worrying about stupid things. I’m here to be a friend and a sister, to be a wife and a daughter and a mom to the world’s cutest orange tabby cat.

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably are aware that I’m not really religious. I don’t know that I believe that everything happens for a reason, but I do believe that I was supposed to be at WPPI this year. I was supposed to spend time with each and every one of the people that I met and hung out with. I was supposed to have the conversations that we did…and to cry all of the tears that we shed together (hashtag #wppcry). I don’t always believe that things happen for a reason, but I feel strongly in my heart that I was really meant to go this year!

I think the thing that touches me the most is the fact that even though we are all technically competitors who could be acting super cut-throat with one another, the friendships that I formed at WPPI have been with some of the most genuine and supportive friends I have ever had. None of the people that I hung out with were trying to gain anything by being around me, nor I from them. We were all people first and photographers second. I also confess that I often feel very judged by other photographers in the industry who don’t really understand why/how I’m not religious. Sometimes I just feel judged in general. Even though we all come from different backgrounds, none of the photographers I spent time with this week judged me for a second and that meant so much to me! I know being/feeling judged is a part of life that we all have to deal with from time to time, but it was so amazing to me to be able to let my guard down and be real with my new friends. Even if we are technically “competitors” we are/were human beings first. And let me just say, I love every single person in our group and they are my friends for LIFE now.

So now that I’ve been all deep and stuff, I want to tell you guys about all of the fun things we did! I’m going to break things out into highlights because I don’t even know how to make everything go together in one or two cohesive paragraphs:

  • Magic Mike, this random dude with pocket wizards and a giant minnie mouse at the Vegas sign, and driving down the strip in a minivan blasting Taylor Swift. Does life get better than riding down the Las Vegas strip at night time in a mini van with your friends, windows down and Taylor Swift blasting? I don’t think it does!
  • Sitting in Elizabeth Messina’s class and feeling moved to tears by how beautiful her images are and feeling inspired by her IPHONE PICTURES.
  • Sitting in Elizabeth Messina’s class and realizing I’ve been afraid to start trying to experiment more with film photography because it’s a huge trend right now. How dumb am I for not doing something because it’s a trend? I realized I make silly excuses to not do things that scare me and this is one of them.
  • Seeing Richard Photo lab’s interview with Jose Villa! We just happened to be walking the trade show right before this happened and were lucky to be front and center for a super candid interview with Jose. This was especially awesome because although he was teaching a class at WPPI, it was sold out! So we still got to see him! (Bonus highlight: Jose Villa dropping the f bomb…haha)
  • Buffets: Jen and I went to three (Caesars, Wynn, and Bellagio) and by FAR the best was the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars. Fully worth the 50 dollars! We ate: duck (not a fan), short ribs, an entire plate of crab legs, truffled scalloped potatoes, sweet potato tater tots, mini burgers, veggie spring rolls, mini tacos, shrimp and grits, creme brulee and a ton more…I don’t even remember what else we had! If you ever try the Bacchanal buffet, make sure you get the peach green tea! Delicious!
  • Everything else we ate. When we weren’t crying over our meals we were eating some delicious stuff…like gouda, bacon, caramelized onion pizza in our HOTEL RESTAURANT. Or doritos mac and cheese and breakfast potato skins at PBR rock bar (not sure if there’s any relationship there with the Hampton, Va PBR…haha). We had some awesome Mexican food with Liz and Ryan at New York, New York. And we had our first Jack in the Box experience on our last day! Yum!
  • Justin and Mary’s talk. I think I cried through the whole thing. I saw Mary at What’s Next and I was blown away then, but this time I was blown away times infinity. The class was actually a practical class about pricing/etc, but it was SO MOTIVATIONAL.  I don’t know how she does it, but Mary always manages to not only speak to my heart, but to really hit me where I need it most! Hands down her talk was the best class I went to at wppi and probably the best class I’ve ever been to as a photographer. If you ever get a chance to see Mary talk, please do yourself a favor and don’t pass that up!
  • Hazelnut macchiatos. Uh…so I don’t really drink coffee, but I am addicted now! Hazelnut..mmm!
  • Getting to know new friends. I had followed (cough, stalked) a lot of these people for a while now, and I was already friends with a couple of them, but to actually get to know them all in person was probably THE highlight of my trip. I didn’t go to college and I was homeschooled in high school/middle school so I always craved a big group of friends that really “got” me. And I feel like I finally got to experience what that was like with these guys! I felt so included and so loved by each and every one of them:)
  • Shooting in the desert. A group of us went out to the desert to shoot on Wednesday and I almost didn’t want to go because I was just so worn out from everything else we’d done all week, but I’m glad I did because the desert is BEAUTIFUL and the light is just like nothing we have here. By the time we left I was ready to pack up my stuff and move out west! Plus, it helped I was shooting the prettiest/handsomest people. Seriously. You’ll see when I share more later this week:)
  • Lazers and blazers! Last time I went to Vegas we didn’t go out and party….crazy right? Well I was sick last time! I was super tired this year but I caught a second wind right before we went out. This party was so much fun! And I learned about the Harlem Shake! Haha.
  • Losing my wallet. Okay this isn’t really a highlight. It’s a lowlight. Or whatever. But the highlight was getting it back! This was my first time traveling alone and I felt like such an idiot for leaving my wallet…so when the flight attendant who found it gave it back to me, my heart felt like it was about to burst. I also lost my kindle, my northface, and my favorite cardigan in Vegas, but that’s a story for another time.

I could probably go on for days about this trip (in fact, you can ask John…I have), but I feel like it’s getting just a LITTLE too long. So here are some pictures! Good camera pictures first, then some instagrams and a few group pictures I stole from some of my new friends:)

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The rest of these pics were stolen from Jen and Natalie🙂

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To my new friends: thank you so much for all of the fun times in Vegas! Thank you for the late nights, inside jokes, and buffet trips. Thank you for the hugs, for making me laugh until my throat hurt, and for telling me that I really am worthy of love. Thank you for the kleenex and the dinners we cried over together, for the inspiration AND for challenging me to be better. Getting to know you guys at WPPI was the time of my life and I will remember it always!

Leave a Comment

  1. Michelle says:

    Katie – I could read your posts all day! I now need to add a few things to my list for next year: 1) Go to the desert because the pictures I have seen thus far are breathtaking. 2) Do not let being tired/sick or any other feeling prevent you from going to a class, especially Elizabeth and Justin & Mary’s classes. 3) Hang out with you again because you rock. One thing in your post that really stuck with me was this, “We were all people first and photographers second.” Ditto. xo

  2. Dani says:

    I’m with Breanna and Kethy – major trip envy. It sounds like you did exactly what you set out to do and had an amazing time!!! I’m so so so happy for you!!

  3. I’m so happy to hear you had an amazing time!!!! Colleagues, not competitors – is what I always say!! 🙂

  4. KATIE!
    I have to tell you I enjoyed talking to YOU even more! Sharing ideas, experiences, and opinions even if they were from different sides of the spectrum. And I appreciated SO MUCH you sharing your life story, not just with the room at first, but seeing you stand up in a group with Justin and Mary and so boldly open your heart moved me, and made me so impressed to see you take such ginormous strides. Seeing you grow just from the girl I introduced myself to to the girl who left vegas 5 days later bright and beautiful, and I am honored to call you a newfound friend!

    And girl–religion in your heart or not (which, I do hope you at least look into a little bit more before throwing in the towel), know that yes, we were, in fact, meant to have every one of our conversations and the things in your heart and growing there are meant to flourish as well. xo

    And dont do something because it’s a trend! Do it because you LOVE it, afraid or not! xo

  5. katie yuen says:

    i LOVE this post and it makes my heart swell to know you had such an incredible time! I am dying to go now more than ever based on all of the posts and pictures I’ve seen from you and Natalie and Jen and everyone you hung out with 😉 I’m so sorry you lost your favorite cardigan/kindle/northface!

  6. molly says:

    katie you are amazing.

  7. Jen Jar says:

    KATIE. I love you to the ends of the earth. I feel like I have so much I want to show you in life, but you also showed me your beautiful heart and I am forever grateful for that. This Vegas trip has truly cemented our forever friendship, and I could not be happier.

  8. ashley link says:

    this looks awesome! i know you’re not religious, but i still think you’re awesome. Jesus loves everyone and so do i! 🙂 your trip looked AMAZING!!!! i’m jealous of all the yummy food you got to eat! YUM!!!! and i can’t wait to see photos from your desert shoot! sounds so cool! glad you had a blast! 🙂

  9. Stephen says:

    Looks like super-happy-fun-times!

  10. I am so, SO proud of you! From hearing your doubts and fears to seeing you pour them out and recognize them, but also stand firm in not letting them hold you back was one of my favorite parts of the week. You are destined for great things- get out of your own way and let them happen! 🙂

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