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If you attend WPPI each year, you know that we have some of the best educators in the industry who come to Las Vegas from all over the world to share their insights. Last year’s conference and trade show took place in August, leaving just 6 months between the 2021 show and the upcoming show in 2022 (Feb. 27-Mar. 3). During that time, we’ve listened to people in the photo community tell us about creatives they’ve met in a Clubhouse group, seen on Instagram, heard about on TikTok or connected with in person. And I’m proud that WPPI consistently has more new speakers in their curriculum than other photography conferences. Last year, we had 89 speakers, roughly a third of which were new speakers. This year we are excited to welcome 109 speakers, 24 percent of whom are new! We can’t profile all of them here, but let’s meet four new WPPI speakers we think should be on your radar—Dino Mosley, Esteban Gil, Russell Klimas and Jenn Bruno Smith.

portrait of Dino Mosley, a new WPPI 2022 speaker.
Dino Mosley.

Dino Mosley is a prominent photographer in the Los Angeles area who is creating fashion portraits, modeling portfolios and headshots. He specializes in manipulating lighting to create dramatic shadows and to showcase subjects and their personalities. His work has been used by major brands including Nike, Zimmerman, Alice and Olivia, Zara and Lovisa Jewelry.

Arlene Evans: What, if any, new trends have you noticed in your areas of photography? 
Dino Mosley: I’ve noticed that portrait lighting seems to be going the same way as actor headshots in terms of the way shadows and such are being used. Fashion photography is getting more simplified to focus on the wardrobe and be less about the overall environment. 

A fashion portrait by Dino Mosley.
© Dino Mosley

AE: What classes are you teaching at WPPI and what are some top takeaways you want attendees to leave your class with? 
DM: I’m teaching one class and facilitating a Photo Walk.  The class is titled “Winning Fashion, Beauty and Portrait Setups” and one of the big takeaways will be how to take portrait lighting and use it to create fashion and beauty images.  We’re also going to explore how to use different modifiers for shooting fashion images. In my Photo Walk, titled “Critical Components of Using Natural Light”, we’ll be focused on manipulating natural light to create stunning portrait photos.  This should be fun because we will be pulling from what’s around us and using shade to create shadows.   

AE: Which piece of new equipment or software is crucial to your business? 
DM: My latest favorite is my Canon R5 camera.  The face and eye-tracking feature tracks the subject and that significantly reduces the number of images that are out of focus and the photographer doesn’t have to move as much.   

AE: What advice do you have for new photographers in the industry? 
DM: Learn your camera equipment first and then work on your lighting.  If you don’t know your equipment, you won’t know how to control the settings. This lack of knowledge will result in limiting your outcomes. Knowing the settings lets you tell the camera what to do in terms of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Because lighting can change the overall look and mood of an image it’s important to get a handle on that too. 

AE: If not a photographer, what would have been your career choice? 
DM: I have been a professional trainer for decades training athletes, celebrities, and the average person.  Taking care of your health and fitness is the most important thing that you can do. I’m also concerned about the wear and tear that photography work has on the physical frame.

    

portrait of WPPI 2022 speaker Russell Klimas.
Russell Klimas.

Russell Klimas, a photographer and web developer from Colorado Springs, is always testing the possibilities of light painting. He is known for his light painting portraits and drone work, creating light painting images among the stars. We got to know more about Russell when he answered our questions below: 

AE: What photo genre do you specialize in and what new trends have you noticed in that area? 
Russell Klimas: I specialize in light painting photography of all sorts, whether it’s portraits, cars, or drones. I’m about it. As for trends, probably the most popular style is using tubes. 

Russel Klimas specializes in light painting.
© Russell Klimas

AE: What classes are you teaching at WPPI and what are some top takeaways you want attendees to leave your class with? 
RK: I’m teaching classes on light painting portraits, one being a seminar and the other a Photo Walk. The biggest takeaways I want people to have would be:  

1. Have a greater understanding of what’s possible in-camera.  

2. Spark an interest to learn light painting and hopefully get people as obsessed as I am.

AE: Which piece of new equipment or software is crucial to your business? 
RK: When it comes to light painting, having a solid flashlight (even better, having multiple flashlights) is one of the most important pieces of equipment to have, as it is what illuminates the majority of light painting tools.

AE: What advice do you have for new photographers in the industry? 
RK: Don’t be afraid of trying anything and try everything! The worst thing you can do is not try something that you might fall in love with.  

AE: If not a photographer, what would have been your career choice? 
RK: As I’m currently someone who just does photography for fun, it would be cyber security which is what I’m currently studying.  

WPPI 2022 speaker Esteban Gil.
Esteban Gil.

Esteban Gil is a Guilford, Connecticut, based wedding photographer and educator. Through his Steel and Flint Society workshops and corresponding community, Esteban has cultivated an environment that fosters growth through education, group discussions, artistic challenges, unlimited access to guidance and advice, and friendships.  

Esteban Gil specializes in wedding photography.
© Esteban Gil

AE: What photo genre do you specialize in and what new trends have you noticed in that area?  
Esteban Gil: I specialize in wedding photography, and I’m excited about the direction the industry is heading! I feel like it has become tremendously more inclusive and accessible to artists that may not have had the means to start a career in it! I see so many young photographers be successful by utilizing things like Facebook groups and social media to propel their careers and nothing makes me happier! 

AE: What classes are you teaching at WPPI and what are some takeaways you want attendees to leave your class with?
EG:  I am teaching two classes on the unconventional use of off-camera flash! Creativity sometimes comes from breaking the rules we are taught, and I enjoy using flash and modifiers in ways they’re not necessarily intended. I would love attendees to leave knowing that OCF is not as scary as everyone thinks it is and that it can actually be fun as a creative tool!  

AE: Which piece of new equipment or software is crucial to your business?  
EG: Besides the obvious, the one piece of hardware I absolutely cannot live without during my weddings is my trusty Magbox! One software I cannot live without is Aftershoot. A.I. culling has made my post workflow so much smoother!  

AE: What advice do you have for new photographers in the industry?  
EG: I love the quote “Be motivated by the fear of being average” because I’ve always taken that saying to heart. We live in a world where trends are overwhelmingly in your face and while they may be great at times in our industry, being motivated by the idea that you don’t need to be like everyone else is something that will help you become independently creative. Lose sleep over your work looking like everyone else’s work!  

AE: How do you promote your work on social and what marketing techniques do you employ?  
EG: I am a huge proponent in the photography community and helping others, which is why I founded a Facebook community called the “Steel and Flint Society”—it helps others grow within the wedding photography industry!  

For my own weddings, I’m active on all social media channels so a lot of my inquiries generally come through there. I also practice the art of the same-day edit. I book most of my other weddings by editing 50-150 images during dinner and displaying them before the end of the wedding! It’s a huge hit and gets the attention of family and friends that are guests!  

AE: f not a photographer, what would have been your career choice?  
EG: I truly believe I’m doing exactly what I was meant to do by documenting weddings. With that being said, I would have probably ended up doing something with graphic design!  

WPPI new speaker Jenn Bruno Smith.
Jenn Bruno Smith.

Jenn Bruno Smith is a boudoir photographer, photography educator, wife and mom based in Middletown, Delaware. For Jenn, there is nothing more rewarding than making her clients feel as gorgeous as they really are. 

AE: What photo genre do you specialize in and what new trends have you noticed in that area? 
Jenn Bruno Smith: I specialize in boudoir. There are new trends that pop up all the time, however my brand is so successful because I am consistent in the work I produce. I stay true to my brand, so clients know exactly what they are getting when they hire my studio. 

Jenn Bruno Smith specializes in boudoir photography as shown here in example of model in front of light swirl.
© Jenn Bruno Smith

AE: What classes are you teaching at WPPI and what are some top takeaways you want attendees to leave your class with? 
JBS:  I am teaching my 5k IPS sales strategy and two photo walks on couples’ boudoir.  

5k sales strategy takeaways:  

1. Having a system and a bullet proof investment menu leads to success  

2. Knowing when and how to address objections  

3. How to close a sale with silence  

Couples’ boudoir photo walk 

1. How to shoot to sell for couples 

2. How to give posing direction professionally and clinically yet still elicit emotion and passion from your clients  

AE: Which piece of new equipment or software is crucial to your business? 
JBS: I shoot with a Nikon D850, a 24-70mm f/2.8, lens and an SB-5000 speed light.  

AE: What advice do you have for new photographers in the industry? 
JBS: Hire a mentor who has a business like the one you want to have. 

AE: How do you promote your work on social and what marketing techniques do you employ overall? 
JBS: I post one or two times a day on TikTok and IG Reels. I try to post three to five stories per day. Video marketing is super powerful, and I use it to my advantage. I teach a multi-tiered marketing system which is basically doing eight to ten different marketing outreach strategies all at once. I teach my students to do one, get good at it, outsource or automate it and then continue on to the next thing. 

AE: If not a photographer, what would have been your career choice? 
JBS: I used to be a speech pathologist, so this is actually my second career. If I could do any other job, it would be a physician. 

There’s still time attend classes by WPPI 2022 photo educators! Register HERE for the show, taking place Feb.27-Mar.3. See the full list of classes and speakers HERE.

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