It was midway through the WPPI Convention 2008 and I was in the seminar zone. Clutching my notebook in one hand, and balancing my laptop and camera in the other, I rushed breathlessly toward the next presentation. Suddenly, I heard a voice boom, "Hey, hey, that's the chicken soul girl! Hey, Miz chicken soul, yeah! I'll quote to you later!" Later, the comment made me think. Undoubtedly the passerby photographer was referring to my annual "Chicken Soup for the Photographer's Soul" article. This was the eighth year of my traditional wrap-up story of the WPPI Convention's photographic flavors and trends. Actually, eight years ago, I really was a "chicken" soul, very afraid of my new photographic profession. I lost the fear when I attended WPPI for the first time. I found the wonders of professional photographic prints, practical lessons and amazing inspiration from mentors and friends. Perhaps this article will cause you to realize the amazing benefits of the teaching, networking and inspiration that are part of WPPI conventions and that result in a shared experience I named "Chicken Soup for the Photographer's Soul." The quote that sums up WPPI 2008 comes from Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen: "Good teachers help students believe in themselves with a glimpse of what they might become. They go the extra mile to make learning fun and meaningful, and they inspire students to dream and broaden their horizons. Teachers have the power to change lives."

This year, top chefs--Skip Cohen, president of WPPI, and Steve Sheanin, CEO/founder--prepared an extravagant, life-changing menu of ingredients for our soulful soup. They presented us with "over 100 programs and workshops that address business, workflow, creativity, technology and everything in-between." They also stirred in networking parties and special events to prevent the soup from becoming too thick and salty with cognitive content!

The First Ladies of Photography
Helen Yancy and Cherie Steinberg-Coté

Events like the First Ladies of Photography forum caused wonder among hundreds of attendees. Yes, "W" is for wonder, but it is also for women. The forum included speakers Jane Conner-ziser, Sandy Puc', Nancy Emmerich, Cherie Steinberg-Coté, Kathleen Hawkins, Jennifer Maring, Winifred Whitfield, Helen Yancy and Maura Dutra. From Helen we learned to display what makes us special; she only displays her digital paintings. Jennifer stressed the importance of branding. Jane Connor-ziser taught us the value of expert digital capture and enhancement. Cherie Steinberg-Coté and Jennifer Maring reminded us that clients hire us because they like us, and they often like us because we are community-oriented. Kathleen Hawkins explained how we should enhance clients' perception of the experience and value of our work. Winifred and Nancy agreed and enlivened the discussion with humor and dry wit. Because of Kathleen and Jennifer's comments, I heard several men discussing the colors of their brand packaging immediately after the program. With the wisdom of experience, the First Ladies taught us how it was more profitable in the long run to work free for community recognition than to price ourselves too cheaply. At the end of the evening, emotions were running high as the audience reflected on the roles of photographers in community service organizations such as Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. A brave gentleman, Paul McMillan of Vandeusen Photography in Kansas City, MO, stepped up to the microphone and informed us that only a few decades ago, none of the discussions of the evening could have happened. He came from a generation that considered it inappropriate for men to show emotion. He had been in the photographic business for 30 years, and he stated that women had infused new life, social conscience, communication skills and emotional balance into an industry that could have become "an old boys club." He then introduced his legacy, a daughter who has become a photographer. "W" is for wonder, and the evening could not have ended on a more wonderful note.

	Dennis Orchard and Peter Ellis

As we regard our motivational chicken soup further, the letter "P" floats to the golden surface and stands for print. Many attendees spent hours in the sweet semi-darkness listening to the judges during the annual print competition. Lori Woeler said, "What I learned in two days worth of listening to print judges David Williams and Denis Orchard was worth the entire price of the trip!" Denis Orchard himself reported that some of this year's print quality was dramatically finer than he had seen in several years. He also said with a grin, "When judges rise and look closely at the print, it is not because we don't know what it is! We stand in order to look at the fine detail in the printing." (Don't be a chicken soul, enter your own 8x10 print for the 2008 competition by June 15!)

Curiously, another alphabet letter "P" floats to the buttery top of our chicken soup. No, it is not for photography, although that is a good guess: "P" is for practicality. It is not enough for 2008 attendees to simply gather information, go home and spend a year digesting it. We want immediate feedback and lessons we can accomplish in a sound bite. Mitche Graf knew this when he explained the secret details behind structuring a proper pricelist. Instantly, pencils flew and photographers began rewriting their prices on the next break. That's instant chicken soup for the photographer's soul!

The Young Guns crew: Top row from left to right--Jose Villa, Jesh de Rox, Catherine Hall, Skip Cohen (host), Lori Nordstrom, John Solano and DeEtte Sallee. Bottom row from left to right--David Jay, Gene Higa, Ryan Schembri, Jim Garner, Mike Larson and JB Sallee.

The "P" for practicality was also evident in David Jay's comments. Florida photographer Hazel Gutierrez reported, "He was so experienced with Lightroom tools and he showed us how to cut back on work time with shortcuts and presets." To that end, no one made better instant chicken soup for the photographer's soul than the Young Guns. Practicality was quick-fired by JB and DeEtte Sallee, who exposed unique products such as their "Ravish Me" album. Lori Nordstrom's live demonstration synthesized the maternity session into a 12-step recipe. Gene Higa gave us "perceived value" and showed us how to "dance with the bride" right there on the runway. Through his new style of engagement shooting, Jesh de Rox gave us a quick lesson in finding our niche. With before-and-after images displayed on the giant screen, we peered into the dark side of Ryan Schembri. After that, how could we possibly fear our own dark sides? All of the mini-lessons in this paragraph happened in two hours! Now, how is that for instant chicken soup for the photographer's soul? The sharp-shooting Young Guns alone made the trip worthwhile.

	(Left to right) Curt Littlecott, Deborah Lynn Ferro and Rick Ferro

My special notebook has no pages left because it is crammed with other instant tips from experts Jane Conner-ziser, Deborah Ferro and Peter Eastway. In the first week after my return home, I used practical tips from each of these three artists. Likewise, two days after returning home, I utilized the posing and lighting ideas given to me by America's Next Top Model photographer Matthew Jordan Smith. (Yes, that little hand mirror is the best five-dollar piece of equipment in my repertoire!)

In my mind, we all have chicken soup bowls custom-created from individualized materials. Some of our bowls are stoneware and some are crystal, but they are all roughly heart-shaped because of our spirit of friendship. First time attendee Darryl Steinback must have tasted this flavor of unconditional sharing at WPPI '08. He said that regardless "of the amount of attendees that are traversing from class to class, there is a sense of closeness and warmth and sharing of ideas--a 'family reunion' you might say!"

Photographer Rachel LaCour Niesen put it another way. She said, "As always, WPPI is filled with opportunities to connect. Connection can take the form of an 'aha' moment when you hear a gem of inspirational information from a speaker, or connection can take the form of a heartfelt conversation during lunch with a mentor or colleague. Every year, those connections are what I take away with me. They are what push me forward during the busy wedding season and sustain me until I am back at WPPI again. I'm grateful for an environment that enables such meaningful connections."

Bambi Cantrell

With this kinship in mind, we stir our chicken soup, and another alphabet letter bubbles to the surface. It is an "I," but it is not the pronoun. Because so many photographers openly revealed their inspiration this year, I decided that the primary ingredient in the Chicken Soup of WPPI '08 was inspiration. Matthew Jordan Smith inspired Abby Soliz of Vasara photography. She shared, "Weeks before WPPI, I lost my mother to a sudden illness and with that, I thought, [I lost] my ability to dream, hope and be inspired. I almost did not come to WPPI this year. However, the divine connections I made at WPPI, one of them being Matthew Jordan Smith--others being Jerry Ghionis, the Sallees, Beth Forrester, Tom Bagby, Kristen McGill, Clifford Hausner and Todd Antisdel--opened my heart up again. For that I will always be thankful."

	Catherine Hall at Young Guns

Tammy Leathem of Chicago, IL, stated, "When I walked into Joe Buissink's workshop, I was so discouraged and tired that I wanted to quit. But when I walked out I was so inspired that I was ready to be Joe. Patty Nash was also impressed, "Joe Buissink touched our hearts and souls with his images, passion and unbelievable dedication." Photographer Sol Tamargo agreed, "Joe Buissink is from the heart. That is his lesson, so I will shoot from my heart. He is a true artist, yet he is kind and down to earth." Patty Segovia-Krause was equally inspired by the similar Zen spirit of Jesh de Rox. She shared, "He was phenomenal. He made everyone get down to their core being." Steve Guebert found inspiration in the words of Greg Gibson and Marcus Bell. From Greg, Steve learned, "You should get better each and every day, and it's okay to fail, but move on and learn from it." Steve also repeated Marcus Bell's big question: "Are we just photographers or are we more?" For Marcus, and for Steve, "We are communicating a message as artists and giving a moment in time to our viewers." Both Chris Nelson and Steve Guebert, as well as others, nominated Robert Lino for the inspirational Hall of Fame. Steve said, "Robert Lino's classic posing with attitude was revisited with salsa flavoring! He demonstrated his style as he suggested we create a scenario for each session and pose what we envision. His main message to us was to read each pose/image and look at all the little details to help us set ourselves apart in our business." Inspiration can come from fellow members as well as teachers. First time attendee Ashley Rae, a model turned photographer, said, "The WPPI photographers have such passion for what they do, and they are so supportive of others. This is very refreshing in today's competitive world! I left this convention with a renewed creative energy and a super positive outlook for the future."

Mandy Karangelen of New Jersey summarized the 2008 Convention in a few perfect words, "It's all about the inspiration." As you might have noticed, there have only been four alphabet letters in our 2008 Chicken Soup for the Photographer's Soul. "W" for wonder, "P" for prints, "P" for practicality and "I" for inspiration: WPPI. The miracle of this year is that these four alphabet letters fed 11,000 photographers! If you missed it, do not be a chicken soul next year! Get your 2009 share of Chicken Soup for the Photographer's Soul on February 14-19th.