Thank you to everyone who attended the 2008 WPPI Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas. With over 11,000 registrations, it was our biggest event ever!

WPPI would also like to thank all of the entrants in the 2008 Awards of Excellence 16x20 Print and Album Competitions. This year's competitions featured almost 2700 prints and 200 albums!

That said, we would like to remind you that the deadline for the first half of the 2008 8x10 Print Competition is June 20th. We wish you the best of luck!

[Note from WPPI: If you have something you would like highlighted in the WPPI monthly newsletter, such as a blog or special studio event, let us know. Send an email to request@wppionline.com]

Pregnancy and birth are miraculous journeys. This amazing time of life is full of mystery, anticipation, joy and wonder. But there is another aspect of pregnancy and birth, an unexpected place in this journey where some families may find themselves. When a baby dies, a world is turned upside down. There is sorrow where there should have been joy.

The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS) (www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org), founded by WPPI member Sandy Puc', provides a helping hand and a healing heart for families overcome by grief and pain. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process that allows families to honor and cherish their babies.

The Foundation administers a network of nearly 3000 volunteer professional photographers in the United States and eight international countries. At a family's request, a NILMDTS affiliated photographer will come to a hospital or hospice location and conduct a private portrait session. The portraits are then professionally retouched and presented to the families on an archival DVD or CD that can be used to make prints.

The entire network of affiliated professional photographers graciously donates their time and talents to families, and all are proud to offer their services at no cost. Donations are greatly appreciated.

The Today Show ran an extraordinary piece on the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation on March 5, 2008. The segment journals the relationship between Olivia Lundberg and her family, and NILMDTS photographer Jessica Person. You can see the segment by visiting www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23481435#23481435.

Come experience Joe and Yervant's latest work and astonishing new repertoire, as they bring you their individual business acumen and foresight for the marketplace, while also covering technology's influence on professional photography and the future of the industry. Yervant will illustrate the importance of "finishing" to emphasize how professional photography goes beyond the "click." The seminars will also feature live capture and postproduction with some of Joe's work as well as Yervant's own, which should prove awe-inspiring!

The price per seminar is U.S. $199 and $180 for students. Lunch is included with the registration. Happy hour after the seminar will be hosted by GraphiStudio. For details and booking, visit www.yervant.info/JoeYervant2008/Home.html or call (866) 472-7445.

At WPPI 2008, Chuck Maring of Maring Lifestyle Photographers filmed the annual Harley Davidson ride through the Nevada desert frequented by some of our more adventuresome photographers. Filmed in HDV, the short video is featured on the Maring blog, www.maringphoto.com/bts/btsblog.html, among other interesting posts. Chuck rode backwards on a Harley just to get some of the shots, so be sure to check this one out!

Pacific WEDDINGS is sponsoring a photo contest on its blog, Love Notes (pacificweddings.typepad.com). The winner of the contest will be featured in the summer edition of the magazine. The competition deadline is April 10, so be sure to check the blog immediately for details.

This April, Rangefinder brings you the Commercial/Editorial Issue! With everything from photojournalism to fashion, from sports to wildlife, this issue is comprised of stunning images that are all successes within their respective fields. Check out the magazine to discover brilliant images that run the gamut of photographic expression.