Registration for WPPI 2024 is open and live online events with big giveaways are in full swing. Elena S Blair hosts every Wednesday at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET on WPPI Rangefinder’s YouTube channel dishing out all you need to know to prepare for the premiere photography event being held at the Mirage Resort in Las Vegas from March 3 – 7. 

The last few lives included special guests Sue Bryce, Melissa Ghionis, Roberto Valenzuela, and Jai Mayhew and have shared information on photo walks, shooting bays, the lighting summit, and more. If you missed them, don’t worry, you can catch the replays on the WPPI Rangefinder YouTube channel. The live events feature exciting giveaways of free WPPI 2024 conference passes. Upcoming lives will feature Teri Hofford and Audrey Woolard on December 13 and Ashleigh Taylor and Susan Stripling on December 20. Then, the lives will take a break for the holidays and resume on January 17. Topics will include the Wedding, Lighting and Latin Summits and WPPI Parties. To stay informed of when the lives are happening, who will be appearing, and what the topic will be, and to chat and network with instructors and community members, join the WPPI Community hosted on mywppi.com. 

What is WPPI? 

WPPI is a community of photographers who believe in building valuable relationships through networking and investing in the long-term success of their businesses. It’s a place to find thousands of likeminded photographers and videographers, learn new skills, techniques and styles from industry leaders, and get hands-on experience with products and gear from the most trusted photo industry companies. Not only is it a place to discover new ways to evolve your brand and make your business more successful, it is also a “spring break” for photography entrepreneurs, where you get to reconnect with old friends, make new friends, and give your photo business an injection of inspiration. 

What’s Happening at WPPI 2024 

WPPI is widely known as a “choose your own adventure” conference because of the huge selection of overlapping offerings for attendees. This year will be no exception with over 120 speakers, including a not yet revealed mystery speaker, 66 seminars, 80+ exhibitors, 40 shooting bays, four nights of networking parties, and amazing add-ons to choose from including The Portrait Masters Conference, three summits, and 80+ photo walks. 

This year, for the first time, on Sunday, March 3 and Monday, March 4, WPPI kicks off with two days of The Portrait Masters Conference (TPM), an intimate education experience with exclusive shooting bays, The Portrait Masters Awards Celebration, networking parties and a speakers list that includes Sue Bryce, Jeremy Cowart, Jai Mayhew, Sophia Barrett and Creative Soul Photography (Regis and Kahran Bethencourt). Those who choose to purchase a TPM ticket gain access not only to TPM events but also to the entire Platinum level WPPI conference. 

Summits 

One can also choose to attend one of three photo summits held on Monday, March 4 – The Wedding Masters, The Lighting Masters and The Latin Masters. 

The Wedding Masters will feature Vanessa Joy, Susan Stripling, Dan O’Day, Two Mann and KT Merry, who will be sharing their expertise on capturing beautiful moments and creating a sustainable business model. They aim to equip attendees with everything they need for creative and financial success in wedding photography. 

The Lighting Masters will feature Chris Knight, Lindsay Adler, Audrey Woulard, Roberto Valenzuela, and D’Ann Boal, who will offer insightful lectures and hands-on learning experiences with diverse lighting tools to help you craft compelling narratives and refine your unique style. 

The Latin Masters will feature Citlalli Rico, Marcos Valdes, Barbara Torres, Beatriz Cantu and Erika and Victor Lax. This summit boasts a lineup of talented photographers offering education completely in Spanish. 

Speakers and Photo Walks 

WPPI 2024’s massive speaker lineup will include favorites like Teri Hofford, Jerry Ghionis, Felicia Reed, Elena S Blair, Andre Brown, Scott Robert Lim, Lindsay Adler, and many more. Topics will cover everything from increasing your sales, blogging for business, key lighting techniques, freeze-frame photography, lifestyle posing, couples posing, dramatic wedding photography, high school senior filmography and maternity, and that’s just on the first day! 

At the same time, attendees can choose to add on photo walks, intimate workshops with a maximum of 14 attendees that are available at an additional fee. This year offerings include cinematic lighting, low light portraits, bridal portraits, bride and groom posing, long exposure photography, fine art photography and headshots, and again, that’s just on the first day! 

You can find the whole class schedule right here. Please note, seminars (included with a Full Conference Pass) are designated with an “S” before their section number and photo walks are designated with a “PW.” 

In this week’s live, Elena S Blair encouraged attendees to “choose something you don’t usually do.” She says, “Conferences are an excellent opportunity to push yourself to do something different.” With so many novel and fascinating topics to choose from, it shouldn’t be hard to pick something that piques your curiosity and pushes you out of your usual into the realm of new inspiration. 

The Playground 

A notable addition at WPPI 2024 is the feature known as ‘the Playground.’ Access to the Playground is only for TPM ticket holders, summit attendees, and photo walk ticket holders. The Playground is a hall with fifteen custom designed shooting bays. Each bay is curated in a unique way with a fully styled model, lighting set up by Profoto, and professional level backdrops including hand painted ones by Oliphant. This feature, a mainstay of The Portrait Masters Conference, comes with the opportunity to get out your camera and build your portfolio. Many bays offer ideal camera settings, and each is equipped with a mentor to answer any questions you may have so that you are sure to walk away with professional results that will wow potential clients. 

The Show Floor and Shooting Bays 

The Show Floor at WPPI always bursts with life and excitement. It is there that you will find the biggest camera companies, print labs, album makers, background makers, makers of props and wardrobe, and more. The Show Floor is your chance to make connections with the companies you are already working with, to try out new gear you’re curious about, and experience first-hand new products you might like to offer to your clients. This year, for the first time, the WPPI Show Floor will also include shooting bays, so you will be able to build your portfolio while you shoot and shop. 

The Parties 

Elena S Blair says, “the best kept secret [of WPPI] is that one of the best parts is the parties.” At the Opening Reception, the Opening Party at Club Capri, the glitzy Icon Awards Ceremony and Reception and the Themed Wrap Party, you’ll have the chance to relax, unwind, mingle, and make contacts with attendees, speakers, and other industry professionals. And if four parties don’t feel like quite enough, please be advised that your conference pass will get you access to some of the best clubs in Vegas for the WPPI After Hours Parties. 

Already Selling Out!  

WPPI 2024 may still be three months away, but the time to plan for it is right now. With thousands of photographers from all over the world convening in Las Vegas for this career-enhancing extravaganza, the competition for some of the events can be high. It’s already being reported that some photo walks have already sold out, and no doubt, latecomers will regret not having purchased photo walk tickets earlier.  

If you want to be among those clever early birds who get the juiciest photo walk opportunities, check out the schedule to plan what you’ll swoop in on, and get your ticket today. If you’re still on the fence, sign up to the WPPI community forum to be notified of the next live broadcast where you’ll have a chance to score a free ticket – a sure sign that this is the year to make the leap and attend WPPI. 

Family Lifestyle Photography by Elena Blair

Hand Painted Digital Backgrounds

Retouching Skin in Lightroom

The POSE Series by Sue Bryce

The Fashion Series

The Lighting Series