Monday, October 28, 2013

Trade Show Fun

by Carol A.


This time of year brings an annual treat - The PDN (Photo District News) PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo. It's billed as "the largest photography and imaging show in North America." This year it was even more fun for me, since my daughter recently landed a job in New York and an apartment across the river. So I got to start my days with a kiss from my daughter and a ferry ride across the Hudson to The Big Apple. It was perfect fall weather for it. I made my way to The Javitz Center each day joining 24,000 other photography lovers!


The Jacob Javitz Convention Center

On Thursday I took classes, with the best being a morning with Julieanne Kost, of photoshop tutorial fame. She was an entertaining and informative speaker, and I took lots of notes. I took a second class on retouching, but I hadn't realized that it would focus on fashion photography. That was fun to listen to, but less informative for the type of shooting I do.





But, let's face it - the best thing about trade shows is wandering the trade floor! You can look and handle almost anything you've ever heard of that has to do with photography. You can try the HUGE lenses, you can page through the books on publishers' tables. You can, as I always do, bring a list of things you're interested in exploring and speak to their manufacturers' reps, while all around you sponsored speakers are competing for your attention. 


The trade floor!

Lindsay Adler's body-painted models were there.

My measly attempt at high fashion photography.

Candy was staged everywhere this year.

All of these displays are there for the shooting.  You can try it with your own camera, or try their cameras with lenses you could never afford. It's wild! 


And then there are the sponsored galleries by Canon, Nikon, Sony and other equipment manufacturers. Their world traveling photographers as well as award-winning works from other photographers are everywhere to stroll through.

On Friday our FOL friend Michele Yacovello and I left in the afternoon for a visit to The International Center for Photography up on the Avenue of the America's. Those wonderful depression era photos of the skyscrapers being built are there - amazing! 

I hopped a cab at the end of the day and eventually made my way back home with a huge plastic Nikon-emblazoned bag full of enough product-literature to keep me busy reading all winter! Wish you all could have been there!






8 comments:

Dotti said...

Oh, gosh, Carol! I wish I could have been there, too! It's sounds like a real photographer's playground. What fun we would all have going together, wouldn't we? {Thinking of our little trip to Calumet!}

terriporter said...

Oh, Dotti is right! What a great time we would have all had there together! It sounds like heaven! Maybe we'll have to plan a little field trip there next year!

CarolHart said...

Wow, how wonderful! I've never been but have heard it is just fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing!

Carol said...

"Photographers playground" is perfect Dotti - that's exactly what it was. It happens again in Los Vegas at some point, for those of you wwho are close.

Linda said...

How fun to be able to try some of the unaffordable equipment! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!

GailO said...

Definitely a field trip for next year!

Kim Stevens said...

Carol, how incredibly fun!! I would love to go to one of these...need to check that out for Houston! Gosh, could you imagine all us of together THERE...we would never leave! lol

Love those body painted models - I bet that was fun to shoot! Great post!

kelly said...

how cool is this carol! amazing photos from the show. definitely sounds like a fun way to spend a day!

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