Member of the Month
Roberto Falck:
Liquid Elegance

By Mary McGrath

When I first browsed the images of Roberto Falck, not only was I amazed at his range of talent, but there was also a certain something that begged me to look a bit deeper at his photography. Was it his international travels? The wedding and portrait work? His advertising images? Of course, the answer was yes to all of these questions, but what really stopped me in my tracks was his underwater photography.

I've always loved the work of Howard Schatz, but I'd never seen his techniques applied to wedding photography. Executing land-based wedding photography is an art unto itself, but adding in the element of water truly tests the skills of any professional.
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Studio of the Month

Kevin Jairaj:
Shooting a Wedding in Style

By Margaret Lane

Cosmopolitan Dallas, TX, has a population of just over 1.2 million people. With yearly average temperatures of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, this Lone Star city hosts the world famous Dallas Cowboys, George Gershwin favorites such as Porgy & Bess, the Texas Stampede and Chile Pepper magazine's annual ZestFest. Could the warmth, cultural draws and magnificent horizons have anything to do with the fact that Dallas hosts up to 250 weddings per weekend? Nuptial ceremonies in this town can be as staggering and grand as those found in other metro meccas such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Here, city brides can easily drop $10,000 on a gown and more than $100,000 in floral costs.
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In Studio & On Screen
The Power Of Bridal-Model Shoots

By David Beckstead

My first model shoot was after my first destination wedding in Italy. The wedding couple did not want to be involved in a day-after-style shoot. In their eyes, the wedding day would provide all the imagery they wanted. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed--this was, after all, the perfect opportunity to expand my imagery base while using the wonderful Italian architecture to my advantage to make some creative art. So I asked my wife (who is my shooting partner) to model at Lake Como in northern Italy. We bought a dress and I shot for hours. This was the start of a new passion: bridal-model shoots! Not to mention, a great way to enhance my destination-wedding business.

My bridal-model photography involves models in bridal dresses and occasionally a male model in a groom-style outfit. It's a branded look that, as a professional wedding photographer, helps to advertise and promote my style of shooting to prospective clients and photographers. Every strong model image is of use to me in a number of ways:

1. As an outlet for bringing out compositional concepts not always easy to accomplish at weddings.
2. As a venue for improving compositions, style and my art.
3. As a means by which I might create marketing and branding materials.
4. As an opportunity to produce value and increase my worth.
5. As a new personal challenge to myself to continually adjust the way I see the world.

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Business Landscape
22 Tips to Getting Maximum Value From the 2008 WPPI Convention and Trade Show

By Sondra Ayers and Jerrold Deck of POWER Consulting

Do you want to get more out of this year's WPPI Convention and Trade Show than ever before? We've put together 22 tips to get maximum value out of your convention experience. As success and business coaches, we've attended many conventions and seminars. The tips we're sharing with you are ones we've found invaluable in gaining the most out of any educational situation.

This year, it's all about having a great time and learning things that you can take back to your studio and put into action the very next day.
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Member News
Important News for WPPI Members

• Don't forget: If you received your 2008 convention badge in the mail (you must have registered before February 15th), remember to bring it to the convention along with a photo ID. There will be a $25 charge for a replacement badge.
  
  One of the best learning experiences at the WPPI Convention is observing the judging and presentation of the print and album competitions. This year the judging will be held on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Skyview Rooms on the 26th floor of Bally's. Come join us!
  
  
• WPPI member Brian Phillips, one of New England's leading documentary style wedding photographers and fashion photojournalists, has landed the cover of the 2008 Grace Ormonde Wedding Style New England magazine. Brian's cover shot was taken on La Gondola on the Providence River in Providence, RI, during a bridal fashion shoot for the magazine.
  
  
• Catch up on what Member of the Month Roberto Falck has been doing by visiting his blog: www.robertofalck.com/blog. The blog features some of Roberto's beautiful photography from both local and destination weddings, as well as some of his thoughts on wedding photography and his favorite shoots.
  
  
• If you feel that perhaps your wedding images are becoming flat or that they lack the impact they once had, I encourage you to look at this month's Rangefinder, the wedding issue. At almost 300 pages, not only is it our biggest wedding issue yet, it is also teeming with both poignant and progressive photography from a diverse bunch of shooters. From John Michael Cooper's iconoclastic Trash The Dress sessions to Rocco Ancora's ethereal images, which could easily be considered fine art, you will be sure to find inspiration and new perspectives applicable to your work.
  
  
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The Road to Vegas
The Champagne of Trade Shows

By Sherry McFarland

Yes, the WPPI Convention and Trade Show has the Champagne Shootout, but what is it about WPPI that makes it the caviar of trade shows, the Rolls-Royce of expos, the gold standard in trade shows? What makes WPPI the greatest trade show? Everything! Just ask the attendees or the exhibitors. The staff takes great pride in staging every show, and most are even willing to bend your ear on why they love it so much.

Moments before the convention doors open, witness the massive crowds eagerly awaiting entry. Experience a buzz and excitement you won't find at any other convention. Photographers know that at WPPI, someone is waiting down every aisle to enlighten, to demonstrate, and most importantly, to form lasting partnerships.
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