It's a very rare occurrence that we as photographers have opportunities to be IN front of the camera instead of behind it. And there is a reason for that. I think we can all collectively say that some of us are TERRIFIED in front of the camera. It's nerve racking, awkward and unfamiliar. But everyone once in a while it's good to stretch yourself, place your butt in the position of the client and learn how to work it. So while we were at WPPI, a convention for photographers, we took a rare moment away to photograph each other. And to our surprise, it was so. much. fun. There was no pressure, no expectations, no limits. We could just have fun with each other, let loose and get our inner model on. Plus it's a great exercise to learn how to pose and direct your clients better. How else will you learn than by actually putting yourself in their shoes.

I love each of these ladies below. Each one of them means something dear to me. I can't tell you enough how important it is to find people that you can surround yourself with that will support you, encourage you, challenge you and push you forward. Plus it always helps to a similar love of all things Downton Abbey, mixed drinks, and fashion in common:)!

I'm really excited to share Jessica, Alicia, Coco, Krista, and Emilia with you. I edited all the images exclusively with the VSCO presets, something completely out of my normal in terms of editing. Plus would you have guessed they were all lit with just an iPhone?! I'm pretty excited about how they turned out. But I'll let you be the judge of that. I hope you enjoy the images below. And I am desperately hoping that I'll have some time again to play before wedding season starts. Anyone want to model?:)

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Some behind the scenes shots. Yes, my portraits were taken in the bathroom in a suite at the Palms. Ya know, the place where the kids at Real World lived. I'm so classy.

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A week ago today I woke up with a small cough. With a full day of classes, walking the trade show floor and meeting with friends, I took advantage of sleeping in just a few minutes more. But as the day wore on, what started as a small cough became a full on attack of my body. I remember sitting in Justin & Mary's platform class, clinging to my hair as the room spun all around me. I couldn't wait for them to finish so I could trudge back to our room and collapse on the bed. That was a full seven days ago. And today is the first day I've had enough energy to even write a blog post! It's been a rough week, but I'm happy to say I think I'm finally on the road to recovery! And I'm going to take full advantage of this burst of energy and recap the amazing time we had at WPPI. For those of you who are not a photographer, WPPI is an annual photography and tradeshow held in Las Vegas. You can read all about my first time to WPPI here. Now get ready for a long recap of a wonderful week! (At least the start of a wonderful week;)).

This year I traveled with two friends, Coco and Krista. I LOVED traveling and rooming with these two, it made the trip unbelievably fun! I got to sit in the middle as we flew, hold their hands when we took off and landed, share in their reading material and be the butt of their jokes;) They were a great distraction to my fear of flying and great supports!

On Saturday night we got to the hotel room only to be surprised by this AMAZING view! And of course this amazing tub;) We stayed at the MGM Signature, right in the heart of all the conference action! I highly recommend staying here if you plan to make the trip out to WPPI. It's so convenient to everything, plus it's secluded from all the hustle and bustle of the casino area!

Sunday morning, our other fabulous roomie Alicia and I woke early to attend Zach and Jody's platform class. They were fabulous as always and rocked it out! Afterwards, we spent the afternoon walking the strip and explored and shopped:) This was the only afternoon that we had free and I'm so glad we took advantage of a few free hours away from the hotel! Vegas is HUGE and spread out and I so wish we had more time to check out all the different hotels. There's always next year right?:)

Monday was probably the busiest day filled with classes, the trade show and of course a few fabulous get togethers! In the I had the opportunity to hear Jared Bauman speak all about systems, workflows and best business practices as well as spent some time exploring the trade show!

In the afternoon I attended Elizabeth Messina's platform class. She was unbelievably inspiring and left me wanting to get out there and shoot! Later in the evening a bunch of Showiteers gathered together for a night of worship. Directly following, there was a get together for Justin & Mary Walk Through A Wedding workshop alums! Monday was go go go, but I got to meet some fabulous and wonderful people, hear some inspiring photographers and enjoyed seeing old friends!

Tuesday morning started off early but more slowly. A group of Pursuit 31 woman gathered together for LOTS of coffee and a time of fellowship. It was a great way to start and helped ease me into the craziness that is WPPI. It can be SO overwhelming and it was nice to start small. We also had the opportunity to attend the Madera Books open house, the album company that I use! I LOVE MADERA BOOKS, so I was beyond excited to have the opportunity to meet the CEO. What I didn't expect was to be welcomed with a huge hug and a "You're Deborah?!" by Michael. You can imagine the impression that made on me and of course made me fall even more in love, with an album company!

Tuesday was also a day of firsts, including my first trip to In-N-Out burger. I really had no idea what to expect but was traveling with In-N-Out burger aficionados so they made sure that I knew just what to do. Did you know they have a secret menu?! It was oh so yum! A must stop if your in Vegas!

Tuesday evening was the P31 soiree at the Palms. It was a excuse for us to get dressed up and spend a night out on the town. It was the highlight of my trip and I'm so glad all the roomies decided to go together! I met some amazing woman and reveled in the beautiful view of the strip from the Penthouse Suite! What what! We even got to sneak in a mini portrait session of each other:)

That brings us to Wednesday. Oh Wednesday. The day started off well enough and I'm so happy I managed to squeeze in lunch with Katelyn and Justin and Mary's platform class. Those two things were absolute highlights of the trip for me!

The last time I attended WPPI, I came home and made the decision to become a full time wedding photographer. This year I left with the same confidence I first gained in my first trip. I have such a passion and love for this industry. If there was one thing I always walk away from WPPI with, it's the sense of value in what we do as photographers. We capture some of the important periods in our client's lives. What we do is important, valuable, and needed. WPPI is such a great example of what we do and why we do it. And to me, that is worth all the travel, late nights, jet lag and week of being sick!