Oh what a day! After a jam-packed morning, I admitted defeat and retreated to my room. I thought I’d take a nap was so hopped up on green tea that it was futile. It was less than four hours till The Portrait System Touch of Glam Party, and with the pace I was moving, I realized I should have started getting ready an hour ago. Lady Luck had not left my side, and I pulled myself together just in time. I was helping run the door and couldn’t be late.

Truth be told, I was only able to go in for a few minutes during the party and several hours after for tear down. But I couldn’t feel sad sitting in that cool hallway while our warm community mingled and took portraits of each other inside, because really, I had the best seat in the house. I got to greet and welcome every person (and the one dog) who came in. It was prime seating for experiencing the camaraderie of The Portrait System community and a multitude of interpretations of glamour.

At the door to the Glam party, while verifying the TPS memberships required for entry, I saw “old” friends I had met at The Portrait Masters Conference last September, new friends who I had only recently met virtually in the WPPI Facebook group, and also got to welcome new members to The Portrait System on a great discount made just for WPPI. Rangefinder readers, I got permission to extend that discount to you. Until the end of next  Monday, March 13, you can score 30% off an annual TPS membership with the promo code: WPPIY23. For more info about what comes with a TPS membership, visit this link.

After tear down of the TPS party, I made a quick pitstop to my room to ditch a pair of unwearable heels that will soon join the lore, “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Then I hit the Capri Lounge for the Fujifilm Opening Night Party. I thought I’d just make an appearance because I was dog tired and somewhat inarticulate. I also felt wildly intrigued by the info that the bar tab for the night was on Fujifilm. I had to see it to believe it, and what a jolly sight it was. Thank you, Fujifilm!

[Read: Diary of a WPPI Newbie: Day 3, Show Floor to Shootout]

The Capri Lounge is dark and tastefully lit. After a few twists and turns, I found myself on a walkway surrounding a sunken dance floor that was a sea of dancing bodies and smiling faces, rocking with the beats of a skilled party DJ. Showgirls in brilliant pink plumage graced the catwalk along with an ebullient dancing blue cloud. The bouncers for the entertainers were in blazing red-sequined blazers. Had I taken a wrong turn and ended up down a rabbit hole? I’m still not certain!

It felt so good to relax and catch my breath after such a busy day. I shared warm greetings with WPPI producers, met a seasoned entrepreneur on the cusp of launching a bright, new endeavor, and leaned against a cool wall with our team’s technical director. I linked up with several people I had met for the first time at The Touch of Glam Party, and let loose dancing with friends from The Portrait Masters Conference. I met one young go-getter who had decided that very morning to change his return flight to NYC so he could enroll in the conference, and I met two people who had set the intention last year to attend this year and were reveling in having manifested their goal. I stayed till the party closed out and enjoyed every minute of it.

Tomorrow is set to be even bigger than today. If you’re an early bird, there’s “Yoga for Photographers” at 7:30 a.m. Then, there’s the much anticipated encore seminar “Beauty Lighting Simplified,” by Hernan Rodriguez at 8:30 a.m. in Antigua. In addition to all the other awesome seminars and photo walks, the Show Floor opens at 10 a.m., which means the opening of the trade show, shooting bays, image reviews, Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography exhibit, demos on the FUJIFILM Cloud Stage, and the opening of the WPPI Stage, which will host a live broadcast of The Portrait System Podcast at 10:30 a.m. And in the evening, four photographers will go head to head in the WPPI Shootout sponsored by Nikon.

What will we see and experience tomorrow? Who can say? Tonight, it’s just a dream. One thing is certain, the day will brim over with adventures for the choosing!