I know I’ve mentioned Speak Up! quite a few times on this blog before (here and here). But it’s all been leading up to THIS:

And here is a quick peek of what’s to come:

I will also be selling the prints displayed in this show, as well as other images that were part of the same shoot but not part of this show. (While I love so many of my shots from that day, I was limited to 21 pieces to display in the gallery.) They can be purchased through this site, starting on April 1: www.speakup.thesuitcasestudio.com

The Speak UP! art show that I am a part of is just one of the events being held in April in celebration of Asia & the Pacific Islands Heritage Month.  Here are details of the month’s events:

America’s Next Top Model Minority
April 8, 2010  -  12:00 P.M. – 1:00 P.M.

Room 202, Building 66, Bronco Bookstore
What is the Model Minority Myth and how does it affect the Asian-Pacific American community?  How does the myth tie in to the Speak Up! Campaign?  Hosted by acclaimed spoken word artist, Sahra Nguyen. For more information on Sahra, please visit www.riotinthesky.com.

“Speak Up!” Art and Photography Exhibit: Meet the Artists
April 8, 2010  -  1:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.
Bronco Exhibit Gallery, Bronco Student Center
Using Cal Poly Pomona students as models, this exhibit explores what it means to “speak up” and defy Asian-Pacific American stereotypes.  Meet the artists behind the Speak Up! Campaign, Michelle Carrillo and Grace Alba.  Refreshments will be served. For more information on the campaign, please visit http://www.dsa.csupomona.edu/apisc/speak_up.asp.

Urban Showcase
April 13, 2010  -  7:00 P.M. – 9:30 P.M.
Ursa Major Suite, Bronco Student Center
A showcase highlighting the impact Asian Americans have in the dance and YouTube performance industry.  Performances by Team Millennia, afterschoolspecial, Mavyn, Sheroes, David Choi, Ed Rhee, and Cal Poly’s own GRV, Barkada Modern, Signal Flow, Touzan Taiko, Chris Alanis, and more!

As you can see in the details above, the the opening ceremony for my Speak Up! exhibit is on Thursday, April 8th, starting at 1:00 pm. I would LOVE it if you could drop on by and show your support!

WPPI was AMAZING! I can’t say enough about what a great opportunity it was to be there. I was there from Sunday, March 7th through Wednesday, March 10th, and the time just flew by! I am already missing Vegas and the whole WPPI crowd (and there were a LOT of us)! Quick overview: WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Professionals International) is an annual expo held in Las Vegas each year. This was its 30th year in existence, so there was lots to celebrate. The event runs for over one week in total. There are classes from 8:00 in the morning till 8:30 (or later) each night, with their HUGE tradeshow open in the morning & early afternoon. There are welcome events, keynote speakers, cocktail parties, award ceremonies and closing events.

And walking. There is definitely a lot of walking involved.  (I am still exhausted.) It was about a 20-minute walk from my hotel room to the convention area (in the SAME hotel)… and anyone who knows me well, knows that I do not walk slowly.

Sunday:

I headed up there on Sunday afternoon with my sis-in-law, Maria (also a photographer). The trip took us just over 4 hours, which was a record time for us. My favorite sight along the way? We stopped off at an In-N-Out for a quick lunch, and there were TWO women’s restrooms, with several stalls in each. TWO! It was a beautiful sight.

In any case, we got to the hotel and checked in just after 3 pm. We were staying at the MGM Grand, which happens to be my favorite hotel in Las Vegas. And convenient, too, since this was where the WPPI convention was being held. After relaxing a bit, we decided to grab a bite to eat at Diego’s. Wonderful food & wonderful presentation, too. Knowing that the welcome reception that evening would be serving appetizers, we ate as lightly as possible.

We shouldn’t have bothered with any food beforehand. Our jaws nearly fell to the floor when we walked into the reception area and were greeted by station after station of food. These weren’t your ordinary appetizers. Mini-plates of pasta, carving stations with turkey & cranberry sauce, stuffed mini-breads, and the list goes on and on. So of course we stuffed ourselves silly. After our stomachs felt like they were going to explode, we made our way back up to the room, to enjoy watching all the “Red Carpet Recaps” while  in our jammies.

Monday:

Breakfast at the Studio Cafe. (yum.) Then we hit the tradeshow. I immediately dragged Maria over to the Millers Lab booth to show them off. Since starting my business, I’ve primarily used Millers Lab for all my printing needs, and wanted her to see their whole lineup of goodies, in person. She was as impressed as I had first been. We stuck around long enough to see some speakers they were featuring: JB & DeEtte Salle of Sallee Photography. Maria and I both decided then and there to attend the class they were giving at 3:30 that afternoon (which turned out to be a great decision).

The size of the tradeshow was a bit intimidating; it was so large that it had been divided into two separate buildings. Because of this, we decided to walk one section one day, and the other section the next. Again, I am so happy with our decision. It took us over 2 hours to walk the tradeshow that day, and we each walked away with a nearly 10-pound bag crammed with literature, samples, etc. We were tired. And sore. Oh, and did I mention that Maria was doing all of this while almost 7 months pregnant? (oh, yeah… you should have SEEN the crazy stares she got from people.)

Quick lunch back at the Studio Cafe, and then on to afternoon class with the Sallee Studio. It was simply awesome. Definitely learned a lot and found some inspiration, as well. Leaving class at 5:30, we noticed a GINORMOUS line right outside. I should’ve known better than to pass it by, as it turned out to be the line for the class I had wanted to take the MOST… Jasmine Star was speaking at 6:30. I was too late to get a spot in her class. Even though the room held 900 people, it filled up so quickly that there were a LOT of people turned away. (The people of WPPI were nice enough to schedule a second class for her to give the next day, but my schedule was already full. And I figured that since I would be attending a workshop of hers next month, there was no need for me to worry about missing out this time around.) Unfortunately, my second choice of classes was also already filled up.

No worries. I was in VEGAS! Time enough to grab a mojito and head back up to the room to relax. And prepare for that evening’s event…

The scheduled poolside cocktail party was moved indoors due to the threat of rain. The party was moved to the Garden Arena, which is where they hold all the major events (such as boxing, etc.) at the MGM. Totally awesome. We dressed up for the night (I even wore HEELS), and had even decided to skip dinner so that we could fully partake in all the yumminess of the food this time. Only to get there and realize that there was NO FOOD this time. Bummer. And with Maria being preggo, she couldn’t last long without dinner. But we decided to stay & enjoy ourselves. There was an awesome dj, and plenty of people. Even a few photobooths. We managed to hold out till just after 10:00, at which time we made a mad dash for McDonald’s and headed back up to the room.  We were both exhausted, but I’d promised myself that I would make a trip outside sometime in the night, to capture some shots of the Strip in all its nighttime neon glory. So, just after midnight, I bundled up and headed out into the windy night. These are my favorites:

Tuesday:

Tuesday morning started off in an absolutely lovely way. First, I received a “tweet” from Millers Lab, letting me know that I was a WINNER of their daily Twitter contest. My prize? My choice of any of their fine art products. Seriously. I burst into happy tears right then & there. And my morning thrills continued… as I walked into my first class of the day, I was greeted by music from a LIVE MARIACHI BAND. (The instructor had brought them in to help “wake us up” at such an early hour.) And it took me only a moment to realize that they were playing TONY’S & MY SONG! (On our 3rd date, my husband and I went salsa dancing, and a live band played “Sabor a Mi” as we danced… so that is forevermore “our song.”) happy, happy, joy, joy.

The rest of the day went smoothly enough. A couple more classes, and lots more tradeshow. Fell in LOVE with a few particular products (such as the slideshows I have recently started using). Even managed to fit in a trip to the MGM Spa… a $75 credit came with my room, so I’d be a fool to pass that up! It was the first time I felt myself relax in a loooooong time. Scheduled a quick 25-minute shoulders, neck & back massage. Aaaaaahhhhh… bliss. And, on the massage table, I had one of those moments that you know you will always remember for as long as you live… there I was, getting a massage in Vegas, at WPPI, in the midst of all my colleagues, there to do what I LOVE to do, living my passion… and the music “Claire de Lune” started to play. (One of my favorite classical pieces. Of all time.) It was a perfect moment of peace & clarity.

Maria and I had a late dinner that evening, and I received a fortune cookie that said the above. Score! We decided to head back up to our room for the night. On the way, I decided that we should at least gamble a little bit, since we hadn’t done so thus far. I handed her a $1 bill, and took one for myself to use. Of course, the quarter machine I decided to put my dollar into let me play twice and then promptly started flashing an annoying little light to let me know that it was out of paper and needed an attendant. I waited for someone to arrive, not wanting to walk away… just in case one of those last 2 quarters turned out to be a winning pull. So I waited. And waited. Maria gave up and wandered into a nearby giftshop. I waited some more. While waiting, I dug into my purse and found another dollar bill. So I decided to use it on the machine right next to my own. Played once. Twice. And on my third play, I WON Fifty Dollars! Now, that might not be a whole lot… but it was really exciting to me. Put in $1.00 and get $50.00 in return? Woo-hoo! I cashed out and left at that point, deciding that I didn’t want to wait for my remaining 50-cents any longer. It was all good.

Wednesday:

I started my morning with one final class. And then it was time to pack up and say farewell to it all for another year. Check-out went smoothly, we made a few final pit-stops for gifts, and then we were on our way back home.

I had an absolutely fabulous time there in Vegas, and can’t believe that the days went by so quickly. I met a few people, learned a LOT, and am totally inspired to keep working on my craft and building my business in a beautiful way! And I am already looking forward to WPPI for NEXT YEAR!

What happens in Vegas, doesn’t necessarily stay in Vegas… not when you’ve got thousands of photographers on site, ready to show their photographic proof of the events. But it’s all good…

WPPI stands for “Wedding and Portrait Photographers International,” and they certainly live up to their name. They hold an annual event in Las Vegas (which will be at the MGM Grand once again this year). There were well over 12,000 attendees at last year’s event. And there were over 365 exhibitors at their trade show.

I will be amongst the attendees again this year, and will be in Vegas from Sunday through Wednesday. And I won’t be alone, either… my sister-in-law, Maria, will be coming along for the ride. (You’ll get a full introduction to Maria soon enough, as she will be operating as my second shooter for various events.)

The WPPI event is awesome for many different reasons. It offers a chance to network with my peers and mentors. The tradeshow allows me to see all the various vendors and products at my disposal. And the seminars/classes give me the opportunity to learn new things and brush up on my skill set.

All of this just adds to the package deal of the Suitcase Studio.  I feel that it’s important to stay on top of things, be it trends in shooting techniques, software or simply being able to offer the best products for my clients. WPPI offers a great way to make myself into a better photographer and a better business woman.

I am leaving my laptop at home, so there won’t be any big posts here till my return. But if you would like to “join in” with our adventures along the way and get a sneak peek of some possible new products I might discover there, please follow me on my twitter account or facebook page, where I will be posting updates from my iPhone.

Wish Upon a Wedding is a new organization, dedicated to granting weddings and civil union ceremonies at destinations across the United States to couples facing life-threatening illnesses. It was recently founded by wedding planner Liz Guthrie of San Jose Wedding Consultants, with the hope that no couple should ever be denied the chance to marry the one they love.  Wish Upon a Wedding is the only organization of its kind in existence today.

By calling on a regional database of wedding vendors known as “Wish Granters,” the organization will be able to grant three types of weddings. How quickly the services are granted, and how detailed the weddings are, depends upon the Wish Recipient’s health condition.

“Many couples cannot afford to get married, due to overwhelming medical bills, particularly those who have been battling life threatening conditions, sometimes for many years,” says Guthrie. “Often a person is too sick to even leave their hospital bed, or they may be in hospice care,” explains Guthrie, “If their last wishes include marrying their partner who stood by them through their most difficult times, we want to help make that dream come true. What better way to celebrate love than with their closest friends and family, in one of life’s most significant ceremonies?”

——————-

I am pleased to announce that I have offered my photography services to Wish Upon a Wedding for the Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter, should the need arise.

There are ways that YOU can get involved, too… visit their website to see the many different ways that you can help. From donating your time, money or even your skills, there are many different ways to show your support for such a wonderful cause. If nothing else, you can simply spread the word of this wonderful organization.

* heading to the beach; a short 30-minute drive from my house.

* wandering the streets of Laguna Beach, camera in hand.

* the kindness of strangers… (I met a person who happened to be the window designer of a few local shops who pointed out a few great areas for photos that I might otherwise have missed.)

* cruising down PCH in the middle of December with the windows rolled down, blaring music from the New Moon soundtrack. (No laughing… it’s good music!)

*finding new beautiful places I’d never stopped to enjoy before.

And just so this post isn’t photo-less… Here you go:

These photos are to be used as part of an upcoming campaign for the Asian American/Pacific Islander Center, where they seek to spread the word about breaking through the “model minority myth.” (To learn about the Model Minority Myth, here is a great resource.)

This campaign is being used to try and BREAK the SILENCE about the stereotypes…trying to encourage people to stand up, break free and USE THEIR VOICE!  Encouraging people to express their individuality instead of contributing to the myths that continue to plague our society.

The models used for this shoot were all student volunteers. It was amazing to work with such an energetic group. I lost count of how many participants there actually were, since there would be a handful of students at a time before some rushed off for their next class and a handful of others appeared. I am totally grateful to EACH and EVERY ONE of them for taking the time to participate in such a wonderful event. (And extra thanks to SHARON for organizing the whole thing… and hiring me in the first place!) We shot mainly on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona, and then a handful of us headed to the downtown Pomona area to finish up for the day. (And a special THANKS to Sofie for letting me hitch a ride!)

The campaign will take place on campus early next year, followed by a gallery display in April… where MY images will be on display, along with work from a wonderful artist (Grace Alba). (FULL details to come later on THAT part of things.)

In any event, here are my favorite images from the day:

Woo-hoo!

I am super excited to be attending this year's WPPI conference in Las Vegas, and will be there from the 15th through the 18th. I'm looking forward to the trade show, to bring home lots of new goodies for myself…new lenses, filters, photoshop applications, etc.  I'll also be on the lookout for new vendors while I'm there; it's important to me to make sure I am using the highest quality lab/printers, and am offering the highest quality products to my customers.  I've got my eye on some new products I might be offering in the near future. 

While there, I'll also be attending several seminars. I'm always looking to expand my knowledge base and stay on top of current trends. There are SO many great classes to pick from, I am having trouble deciding. No matter what I choose, I'm sure it will be great.

Stay tuned for updates and specials coming soon!