I’ve read great posts with useful tips for enhancing your Photoshop World Vegas experience, but not necessarily from a woman’s point of view. I want to throw out some extra tips for the sisters for future Vegas Photoshop Worlds.

Hair

Just out of curiosity, I googled “average Atlanta humidity” and discovered that my hair is accustomed to an average of 82% relative humidity in the mornings and 56% relative humidity in the afternoons. (If you’re a guy, stop laughing and go elsewhere—this post is not for you.) If you live in a location with low humidity, don’t worry: you obviously already know how to handle it. Vegas can be very hot—although it was quite comfortable this year—but the humidity can be 0%.

If you’re used to sweltering Southern heat and humidity, this may sound like pure bliss; however, you may discover, as I did last year, that your hair needs a certain degree of humidity to keep from being a mass of static electricity.

I’m Southern. I understand big hair and how it can be created, even beyond what nature personally intended for you. Although I rarely do it, I know how to back-comb. For girls in the South, it’s part of our roots (no pun intended). Here’s a picture of my mom, my sister, and I, circa mid-70s; as you can see, my mom was a master of the back-comb.

mom & girls

staticelectricityYou might get by styling your hair and applying heavy hairspray, if you’re fine with your hair being completely immobile (which I’m not). If you have fine hair and want to actually brush it while in Vegas without looking like this, here are my tips based on personal observation at this year’s conference:

  1. No styling products on wet hair: no mouse, gel, etc. Trust me on this.
  2. Styling products are okay on dry hair. Less is more.
  3. You’ll probably need to shampoo every day because you will be around people smoking throughout the hotel, and you’re not going to want to smell like that.
  4. If you brush your hair during the day, it will probably do the static electricity dance unless you spray your brush with hairspray before using.
  5. If you have naturally thick and amazing hair, you might not have to worry about anything but #3.

Shoes

No matter how hot it is outside, it will be freezing inside. Save your sandals for outdoor photo walks, but plan on wearing socks indoors. I would love to say that I was mature enough to wear tennis shoes (that’s sneakers for you Yankees), but we Southern girls have our pride (that’s vanity to you Yankees). Just be smart. You’ll be walking a lot, not to mention standing for at least 15-20 minutes in the morning Starbucks line.

Layers

No, I’m not talking about the magazine. Expect to be cold in classes, but warmer if you are walking or outside. Most days I wore short sleeves with a cardigan that I could take off and tie around my waist. Actually I wore the same cardigan every day, which also happened to be the one I took last year. It might henceforth be banned from my Photoshop World wardrobe.

Short sleeves are best if  you go to the After Hours party, because it’s crowded and you’ll want to dance, especially if you’re a child of the eighties like me. Scott Kelby’s band obviously shares my eighties time warp. They even played Midnight Star’s No Parking on the Dance Floor. Seriously!

In summary: make allowances for your hair if you’re accustomed to a humid climate; comfortable shoes and socks are a must; dress in layers because it’s cold inside and warmer outside. Most importantly, if you’re a lover of photography or Photoshop, beg, borrow, or steal your way to Photoshop World. It’s a not-to-be-missed experience!

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