I started the day sharing an elevator with a group from Japan. I didn’t understand a word they said, but they were in high spirits and so was I. The Show Floor with all its myriad offerings was opening today, and we were just moments away from feasting our hungry eyes on it. In the foyer, there was a DJ bumpin’ tunes and WPPI swag giveaways. Everyone happily poured through the doors at 10 a.m. sharp.

On The Show Floor at WPPI 2023

It seemed like a sign from above when I heard that Matthew Jordan Smith had arrived from Tokyo that very morning and would be opening the Nikon stage with a talk about taking portraits of subjects in motion. In particular, he was talking about how he loves shooting with Nikon’s Z9 Mirrorless camera and shared which settings to use, like eye detection and continuous shooting—to catch super sharp shots in motion. Smith said, “Life moves fast and our subjects move fast, too. . . with the Z9, I can capture moments I would have missed before, and every frame is in focus.”

Next, I headed over to the WPPI Lounge and Stage on the Show Floor to catch the live Portrait System Podcast with Nikki Closser, who was interviewing rotating guests. It’s a pleasantly designed space with a variety of seating options and tables. During the podcast, there was even coffee and tea on offer. It’s a comfy space to rest and gather your thoughts, while also hearing some great educational content.

[Read: Award-Winning Photography Prints with GraphiStudio]

Closser chatted with a variety of guests including Maureen Neises of Graphistudio, who shared that their upcoming Graphistudio Workshop at Castello Ceconi in Pielungo, Italy, with Sue Bryce, Teri Hofford, Kara Marie, and others, still has spaces available. So, if you’ve been dreaming of doing photography in a castle in Italy this year, there’s still time to sign up.

She also spoke with Matt Stagliano of Stonetree Creative, who in addition to his Generator Podcast, these days is focusing on teaching videography to photographers to help them diversify their client offerings. He shared, “The thing I love about WPPI is the energy. . . and I get to play with new things. . . The gear is insane.” Stagliano also expressed his appreciation for the learning community of WPPI. He said, “This is my favorite time to travel. You get to see your tribe. All my best friends are here.”

After the podcast, I spent a lot of time walking the Show Floor, running into friends and checking out the Shooting Bays and Vendors, many of whom were having giveaways, including KEH (buy and sell used gear) and Spider Holster.

I had a nice chat with the woman at the Heart & Lens booth. They are a nonprofit that offers a self-training program on a thumb drive for photographers to learn how to work with children with disabilities. After completing the program, you submit four images to them, and after approval, they add your studio to their directory of graduates. They also assist photographers in finding funding for parents who need financial assistance to get portraits of their disabled children. The publicity they provide in such fundraising efforts can be a big marketing boost that raises community awareness about photography studios.

Seminar Recaps

After lunch, I joined up with Seth Miranda‘s Photo Walk, “Cinematic Character Portraits: Creating an Environment with Light.” His course delved into how to “give your viewer a chance to bite their eye into the image and ask what is happening there.” Seth first showed us how to eliminate all ambient room light so that the image exposure is entirely dependent on the light you put into it. Then, he walked through building a cinematic portrait environment piece by piece, intentionally only creating elements that had a purpose and a grounding in what would exist in the scenario you are creating.

After teaching the basic principles, he showed us how to create a scene in a rainy car at night, all with gear he was able to pack in a duffel bag, with a subject sitting in an ordinary chair in a normal room. The effect was extraordinary. At the end of the class, he spoke of the importance of creating a visual language that the viewer reads intuitively. He said, “Everything we did was a word in a sentence. Let your images speak and be a sentence.” You can visit his Youtube channel for free photography tutorials.

After that amazing class, I took a little time time for R&R before heading down to see The Portrait System 12 Month Startup Coach, Saray Taylor-Roman’s seminar, “Triple Your Portrait Sales Average with One Client, One Session, Two Genres.”

[Read: Saray Taylor-Roman on Restructuring Your Portrait Business for Self-Care]

Saray was probably everyone’s favorite Spanish teacher when she taught high school, and now she is a favorite teacher of entrepreneurs who wish to build highly profitable portrait businesses.

I love how Saray makes the math of making money simple and straightforward. Her gentle voice and sweet sense of humor had the audience chuckling even while they were snapping pics of pricing packages and wrapping their heads around price stickers that heretofore were intimidating and unobtainable. Saray teaches how to give the most value to your client so they go for your largest package, and she helps you understand that “value is more expensive than price,” and you are worth it. She says you need to “know your worth and add tax.”

In her seminar, Saray asked a provocative question and gave a provocative answer, “What’s the difference between headshot and boudoir? More clothes, less clothes!” Her live demo proved it, and she shared four of her five signature poses her clients buy the most. To learn all five, see her online course Take Action With Saray.

The Nikon Shootout

Next up, the Shootout. I was amazed to see the line stretching all the way down the long hallway and right into a buffet in the Grand Ballroom, where attendees were filling their plates.

I have never seen a Shootout before. I was expecting to see master creativity in action, but I was not expecting baby pics of all the competitors, hilarious blue humor, juggling, soccer ball tricks, head banging, and a nunchucks demo!

The event was hosted by Jerry Ghionis, who provided the blue humor, lots of razzing, audience commentary, and occasionally, Australian Outback-style narration. If you haven’t heard yet, he and his lovely wife Melissa have taken over the WPPI print competition, which took a break this year! If you want to stay in the look about that, be sure to follow their Instagram account for it: @myiconawards.

The competitors were Kanayo Adibe, who did soccer ball tricks, Chloe Ramirez, who did head banging, Cliff Mautner, who juggled, and John Michael Cooper, who gave a nunchucks demo. The model was the gorgeous Journee Reid.

All of the competitors I saw stunned with surprising setups and beautiful images. Sadly, I couldn’t stay till the end because I had tickets to the Cirque du Soleil LOVE show here in the Mirage. It was incredible!

I’m looking forward to another jam-packed day tomorrow with more time on the Show Floor, more great seminars, and of course, the Totally Rad 80s Party! I hope to see you there!