Hey gang, the biggest event of the year for wedding and portrait photographers, WPPI, is next week…woohoo! I’m really looking forward to the various shoots, classes, trade show, but most of all, I can’t wait to see some of you again and meet some new friends :).

Below is my (tentative) schedule for WPPI. I’ll be there from Wednesday, March 3rd until (most likely) Tuesday, March 10th. If you’d like to meet up and hang out, or just need to reach me, please try any of the following:

Phone/text: 626-664-6735

E-mail: henrychenphotography[at]gmail[dot]com

Twitter: @henrychen

Wednesday, 3/3:

4:00PM: Arrive in Vegas and check into hotel.

5:00PM+: Free for the evening, anyone want to grab dinner or hang out? Is there anything happening this night?

Thursday, 3/4:

3:00PM-9:00PM: Trash The Dress Workshop/Photoshoot.

9:00PM+: Free for the evening, anyone want to grab dinner or hang out? Is there anything happening this night?

Friday, 3/5:

11:00AM-4:00PM: Hotel/restaurant product shoot with Nancy.

5:00-7:00PM: Anyone want to grab an early dinner?

7:00PM-9:00PM: (Business Institute) Mitche Graf and Sandy Puc’.

9:00PM+: Free for the evening, anyone want to grab dinner or hang out? Is there anything happening this night?

Saturday, 3/6:

8:00AM-9:30AM: (Business Institute) Jennifer Gilman.

10:00AM-11:30AM: (Business Institute) Matt Hill.

1:30PM-3:00PM: (Business Institute) Michael Warshall.

3:30PM-5:00PM: (Business Institute) Michael Costa.

5:30PM-7:00PM: (Business Institute) Team Panel Discussion.

7:00PM+: Free for the evening, anyone want to grab dinner or hang out? Is there anything happening this night?

Sunday, 3/7:

12:00PM-2:00PM: (Platform) Joe Photo.

2:30PM-4:30PM: (Platform) Doug Gordon.

6:00PM-7:00PM: Keynote – Gregory Heisler.

7:30PM-9:00PM: Welcome Reception.

8:00-10:00PM: Finao Party.

Monday, 3/8:

8:00AM-10:00AM: (Platform) Jerry Ghionis.

8:00AM-10:00AM: (Platform) Jesh de Rox.

10:00AM-3:30PM: Trade show; will be around the West Coast Albums booth, stop by!

3:30PM-5:30PM: (Platform) John Mireles.

3:30PM-5:30PM: (Platform) Cliff Mautner.

3:30PM-5:30PM: (Platform) Jim Garner.

6:30PM-8:30PM: (Platform) Kevin Kubota.

6:30PM-8:30PM: (Platform) Jasmine Star.

8:00-10:00PM: Pool Party.

Tuesday, 3/9:

8:00AM-10:00AM: (Platform) John Michael Cooper.

10:00AM-3:30PM: Trade show; will be around the West Coast Albums booth, stop by!

3:30PM-5:30PM: (Platform) Dane Sanders.

3:30PM-5:30PM: (Platform) Yervant Zanazanian.

5:30PM+: Back to Los Angeles.

All of these things, except the workshop I’m hosting, are subject to change (in case any last minute hang outs come up or I’m just dead tired :P). I’ll have most of my camera gear with me, so if there’s other shoots taking place, please let me know :). And I’m always up for picking each other’s brain so if you just want to talk photography, business, etc. let me know too. Once again, here’s my contact info:

Phone/text: 626-664-6735

E-mail: henrychenphotography[at]gmail[dot]com

Twitter: @henrychen

We spent the morning talking about the various topics of starting and running a wedding photography business:

- Overview of wedding photography
- Equipment list and shooting/lighting tips
- The wedding package
- Defining your own style of photography
- Workflow
- Portrait session with Lightroom/Photoshop demo
- Showcasing your work
- Q/A session. Where to go from here?

Special thanks to Nathan Nowack and (just recently!!!) his fiance Allison for stopping by and “modeling” for us :). 30 minutes was simply not enough time for us to photograph these two love birds. I mainly focused on showing the workshop attendees how I interact with the bride and groom, how I go about posing them, and getting the shots I need (exposure, composition, and defining a certain style/look of photography). Thanks again Allison and Nathan, you guys totally rocked it…btw, congrats!

Here’s a few behind-the-scene shots I grabbed while demonstrating some things during the shoot:

We wrapped up the workshop with further discussion over lunch nearby. I really enjoyed sharing the info I’ve learned and experienced the past 2.5 years being in this amazing industry with the attendees, and really hope to do more workshops in the near future. To the attendees, thank you all for making the trip down to Long Beach this past Monday. If you’ve already blogged your own images, please let me know :). Here’s Jeremy Chou’s thoughts on the workshop.

Lastly, for photographers going to WPPI in Vegas next month, I hope you’ll join me on Thursday, 3/4 for the TTD Workshop I’m conducting at Red Rock Canyon and along The Strip. Thanks!

WPPI 2010 Las Vegas Trash The Dress Private Workshop.It’s on like Donkey Kong! Full details here. Please either follow me on Twitter or contact me to get the latest news on this workshop.

I’ll be visiting Vegas tomorrow (Friday, February 5th) to scope out the various locations. There’s also a small chance the ever famous Neon Graveyard will allow me to conduct part of the workshop there (they are currently under rennovation).

Space for this private workshop, plus an hour of one-on-one coaching during WPPI, is limited to 6. Registration is now open, please let me know if you have any questions or interested in signing up. See you all in Sin City!

HCP Mixer #3 – Branding. Ka-pow! More info on March’s branding mixer can be found here. Thank you to those that have attended the January and/or February ones here at the studio. I promise this one on branding will be another information overload presentation/discussion, a brain freeze if you will. There’s no cost to attend these mixers, but you may want to bring your own chair unless you don’t mind standing ;).

HCP Mixer #4 – Packages and Pricing. Deja vu! Same details as the previous three, but the topic is on packages and pricing for the fourth one. More info here. Apologies but I don’t have any photos from yesterday’s album workflow mixer; however, here’s a recap of the January one.

Now let the good times roll, see you on the other side :).

I’ve found that bringing an assistant or someone who wants to shadow me at an engagement session has worked out well as far as teaching/sharing knowledge. It gives them a chance to ask me questions while driving to each location, shoot a bit on the side with no pressure, and just see how I go about working with the couple. In return, I ask that they help me change lenses and hold a light or two.

So today, I’d like to offer a new item to the line of educational programs. If you’re interested in shadowing/assisting me at an upcoming engagement session (normally 2-4 hours around Southern California), please get in touch with me. Most likely we’ll meet at my Long Beach studio and carpool from there to the various distinations of the e-session.

And of course there’s no fee for this, it’s just something I’d like to offer to anyone that’s interested in seeing how I work and hopefully learn a thing or two :). Tentative upcoming e-session dates are: 1/17, 1/24, 1/25, 1/30, 2/1, 2/17, and 2/21. I won’t always announce every date on my blog so be sure to follow my Twitter for the latest news and updates.

I’m also conducting my first 2010 wedding photography workshop on February 15th, 2010. It’ll be half-day from 9AM-1PM at my studio in Long Beach with lunch afterwards. This workshop will be specifically tailored to those that are just starting out or thinking of entering the (wedding) photography business. We’ll cover:

- The basics of taking a good and meaningful photo: lighting, composition, the subjects, etc.

- Overview of my workflow from preparing for the shoot all the way to blogging and printing.

- How to start looking for your own style and actually go about booking clients.

- Q/A session to ensure all topics of interest to the attendees are covered.

Seating is limited to 8. $250 per person. Please visit my services page for more info and to sign up. If you have any questions on the shadowing program or first 2010 wedding photography workshop, please contact me. Thanks for your time, I look forward to working with you!