Oh my goodness – I’m so excited for the next two weeks of my life! That’s because I’m going to spend almost each day learning & getting Great-Dane-sized doses of inspiration from some of the world’s best photographers – at not one, but two professional photography conferences!

That’s right – conferences, for photographers like me! Because as it turns out, running a photography business doesn’t mean that all I do is just take pictures all day! Haha! No, it’s much more than that (unfortunately & fortunately, depending on the day). As my fellow entrepreneurs know, owning a business means wearing many hats: I do accounting, marketing, product design, client communication, advertising and networking every day – not to mention maintain a commercial studio space. Oh, and sometimes I get to take photos, too! :)  So these conferences are all about education & inspiration for the business and photography sides of the photography business!

The first conference is called United. It’s a relatively small gathering (just several hundred of us) taking place in Santa Barbara, CA, and I’ve never attended it before – so I’m definitely excited to meet a bunch of new people & see what United is all about! I hear they’ll keep us really busy – as in, shoots starting at sunrise, fun classes & seminars all day, and impromptu shoots & talks going until as late as 10 pm! Whew! I think 3 days of that schedule is about all I can handle, haha – thank goodness it’s not any longer or else I’d run the danger of being “that kid” caught sleeping in class! :)

The second conference I’m attending is called Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI), and it’s happening in Las Vegas, baby! :)  I went to WPPI last year too, and well, to call it “mind-blowing” is an understatement. I learned sooooo many ways to run smoother business operations & serve my clients better! And at this conference, in addition to lots of great classes, is the world’s largest photography trade show. The expo is epic; a madhouse taking up the space of several football fields with booths from literally hundreds of companies like labs, software makers, and equipment suppliers (like Canon, for example) will be there to answer my questions! So. darn. awesome. And – really the best part about this conference – my hubby gets to join me this year!! Since San Diego is a quick drive from Vegas, Mr. Shamrell is hopping in the car with me so we can take it all in together! He’s not my employee per se, but I consider him my business partner and don’t make any big decisions without consulting his input first, so having him there with me will be simply fantastic. (I may or may not already have a color-coded schedule, divvying-up the classes we’ll attend together and the one’s I’m deploying him to so he can take notes for me. Just saying.)

Here are a few iPhone photos of last year’s expo:

As a pet photographer, I’ll definitely be in the minority at both conferences. (Like… by a lot.) There just aren’t nearly as many pet photographers as there are wedding, family, baby & senior high school photographers. Even boudoir & maternity photographers, too. And that’s okay! I’m part of a quickly-growing industry and I’m thrilled to be at the forefront of that growth. So as it turns out, none of the classes I’m attending are actually geared towards pet photography, but that’s okay – there’s so much to learn from other industries. I’ve learned tips from practically every other genre of photography; just because there’s not a dog in front of someone’s camera doesn’t mean they have nothing to teach me. All the photographers I’ll be learning from run their own studios in addition to taking time out to educate other photographers; they’re such an inspiration & I can’t wait for everything to start! (Haha can you tell I’m beyond excited?!)

Here’s a quick list of classes I already know I’ll be attending:

~ Perfect Studio Design: Designing a Creatively Inspired Home Studio or Gallery Space You and Your Clients Will Love

~ Explode Your Business by Spoiling Your Clients

~ Create Community Instead of Customers

~ #marketingswagger

~ The Business of Being You

Oh man. Even just typing those class titles makes me a little bit giddy.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that literally every part of my business improves when I attend a conference, as I have for each of the past 3 years. And this year I’m so lucky to be able to attend two conferences! They’re not cheap – in fact, they’re a significant part of my yearly budget – but they’re an investment I don’t question. I know great things are in Allison Shamrell Photography, Inc.‘s future!

Check out the Facebook page and my Instagram account for updates from the road! Like & follow them both to catch all the action! I’ll post photos, thoughts, maybe some notes from classes – and I might even let you know my luck at the blackjack tables.  :)

And if you know the best places/attractions to visit in Vegas, please leave a comment & let me know! We’re open to any/all suggestions. (Especially if they’re regarding buffets…)

Cheers – to two straight weeks of education, development & fun! Thanks for joining me here on the blog!

Tags: San Diego, San Diego Dog Photographer, San Diego pet photography, studio