Two years ago I went to the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Conference (WPPI) in Las Vegas. I remember being mind-blown with all the inspiration, the talent, the madness of amazing photographers I encountered. It was intimidating to say the least…and this year was no exception. I met some downright brilliant people. Talent to the moon. And though I don’t have photos with everyone I was fortunate enough to meet (or even most of them. *sigh*), I have a few. (And a few too many other snippets on Instagram!) But the best part? This year, not only did my husband come along, my son came too! And I was able to sneak kisses and hugs by running up to our room to see them…and still take classes and mingle with the best in this business. Vegas and I have become BFFs over the last few years. This last trip just reconfirmed why. 😉

I feel a bit obnoxious even posting my experience, but oh well…I can always delete it later.  😉

Love to my husband who took most of these photos for me. xo. Here is me and my sweet boy!

The amazing, and gorgeous, Elizabeth Messina!

Jose is so sweet. He stayed after his class to sign autographs and meet fans. I think he was like an hour late to his next class. 😉 I snapped this because it embodies who he is. We’d met before so I didn’t want to keep him so I headed to the trade show…

…but then I ran into both he and Elizabeth while chatting in the halls with a dear friend. We were all thrilled to see each other, lol. And a bit surprised since we continued to run into each other at least a dozen more times that day. With thousands of people there, what are the chances? 😉

All three of these people I’m standing with, I admire. They’re all beyond talented, kind, and let’s face it, gorgeous. Lucky for me, the beauty on the right lives in my home-town. Love you, Laura. 😉

And then there’s Jasmine Star. I’ll admit it. I hate it, but I’m a groupie. Sort of. 😉  I’ve followed her the longest and we’ve met on and off through the years, but dang it, if she doesn’t keep getting prettier. Seriously. What is that? But she’s also gotten wiser. I could listen to her for days. Wait, is “gotten” a word?

One of the nights there was a big party…I was the awesome one who registered late so I paid for that one…but it was still so much fun. And so were these lovelies I got to go out with.

And speaking of lovely. I’m starting to see a pattern here with these photography icons I follow. Oh my gorgeous Jill La Fleur! We snuck this photo by the window after her class the last morning. She graciously stayed after for a hour to greet people, but since she and I had already spent an afternoon chatting the day before, we just snapped a quick shot together. And possibly I should have just posted the color version. You should see how blue her eyes are!!

I suppose with all the people I met (again, so many I didn’t get a chance to photograph) and all the booths I visited, I am once again inspirationwhelmed. I am sitting at home right now feeling like the time is escaping me with regards to all the things I should be doing for my business, for my photography, and for…well, my family. But these two boys rock my whole world. And I suppose even when I don’t get all my “work” done or market the way I could be, I should just stare at these beautiful faces. Isn’t everyone today talking about slowing down, taking in real life? Are we actually doing it? These two keep me going. Bless me on a daily basis just being alive. Support me more than I’d ever dreamed. And I’m happy all three of us got a chance to be together in Vegas. My worlds collided there. It was honestly a blast. Being inspirationwhelmed is a great place for me. I think I’ll just keep soaking it in.