We’re thrilled to be exhibiting at WPPI, held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (Booth #124). But we realize that many of you can’t make it to the show. So we’ve planned a little something extra this week for everyone who follows our show coverage.

WPPI attendees leaving the Conference Center after class. Photo by Derrick Story.

Each day during the show (Mon. – Wed.), we’ll give away one Lowepro bag. To throw your hat in the ring, all you have to do is comment on a daily blog post about the event (starting with this one), or comment on a post about WPPI on the Lowepro Facebook Page. You can do both if you’re so inclined.

We’ll announce all three winners (and the bag each won) at the end of the week. As always, this is void where prohibited. Stay tuned over the next 3 days as we report on the people and events at WPPI. And maybe you’ll have a little Las Vegas luck… no matter where you are.

Derrick Story is the Photography Evangelist for Lowepro.

We’ve had so much fun working with the some photographers from SmugMug San Diego. A SmugMug User Group (SMUG) is a mug-to-mug gathering of photographers.

A SMUG is a place where you can learn, teach and meet up with other photographers who share a passion for photography. SMUGs are a great way to connect with other local photographers. With groups from Hawaii to London, SMUGs are all over the world.

A few months ago, we asked them to test a few products out for us and let us know what they thought. So, we gave them a handful of bags from our new line, the Event Messenger Series and what we got back was so much more than what we expected. The feedback was invaluable, the images were spectacular, the video was fantastic and the lasting relationship is priceless.

Make sure to check out the great work done by the participating photographers, Jason de Alba, Angela Powell Wolfe, Andrea Garvin, Tracy vanDam, and David Crewe.

Our thanks go out to John Paul Caponigro for sharing his expertise on the Art of Traveling during his webinar today. For any of you who missed this educational and inspirational event, we’ll provide a brief recap below. You can experience the complete webinar in a few days on our web site. Visit our Ask the Pro page for information on this, past and upcoming webinars.

John Paul discussed how he prepares for making the most of a photography adventure, both physically and mentally. He touched on a crucial first step: the art of packing. He focused on choosing the right camera bag to make the journey easier. Two of his favorite Lowepro bags are the Pro Roller x100 (wheels are a good thing!) and CompuDay Photo 150.

He also shared his secrets on the creative components of traveling: research, goal setting, storytelling and journaling. Each of these components is core to the adventures he takes and workshops he leads in some of the most beautiful and remote places on the planet. You’ll want to see the sites he searches, apps he uses and books he looks to for guidance.

An internationally renowned fine artist, John Paul is based in Cushing, Maine. Learn more about his imagery, workshops, newsletter and upcoming trips by visiting his web site.

Robert Beck catches an epic snowboarding moment

Winter X Games POV from Robert Beck

This just in!

Two more over-the-top and cool images from sports photographer Robert Beck.

You can see that Aspen is the place to be this weekend for the pinnacle in winter action sports and athletic artistry. Thanks so much for taking time to share this with us, Robert.

Robert Beck sent us these fabulous images straight from Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado where he is covering the 16th annual Winter X Games. More than 200 of the world’s best athletes in skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling take part in this four-day competition.

Check out these photos: a shot from the men’s slopestyle elimination, plus one of Robert with his gear—that’s a Pro Runner 450 AW backpack in the foreground) one of his Lowepro go-to bags).

Robert’s impressions of covering this event? He shares them here.

“All work and no play! The X Games are all about long days. We start at 9am and get home at 11pm. We got about ten inches of snow Thursday night and it’s a beautiful morning today. The games are almost a sensory overload—there’s always something going on. Shooting guys hucking mega ramps on skis? Shooting guys doing flips on snow mobiles?
Yes. So much action. So little time!”

It’s safe to say that we are more than a little excited (make it ecstatic!) to share an incredible football image with you today.

(C) Robert Beck/Sports Illustrated

It’s courtesy of our Loweprofessional friend, Sports Illustrated staff photographer and all-around great guy Robert Beck.

Robert covered the playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints last Saturday, January 14.

He captured this stunning shot of the 49er Vernon Davis making the game-winning “grab” at the goal line during the last nine seconds. And he landed the cover of the January 23 issue of the magazine.

This Sunday, January 22 (3:30 pm PST) is the NFC Championship game and Robert will be on the sidelines in Candlestick Park again.

(C) Robert Beck/Sports Illustrated

He even told us to share this with you: “I’ll be there waving to any Lowepro-wearing fans.” That’s a cool promise.

Check out Robert’s cover shot in Sports Illustrated and see more of his thrilling, jaw-dropping and intimate sports images on his web site.

Thank you for being so generous, Robert. And Go Niners (with respect to all New York Giants fans that are Lowepro fans, too.)!

Today we want to send out a big thank you to Ed Heaton for educating us on Creating the Extraordinary during our webinar co-hosted with Nik Software. Here’s a short recap in case you could not attend. You’re invited to check back in a few days and watch Ed’s webinar in its entirety at your leisure. Just check our Ask the Pro page for postings of past webinars and sign-ups for upcoming events.

As Ed told us, choosing a solid, dual-purpose photo backpack for an outdoor shoot is a critical starting point. His choice: the Pro Trekker 400 AW. You’ll find out how he equips for a day out shooting landscapes and the beauty of nature when you tune into the webinar. He also likes slings and shoulder bags for his street shoots.

Other highlights include: shooting RAW using auto focus and manual exposure modes; getting the maximum depth of field with Ed’s ideal ISO setting; why one of his favorite tools is a tripod; and Ed’s hallmark topic: the fundamentals of good light.

Ed Heaton specializes in landscape, nature and travel photography and is based in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

To learn more about his work, please visit his site.