PhotoPlus Expo New York City 1st Day Observations: 5 Trade Show Booth Suggestions

The PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo’s 26th annual trade show is in full swing, and as usual, it’s impressive, both for the trade show offerings, as well as the excellent seminars in lecture halls off the show floor. It appears to me that there are fewer companies showing their goods and services this year compared to last year, but the offerings are vast, and include the gamut, from tripods to DSLRs, to Photoshop action sets and much more. It’s like a candy store for photographers and those who love to look at pictures. And be sure to check out the seminar offerings.

In the interest of time (and sleep), I will post photos to go with many of these after the show is over. Until then, here’s a small sampling of what impressed me greatly when I was there on Thursday 10/22/09.

1. Blurb (Booth #361) My mouth was wide open saying words like “amazing” and “holy cow” when I saw the incredible books made by Blurb from imagery and text submitted by their clients. The hardbound wraparound photo covers have such a nice look and feel. Coupled with the high quality printing and impressive design of so many of the books, it was a joy to look at the collections of images.

website: http://www.blurb.com

2. Canon (Booth #120,220) Canon’s booth is huge, and includes a stage with rotating presentations by many notable photographers. Another great thing about this showx, as with many other camera manufacturers, is the ability to hold and try out just about any current model camera body and lens that the company offers. Also, don’t miss the huge panoramic print by George Lepp on the wall. It is an HDR stitched panorama made from 66 images (shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and printed on the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF9100 inkjet printer.

website: http://www.canonusa.com

3. Epson (Booth #805) Epson always shows truly impressive work on the walls, and this year is no exception. One photo on the wall by Stephen Wilkes printed on Epson Exhibition Fiber is so riveting both in content and color that I could not take my eyes off it. Look for the blue photo–it’s not that big, but you can’t miss it. You can also see the new Epson Stylus Pro 3880 17-inch-wide printer, as well as some prints made using the printer. The black and white imagery from the 3880 and the Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and 9900 are pretty spectacular.

website: http://www.epson.com

4. Hahnemühle (Booth #754) The sheer number of fine-art papers in the Hahnemühle booth is staggering. Whether you use an inkjet printer or not, I highly recommend taking some time to look at the following in their booth:

• A truly outstanding black and white portfolio of prints of Japan by Craig Stevens. They were printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. The company recently announced a heavier weight version of the paper–Photo Rag Baryta FB 350gsm.

• A beautifully made sample book (about 11×17 in size and located near the coatings display). It contains most if not all of their fine-art papers, including their new Sugar cane paper.

• Hahnemühle Gallerie Wraps Canvas stretching system.

website: http://www.Hahnemuhle.com

5. Moab Paper (Booth #630) Moab recently unveiled some great looking portfolio books named ICE NINE, in 8×9 and 12×13 inch format. Also, the company has a great sample rack with their entire photo line. I made a print for their booth this year, and the company printed up a card with one of my photos and a partially excerpted tip from my book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques. I also recommend checking out the Moab Somerset Photo Satin 300 paper, as well as the amazing botanical image by Barbara Bordnick printed on the company’s Moenkopi Japanese Washi. Very impressive.

website: http://www.moabpaper.com

The PhotoPlus Expo continues until 10/24/2009 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. Visit this page for more info or to register.