SWPP Convention 2012

Well, what can I say, I had a great time at the SWPP Convention last week. This is the first year that I have presented a masterclass on my Boudoir photography so I think it is fair to say I was a little nervous... I went well prepared with at least two backup copies of my presentations and all the slideshows on disk and memory stick just in case anything went wrong. One thing I have learnt from my IT days is that if you have plenty of back up copies you most probably won't need them; if you don't you will !

It was great to see so many people at both of my masterclasses, especially as Saturdays started at 8:30am and I know some people had quite a late night the night before, so I would like to say a big thank you to everyone that came along to hear me speak. You may recognise yourselves in the photo below....

These photos were all taken using available light on my Canon 5dMk2 with a 50mm f1.4 Sigma lens..

As well as running the masterclasses I made the most of the opportunity to look around the trade show and meet up with the suppliers that we use.

It was great to see Terri from Album Epoca, the company that supply our stunning albums, and to see my boudoir and wedding work displayed on their stand. If you didn't get a chance to see Album Epoca at the convention they will also be at Focus this year.

Guy Thatcher from Hireacamera was also at the show and he had the new Canon 1DX on his stand... speaking to him the 1DX's that he has coming in March have already been hired out, it looks like they are going to be very popular !

It was also good to catch up with Gary from Lastolite, we use a lot of their products in the studio and at weddings. If you have a problem then they normally have a solution !

The other thing that I was able to do was to sit in on some of the masterclasses run by other photographers. It was fascinating to hear Marko Dutka talk not only about his fashion photography but also about fashion and the real differences between the designer labels and high street fashions. He bought with him a collection of clothing including items by Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen, oh, and I mustn't forget the funkiest pair of shoes I have seen for a long time !

Other masterclasses I enjoyed included one by Damien Lovegrove on the lighting that he uses for his portraits and the most inspirational art nude photography from Faye and Trevor Yerbury. Faye and Trevor produce stunning, artistic work and spent some time talking about how they go about creating each image. So, if you want to see some of their work then please click here.

I met some fantastic people over the last week, some photographers that I have known for years and some that I met for the first time who are just starting out in business. It was great to get to know you all and I look forward to seeing you all again at the Hilton next year :)