The theme of this year's Photoshop World conference is based on the TV show, Project Runway.

From Black Rock City to Sin City… After spending an amazing week at Burning Man, it was time to book it to Vegas for another Photoshop World. We arrived on Monday night, and though the bus was in the Las Vegas area, we stayed at Mandalay Bay. We normally would just stay on the bus, but because Karen and I had such varying schedules, it was much more convenient to be at the hotel where the conference was taking place. Plus, Karen's family was visiting the city for vacation, and Karen wanted to be close to them. It was actually a friend-filled week, because our great friends Cherie and Chris, of Technomadia, came to Vegas after Burning Man as well and it was fun to hang out with them in the city. I also have some local friends who are always great to see when we roll in.

A view from The House of Blues Foundation Room on the top floor of Mandalay Bay.

The Photoshop World conference was jumpin' as usual. In fact, I heard attendance was up 400 from last year! The theme was "Project Photoshop," (same as six months ago in Orlando) and was based on the TV series, "Project Runway." As always, the NAPP gang put on an amazingly hilarious [and informative] keynote and rounded up a lot of new classes and instructors to present the sessions. I was excited to sit in on Dave Black's workshop on light painting, just to get another photographer's take on the technique. I taught classes on masking hair, stitching panoramas and using adjustment layers.

My class on Adjustment Layers at Photoshop World.

After the conference wrapped up, I had yet another evening presentation at the Nevada Camera Club, where I gave a talk on shooting for Photoshop. The group at the NCC was great, and they all really enhoyed the event.

Another view from The Foundation Room.

During the course of the week, we got to spend a lot of time with Karen's family, who were also staying at Mandalay Bay. We discovered an excellent place there called the House of Blues Foundation Room, which was located on the very top floor and offered incredible views of the strip. The interior was also designed beautifully, in a rich Asian style with dim lights, Buddha statues and oriental rugs.

Me, Karen and her parents after a dinner at the China Grill in Mandalay Bay.

Overall, the week in Vegas was well-spent, but a bit hectic. We're looking forward to spending some quiet time working and getting caught up. It looks like the next stop will be St. George, Utah. More to come…