Professionals in any industry know the importance of making time for professional development, right? That holds true even for self-employed business owners and entrepreneurs! We can always get better, and there is always more to learn.
Each year, I block out time for my own professional development so I can provide exceptional service as a wedding photographer in an ever-changing industry. Not only am I passionate about my work and my business, but my clients deserve it!
Wedding MBA Conference
So, this year, I attended the Wedding MBA (Merchants Business Academy) Conference in Las Vegas for the first time! I’m so glad I did. It was amazing to see people from all parts of the wedding industry: planners, invitation designers, makeup artists, and even officiants, just to name a few. The event gave me the opportunity to network with other amazing vendors as we checked out the expo together and attended some helpful seminars. I learned all about the hottest wedding trends as well as the slightly less exciting but equally necessary sessions on running a modern business! As one of the largest wedding industry conferences in the nation, I had a great time getting the chance to hang out with some of my vendor friends as well.
Highlights
This conference was full of opportunities and fun experiences, but just to name a few of my favorite moments: Learning about better business practices from Mark Zucker, founder of Zookbinders // Being inspired by well-known photographer Salvatore Cincotta in better posing, lighting, and shooting techniques // And Alan Berg’s seminar on having a different outlook when it comes to your competition and carving your own niche in your industry. I also had a chance to practice night photography and hike at Red Rock Canyon, which is something I had been wanting to do for a long time.
I was able to pull so much from this conference to incorporate into my own photography, and I can’t wait to implement some of the techniques for my own wedding clients. Stay tuned – you might even be able to recognize some of this awesome techniques in upcoming shoots!
