Some 15 years ago, I went to my first photography exposition
at the Pasadena Convention Center in California. I spent two days in
photographer’s bliss, attending seminars (such as learning how to care for your
film when out on an adventure), and pouring over all the latest gadgets and
goodies, like the then-new carbon fiber tripods.
Last week’s PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Javits Center in New York brought me back to that
blissful state, with four days filled with portfolio reviews, incredible
seminars, and exhibit hall filled with all the latest photo toys and an
incredibly fun print signing with Hahnemühle FineArt. If you’ve never been to a
photography convention or exposition, it definitely needs to be on every
photographer’s bucket list.
Over the next several posts, I’ll fill you in on all the
cool stuff New York, and PPE, had to offer. In the meantime, here are a few of
the highlights.
As you thumb through the latest issues of Shutterbug, Pop
Photo or Outdoor Photographer, there are lots of ads from companies selling a
plethora of photographic tools and gadgets. Many of which, your local camera
store doesn’t stock (unless you live in New York, and B&H Photo or Adorama
are your local outlets). So imaging plunking yourself into a 150,000-plus
square-foot hall, with every imaginable camera and accessory available for you
to touch and try before making a purchase, and the availability to buy at the
show with some sort of varying discount. A photographer’s dream come true? You
bet it is. It’s also a good way to max out your credit cards and fill your
luggage (as I found out first hand).
Expos also afford the chance to expand your photographic
horizons with seminars and mini workshops. Experts from throughout the world
are on stage to explain techniques, hidden software tricks and share their
business savvy, to help you grow as a photographer. In a matter of two hours, I
learned more about social networking and marketing that I had cultured in two
years on my own. I got to listen to, and meet some of photography’s greats such
as John Paul Caponigro, David LaChapelle and Seth Resnick. I also got to take
away a bevy of new techniques to try, and got answers to questions that I’d
been gnawing at for a long time.
One of the gems of PPE were the portfolio reviews, put on by
the Palm Springs Photo Festival folks. For a minimal fee, you get 20 minutes of
face time with magazine editors, gallery owners, photography reps, stock
agencies and other photo industry professionals. It’s a great way to get your
work in front of people who buy and sell photography on a daily basis. The
advice is invaluable, and you might walk right into an opportunity or two.
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