Response to Aileen

Aileen,

Thank you for the post.

I too went to WPPI back in like 03 or 04, and frankly I felt completely out of place, so much so I vowed to never return. I broke this vow, and returned last year, for a meeting which was outside the scope of the conference, and this time around felt even more out of place.
It felt to me like there were 15,000 people all doing the same thing, and this thing was not what I wanted to be doing.
However, I don't see this is a bad thing, only a different thing.
My background in photography is so different than the bulk of people attending that conference, that it is only logical for us to be on different pages.
I fit a small niche in this market, and I exist almost entirely outside the industry. I don't market, advertise or exist in any of the mainstream wedding venues, avenues, sites, etc.
So, what works for them, doesn't work for me.
But, weddings are only a small part of what I do.

The WPPI crowd is motivated, organized and successful, so you can learn much from them if you chose to do so. It might not be anything in terms of actual images, but marketing, advertising, etc.
And yes, you ARE being sold on hardware, software, etc, but that is what is driving the entire industry.
The photo business today is about technology and far less about photography. There has been, and will continue to be, a shift.

Lastly, NEVER be afraid to speak your mind. Your life is too short to skirt issues you feel strongly about. We owe it to ourselves, our business and industry to say how we feel.
Anyone you alienate, offend, etc, was probably not your real friend to begin with.