Last week in Las Vegas was WPPI 2018, and I had the chance to check out some new software, some new hardware, and to make some new friends. If you have never been to WPPI, it’s a conference in Las Vegas focusing on Wedding & Portrait Photography. I usually try to avoid telling people that because the response is always something like “I don’t do Weddings or Portraits”. While it focuses on those two specialties, the conference and Expo offer something for virtually any photographer. I’m a concert photographer and yet I love WPPI.

If you have been before then the chances are you have seen some of the recent changes first hand. A few years ago WPPI called the MGM Grand home, but last year they moved to the Convention Center. While I have heard a few people say they like that venue, the majority didn’t, and that’s part of the reason I find WPPI so interesting. This is a big conference, but they are also listening to their attendees. This year they moved to the Mandalay Bay Events Center and it was – at least in my opinion – a great success. If you didn’t go because you were not sure after the convention center show then you missed out on a great event. The Expo was big, open, and well lit. The isles were nice and wide – mostly, and the vendor selection was varied. The networking may be my fave part of any conference, and having the show at Mandalay Bay made that part so easy – everyone in one place.

While I was there I had the chance to look at a few things I wanted to share with you. The week started with a presentation from Skylum, formerly MacPhun, talking about the latest version of Luminar, and a new Digital Asset Manager (D.A.M) they will be releasing later this year. This is intriguing on many levels.

I also visited the Canon booth to chat about the new M50 mirrorless camera and 470EX‑AI Hot‑Shoe Flash. There are number of thoughts I have had about these two products since the announcement, and spoiler alert… my thoughts at the end were different from where I started.

Sigma was a big announcement in my opinion. They announce a number of their Sigma Art Series prime lens with a Sony Mount. For the Sony people out there this is huge. They also announced the new Sigma Art Series 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM, which could be a game changer in terms of a fantastic quality wide angle for as reasonable price.

One of my favorite booths this year was Spider Camera Holster. It’s rare I see products so amazingly engineered, and the flexibility of their system is pretty amazing.

Join me on this special Behind the Shot WPPI Recap as I look back at the conference and Expo, and talk to a few of the key companies.

NOTE: The audio during the interviews is not what I had hoped for, and no question I would do it differently next time, but that showroom floor is crazy loud. Thank you to Canon, Sigma, and Spider Holster for coming on the show, and my apologies to my for the audio quality.