We spend last week in Las Vegas for the annual Wedding & Portrait Photographers International convention or WPPI. I actually really hate Las Vegas and I wish the conference was held somewhere else, but this year was amazing! I am going to do a post tomorrow recapping everything I did but today I want to talk about 2 classes that really changed the way I feel about photography.
A few months ago I made the decision to switch back to film. I was going through a bit of a slump and was surfing the internet trying to find some inspiration. I came across Jose Villa’s blog, which I had been to before but that day I saw something different. Of course I knew Jose shoots film. He is the film guy! I spent the next few days immersed in other photographers blogs and I started to notice a crazy pattern. All the photographers whose work I really loved had one thing in common. FILM. How could film make such a difference? I spent the next few days reading and listening to every article and interview that these photographers had ever given. I was a bit obsessed actually. Alex thought I was crazy, but for the first time in a long time I felt like I knew what I wanted my business to be like. Most people think I am crazy, but I have no doubt it is the right decision for me and my business.
Ok, back to WPPI. There were very few classes I cared to attend this year but there were 2 I knew I did not want to miss. Elizabeth Messina and Jonathan Canlas. Both shoot film. Both are inspiring. Both are real. They both talked about shooting for the love of photography. They are both passionate about shooting film because they are making art not just pretty pictures. They have inspired me more that they will ever know and for that I thank them. They both have fabulous workshops that I want to go to. This year has been hard so I hope next year I can go (unless someone wants to donate to the cause!)
Elizabeth’s workshop is called a Lovely Workshop and it will be help in France at a Chateau. Yeah. A Chateau. Awesome right!?!?
Jonathan’s workshop I might just be able to pull off this year since it is in Park City, UT. I hope I can. I want to go so bad it is scary!!! His workshop is called Film Is Not Dead. He has a serious passion for film, the guy doesn’t even own a digital camera. WOW. He is totally awesome and such a nice guy too. I wish I would have known him when I lived in Utah.
And here is me sporting my FIND shirt in Vegas. Thanks Jonathan for hooking all of us up!!! I look super disgusting in this picture. Sorry for that!
Here are some more amazing film shooters:
Jose Villa
Elizabeth Messina
Jonathan Canlas
Jill Thomas
Leo Patrone
Jesse Leake
Go spend a few minutes being inspired!
6 comments
What a great post Tonya! I really would love to go to Elizabeth Messina’s workshop, it looks like heaven! BTW i love the picture of you!
wonderful, wonderful decision to begin shooting with film! you’ll find yourself inspired in ways you can’t imagine…film is amazing. thanks for sharing your journey!
I just came across your blog, I love your work. You should also check out Duston Todd and Tanja Lippert. Both film shooters.
[...] Just kidding, they are actually amazing photographers and incredible business men. Like I said a few days ago I also loved Elizabeth Messina and Jonathan Canlas. [...]
HA! I went through the exact same thing at WPPI! I signed up for all of these classes and walked into each one, one by one and realized they were ALL film shooters! I’m not ready to make the leap; I’ve only EVER shot on digital as a professional, but it really did kind of shake me up that the guys I so idolized were all filmers. I heard Canlas at the on the road show, and then I went to Jose Villa’s, Elizabeth Messina’s and Lisa Leftkowitz (sp?) platform classes… So inspiring. So beautiful. I missed the info on Messina’s workshop. I want to look that up now!
I really wasn’t sure about going to WPPI but I am SO glad I went. It was so inspiring and I have made so many positive changes for my business since I came back. Great post!
Rats! I just saw when I went over to Elizabeth’s link that the workshop was last year, and then I came back over here and saw this post was over a year old! Darn it!