It’s official! WPPI 2022 has begun and so has the learning, networking and parties! The conference kicked off on Sunday with four all-day Summits—Baby, Boudoir, Post-Production and Wedding—as well as Live Print, Album & Filmmaking Judging, and today marks the launch of the Seminar classes and Photo Walks happening at The Mirage in Las Vegas.

If you are not familiar with WPPI, it’s a week of non-stop education, hands-on experiences and some good old-fashioned partying!  Last August, we were able to bring the community back together for WPPI 2021 after 18 months of hiatus from the global pandemic, which included a mesmerizing WPPI Annual Print, Album & Filmmaking competition, a Hawaiian-themed Luau complete with a tiki bar, hula dancing and some extremely photogenic parrots, and three days of amazing brand activations at our new home, The Mirage.  Now six months later, we are here at The Mirage doing it all over again! 

If there was ever a time to cue a montage video, it would be now and there would be something like Boston’s “Rock & Roll Band” playing! For the first time since WPPI 2020, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, B&H, Bay Photo, Pro Prints, Graphistudio and so many more exhibitors are under the same roof come Tuesday, March 1, when the show floor opens. And from fully loaded studio spaces to dedicated brand ballroom experiences, image reviews and educational opportunities, WPPI 2022 has it all, and then some.

[Read: WPPI The Annual: How to Prep and Print Photos From Home]

In addition to brand experiences, the WPPI team has been working non-stop to secure an educator lineup that will set you and your business up for success in the coming year and beyond. A few can’t-miss classes will be hosted by our past two Rangefinder Icons of The Year, Caroline Tran and Lindsay Adler, along with some other familiar faces like Jerry Ghionis, Shawn Lee and Susan Stripling! And as if that were not enough, The Portrait System mentor team will be hosting classes for the first time, with brilliant speakers such as Nikki Closser, Cat Ford-Coates, Teri Hofford and Saray Taylor-Roman making their WPPI debut!  And don’t forget to stop by the Rangefinder Lounge for its RF Talks on the WPPI show floor (Booth 1201) for a stellar lineup of speakers, Tuesday, Mar. 1 through Thursday, Mar. 3.

Of course, no WPPI would be complete without the evening networking events, a.k.a. party time! This year, our themed opening night party (taking place Monday night, February 28) is “Havana Nights,” sponsored by DNP, so bring out the straw hats and floral dresses for an evening of salsa dancing, mojitos and the chance to win some amazing prizes from our sponsors. Then let the good times roll with a WPPI Shootout for the ages, featuring a Nikon Z9 Shootout from 8-10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1 in Ballroom AFGH, where four Nikon creators—Charmi Patel-Peña, Jen Rozenbaum, Kristi Odom and Jerry Ghionis—as they duke it out to see who will win supreme bragging rights for the next year! You’ll want to be where the action is when these photographers are challenged like never before! With only a few minutes, each photographer will create unique work photographing tethered with a Nikon Z9 on stage using the same model, equipment and props!

Of course, no WPPI would be complete with our Honors of Excellence Awards Ceremony (March 2, 7:30-9:30 p.m.), where we celebrate the amazing work judged earlier in the week at The Annual Print, Album & Filmmaking competition. Clear your schedule because your evenings are going to be pretty stacked! 

Bringing our community together each year is truly an honor for our team. I said it before but I’ll say it again: Whether you’ve been  to WPPI 15 times or are taking the WPPI  plunge for the first time this year, we can’t wait for you to join us!  It’s time to get moving. It’s time to embrace education and spark your creativity. It’s time to see old friends and make some new ones. WPPI 2022 is on!  

Check rangefinderonline.com all week long for more WPPI updates, recaps, photo galleries and more!
  
Joe Kowalsky is the Show Director of WPPI, The Portrait Masters Conference, and PHOTOPLUS.