WPPI Convention 2012 Las Vegas!

MGM Grand 

It was a crazy, spur of the moment decision I made a few months back- I saw Bethany write a Facebook status saying "Who wants to go to WPPI with me this year!?"  And I immediately said, "Me me me me!" without a thought as to price, logistics, a blessing from my husband, or how hard and crazy it would be to leave my daughters.  But two things drove that impulsiveness.
 1. My business needed a major facelift.  In a lot of ways that I don't need to get into, but I just knew that I needed to make some changes. And from all that Bethany told me about last year's conference, I was confident that WPPI would be just the ticket.
 2. I wanted an adventure.  To step out of my "normal" (though I have to say that my "normal" is pretty darn fantastic) and take a leap.  To not let all the "what if's" hold me back.  And gosh darn it, I just plain wanted to!  And now, I am back to my beautiful family and home, I am so so completely and utterly confident that I made the right decision.

I threw open the curtains Sunday morning to see this

I have so so many ideas, questions, and business strategies swimming in my head from these past 4 days (Sunday to Wednesday). It took place at the MGM Grand Hotel, and we also stayed there (the pictures above were taken from our room). I took three 2-hour classes every day, spent a couple of hours at trade shows where new and upcoming products and gear were thrown at you with every turn, and took over 40 pages of notes.  It's overwhelming, the amount of information that was thrown at you every day.  Bethany and I were so tired on Monday night, we were walking around the hotel lobby giggling like school girls in our pajamas, unable to see how silly we must have looked to all the posh women in their heels and designer dresses. They stared at us as they walked through the hotel doors like we were from another planet.  But we didn't care!  All we wanted was to find a chocolate bar that didn't cost $5, and to go to bed! Is that so much for a girl to ask!? ***Disclaimer- we are fully aware that we shouldn't be eating chocolate so close to bedtime, but it's completely acceptable while you are in Vegas. the end.***By Tuesday night my brian was so fried, I went to bed at 9PM. WHO DOES THAT when they are in Las Vegas!?!?!  This girl! I am not  well maybe a little ashamed to admit that!

Night View- that is the New York, New York Hotel and Casino

If I could narrow it down to the 3 most important nuggets of information I took from WPPI, it would be this.

1. I need a vision statement.  That will probably be the first thing I do when I get back.  To really figure out how I view the world around me, and how I want to capture that view through my lens.  What does that mean?  When I grab my camera and look through the viewfinder, what do I look for?  An amazing, breathtaking image?  Or do I look to find a story?  I don't know.  I would like to think that I look for both, but what DRIVES me? Once I know that, I will then find my "sweet spot" in my business, to put all my focus there and let the rest go. I can't do it all. Why be good at everything when I can be great at a few things?  oooooo that was deep.

2. On a more practical (and not so fun) level is to become an LLC.  Those of you who don't know what it is, it's just a way to make sure that my booty is covered if something were to happen.  For example, say I am taking some formal family pictures at an outdoor wedding.  The sun is blaring so I want to have the family move to a more shady spot.  On their way, Granny Fran twists her ankle in the grass and breaks it.  If they sue me, they can't come after my personal assets, only my business.  And for those of you photographers or business owners who can't comprehend that I am not an LLC yet? Don't judge me :-) I am still learning this whole owning-my-own-business thing.

3. To utilize my website and blog more.  I rely so much on word of mouth and Facebook to generate business, and it's just not enough.  So I will be blogging much more, and updating my site on a regular basis.  Oh I can just hear my mother jumping for joy.  She is on my case all the time about my lack of posting.  Rest easy, Mama.  Your wish is my command.  :-)

We only went outside once to eat- and we soaked in the warmth and sun!

After all is said and done and I reflect on this experience, the most important thing I take away from it all is this:

I have a husband who believes in me, and who supports me in this crazy dream.  I talked to him numerous times a day (and once in the middle of the night when he was up feeding Makaela and felt the urge to chat) about my dreams and plans.  I now know how closely he walks beside me in this journey.  How he is just as passionate about my success as I am.  And I am beyond lucky to have that.  I was Face Timing with him one afternoon, dissecting my day, and getting ideas of my chest.  We must have talked for 10 minutes.  Not long at all.  And when I hung up, one of my roommates (a friend of Bethany's who came as well) came up to me and told me how amazing my husband sounded.  She had heard a little bit of our conversation, and she was blown away at how supportive he was of my business, how he encouraged me to dream big, and about how much he is loving having so much time with the girls.  "Where did you find him!?" she said.

 With a little luck, and a lot of prayer, that's where.

So together.  We dream.