In a couple of weeks, one of the biggest photographic conferences and expositions will open its doors to over 24,000 professional photographers and enthusiasts, October 23rd through the 26th: PDN’s PhotoPlus Expo. The Javits Convention Center in New York (a mere 10-minute walk from Photo Mecca, B&H Photo) is the hub of four-days’ worth of photographic seminars, presentations and over 250 exhibitors showing thousands of pieces of photo gear.
Oh yeah, you bet I’m going.
Last year’s conference was amazing. I did a print signing with Hahnemühle FineArt, took in a bunch of seminars, had my portfolio reviewed by a few industry leaders, drooled over some of the latest photo toys (and bought some home), and got to hang with some renown shooters like George Lepp and John Paul Caponigro. It was a whirlwind four days, with my neck on a swivel, and I came home, pumped up and wanting to fill my memory cards to the brim.
The trip also afforded me the opportunity to spend a few hours ogling and pining over countless items of gear at B&H Photo. Every time I enter their glass doors, I feel like a 10-year-old being released in FAO Schwartz – taking everything in, yet on full sensory overload – running my wish list through my head and hastily adding new desires to the list. My wife gets a kick out of my many twists and turns in the store, with what she calls my, “Oohh! Shiny thing” maneuver.
This year promises to be bigger and better: More seminars, covering everything from the business of photography to the ins and outs of Lightroom; a fresh crop of cameras, accessories, printers, papers, and nearly every toy imaginable. As one of Hahnemühle’s featured artists this year, the company selected five of my images to display, four shots of Kilauea erupting and another of a Madagascar Gecko in Onomea. On Friday the 25th at 1 PM, I’ll be signing prints of Streaming Lava, and the first 50 people get a copy. Stop on by the booth, and we’ll talk story in pidgin. And yes, I’m going B&H again. But this time I’m wearing a bib!
Want to learn more about PhotoPlus? You can point your browser to www.photoplusexpo.com, or download their app at the Apple’s App Store, Google’s Play Store or Blackberry. I’ll see you in the Big Apple!