Needless to say, last night’s first Collages.net Austin CLASS meeting had some very information-hungry photographers! It amazes and saddens me how many new and seasoned photographers feel like they’re completely alone out there. Which is why I decided to have us do headshots of each other to help break the ice!

Afterwards, we had food and drink, then sat down to talk about the real meaning behind our CLASS meetings. I stressed that we are here to help each other build up our businesses. Even though we are competition, we learn from each other and improve our skills which enhances the experience for our clients. So many times, I’ve heard and repeated that there are no secrets in business. And it’s so true! With that out there, everyone was extremely excited to be apart of something that will grow and make a huge positive impact in the photography community. Everything from experienced photographers to beginning shutterbugs, all of us getting together to help each other grow. What a thought ;)

Anyway, our meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month. We have a Facebook Group that you can join if you’re interested. We’d love to have you!

I travel… a lot. I’m always excited to see new places, make new friends, and learn things outside of my comfort “bubble”. It’s how we grow, right? Why go through life thinking the same old thing or seeing things in the same old way?

A lot of my travels are usually work-related, whether it’s for destination weddings or other photography adventures. Recently, Sophia and I found ourselves in Las Vegas again for WPPI. As fun and educational an international professional photography convention can be, networking, traveling, hanging out, and all that walking will eventually take it’s toll on you.

So it’s time for a little “us” time. We decided to stay an extra day in Vegas, after all of our old friends and new friends had boarded planes back to their various homes and countries. And it was so worth it. We slept in, the curtains to our suite shut tight so as to maximize as much snoozing as possible. Eventually, we ventured out into the sights and sounds of the city. First, making our way to the shark reef at Mandalay Bay. Then taking a relaxing walk to past the Aria to the Bellagio.

After having spent all this time networking with my vendors and friends, staying out late, eating fabulous dinners, hosting amazing parties, all we needed to recharge our batteries was to hold hands and take a relaxing walk through the city.

It’s times like these that you have to tune out all the noise of daily life and think about why you’re working so hard for what you want when all you need is right there in front of you. I love my wife and daughter, and I love my life. And it doesn’t matter what we have or where we are to keep me happy.

This is definitely an honor for me because they only pick about 40-50 photographers to speak/teach at this national convention. Also, it was my first time to ever be asked to speak professionally in front of professional photogs. Wow, lucky bid, right?

My Master Class is called “Go Where Your Clients Are”, which is geared towards helping studios navigate social media and using it to market their studios. This includes blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, etc. Plus, I also found out that not only is my class SOLD OUT, but I have attendees in my class all the way from Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Australia, Guatemala, Oxford, and Cabo!

Needless to say, I’m extremely humbled and extremely excited. I’ve made a lot of great friends over the years attending WPPI, and I can’t wait to make more friends from all over the world. I’m very grateful for everyone’s support, especially my vendors Canvas Press, MpactPhoto, and Collages.net. I’ll be posting updates on here, as well as on Facebook and Twitter, so enjoy the ride   :)

Thanks to everyone,

Dustin

I’m very excited to share with you an interview of me for WPPI 2010 explaining in detail my Master Class program “Go Where Your Clients Are”. Enjoy!