My PhotoPlus Expo 2017 Quick Review: What to See and Do

The 2017 PhotoPlus Expo is upon us and once again it’s a fantastic show. As I had mentioned in my last post, this year is a bit different for me because I decided to exhibit this year (I’m in Booth #673), which has been a lot of fun. That means, of course, that I had much less time to spend on the show floor. However, I’d like to highlight a few booths that I highly recommend visiting a few things I recommend doing at the show.

I should probably start with a link to my 2016 PhotoPlus Expo Show Report, which you can find HERE, because most of the companies I highlight are at the show again this year.

Have Your Camera Checked and Cleaned for Free

Many of the camera companies at the show are offering to check your camera and clean the sensor for free. I’d recommend visiting your camera maker’s booth as soon as you get to the show to see if they are offering the service, and how long it will take. Remember that you won’t have a camera for that time period, so you might want to bring another camera if you want to use it for the many photo opportunities around the Expo.

Show Floor Presentations

There are many, many presentations happening throughout all three days of the show on the Expo floor. I would recommend checking online first to see what’s scheduled for the companies in which you are interested. If you can’t find the schedules posted, I would just take a photo of the schedules for any specific company when you first come into the show, then decide which ones you want to attend.

Two companies that I have schedule info for, and that I’d like to highlight are Canon (Booth #121) and Epson (Booth #707). I especially want to highlight Epson because of the outstanding speakers that both companies have at the show during their “Epson Print Academy.” For example, on Friday from noon-1pm Mac Holbert, a fantastic teacher and pioneer in the world of archival inkjet printing will be speaking at the Epson booth, followed by John Paul Caponigro, also a pioneer in the world of digital imaging and fine-art printing. Even years after it was published, I still highly recommend to my students and clients the video training series by Mac Holbert and John Paul Caponigro titled: Fine Art Digital Workflow, which you can find HERE.

Robert Farber Exhibition and Blazing Editions

At the Icon Gallery featuring the work of Robert Farber at PhotoPlus Expo. photo © Andrew Darlow

Last night there was a special event in the exhibition area in the Icon Gallery (Booth #1101, shown above during the event) highlighting the incredible work of Robert Farber. Farber was named the featured photographer in the Blazing Editions/ChromaLuxe Collaborator Series: 2017 Master on Metal, and the show should not be missed. I also highly recommend visiting Blazing Editions’ Booth (#665) at the show to see some massive, stunning images from John Paul Caponigro, Jay Maisel, and other outstanding photographers. You can read more about the exhibition HERE. There you will also find the other cities where the show will be traveling.

Now I need to jump in my car and get back to the show!

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All the best, thanks for stopping by, and I hope that you enjoy the show if you attend!

PhotoPlus Expo 2017 Returns to NYC – Free Expo Passes and Meet Me at Booth 673!

Hello! I’m excited to announce that I will be exhibiting under my new consulting company name, Andrew Darlow’s WorkflowSchool.com, at the PhotoPlus Expo 2017 in New York City next week from Thursday, 10/26 to Saturday, 10/28. If you haven’t visited the show before, it’s the largest photography trade show in North America, and it’s filled with photo- and video-related gear, free expo floor talks, model and still-life photo opportunities, and much more. I should also note that even if you can’t attend the show, you can sign up for updates on the show site (link is on the bottom right) to get news updates and special offers from PDN (Photo District News) and photo-related companies.

Free expo floor talks like this one at Sony’s booth is an example of what you can experience at the PhotoPlus Expo.

I’ve had the honor to speak at the show in the past on the topics of Lightroom and Inkjet Printing, and I thought this year would be a perfect opportunity for me to have a booth at the show so that I could answer any questions about the content in my new book, Focus and Filter (Ulysses Press), and let people know about how I might be able to help them with their workflow, from capture to print.

Yours truly holding an LED light unit at the PhotoPlus Expo 2016. Photo credit: Whitey Warner

With that, I have two items to share with you below. The first is a link to a free three-day trade show pass and 15% off the cost of a 1,3, or 4 day Conference Pass. However, the Conference Pass is completely optional. I’ve found the paid conference seminars to be excellent, but there are many educational opportunities available right on the show floor:

Click here for a link to a 3-DAY TRADE SHOW PASS

and the second is a link to set up a five minute quick meeting with me at my booth (#673). I have been to many trade shows, and it’s easy to start speaking with one person and have others waiting to talk to the same person. Instead, I decided to set up a system with more than 50 available times so that I could meet with a lot of people at the show. Feel free to bring a copy of any of my books if you’d like me to sign them…if you don’t mind the value of them possibly going down , and I’ll have copies of Focus and Filter available at the show for purchase.

Click here to schedule a FREE 5 MINUTE MEETING with me at the show. Everyone who meets with me will receive a WorkflowSchool.com backpack and some other goodies that I think you will really like. If you schedule a meeting, there is one question on the signup form re: whether you would like to purchase a copy of Focus and Filter at the show, so that I know about how many copies to bring.

A few sample images from Focus and Filter. Photos  © Andrew Darlow

Even if you decide not to meet with me at the show, or if the times are not good for you, please stop by Booth #673, and I may be free to chat. An assistant or I will be giving away empty sandbags and info from Focus and Filter on how to easily fill them. I decided to give away hundreds of sandbags at the show because I wanted to shed some light on the subject of using sandbags (especially when using light stands outside or to support backdrops). I’ve seen what can happen if sandbags are not used, and it can be especially dangerous if there are pets or children around.

And this year, for the first time, the PhotoPlus Expo will be co-located with the NYVR Expo. Your Expo pass allows you to see what they have on their show floor (Friday and Saturday are their trade show days). Feel free to share this post and/or the link to register for a free pass with your friends or family. Here’s a link to the show’s policies, including minimum age requirements for attendees.

If you’d like to see my Show Report from last year’s Expo, visit this page.

The PhotoPlus Expo only comes around once a year, and I hope to see you there!

All the best,
Andrew

P.S. If you’d like to download a PDF sample from Focus and Filter, which includes the Table of Contents and some tips from the book, visit this page.

P.P.S. I also welcome you to join any of our three Meetup Groups if you would like to be invited to attend other events like photo walks, workshops, etc. in the future.

https://www.meetup.com/The-Art-of-Photography-and-Photoshop/

https://www.meetup.com/nj-shore-shooters/

https://www.meetup.com/NY-NJ-Photoshoot-Club/

P.P.P.S. If you don’t receive my ImagingBuffet.com newsletter updates and would like to receive them, as well as some Lightroom and workflow videos, you can sign up here.

The QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning Returns to NJ July 28-30, 2017

It’s that time of year again in Central New Jersey! For the 35th year, the QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning is returning to Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ from Fri. July 28 to Sunday, July 30, 2017. There are always many photo opportunities at the show (especially when scores of balloons are in the air). And there are always a lot of interesting balloons to see. This year, they include the Angry Bird balloon, Simba the Lion (built to help build awareness and help stop the poaching of lions), and many more.

So when should you go? An evening ascension is planned for Friday afternoon (7/28) at 6:30pm, and morning and afternoon balloon ascensions are planned on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30 at 6:30am and 6:30pm. There is also a “Balloon Glow” during the Saturday evening concert that is usually an amazing sight to see. I would recommend taking a look at the weather forecast a day before the event to help you decide when might be best for you to attend.

From a morning ascension at the QuickChek NJ Festival of Ballooning. Photo © Andrew Darlow

What to Do at the Festival

There are many family-friendly events at the festival (including rides for kids), and there are MANY food options, including a multitude of food trucks and a “pop-up” QuickChek store. The bands that they have lined up look fantastic, and there are quite a few musical acts that play both day and at night (see the schedule for exact dates and times). You can either purchase reserved seats if you want to get close to the stage, or you can just enjoy the show from a lawn chair or blanket outside the main show area with your ticket to the festival since all of the concerts are held outdoors. I was there a few years ago for the Joan Jett concert, and she and her bandmates rocked the house!!

This year, for the first time, they are having a Friday Kids Concert with Laurie Berkner at 1:30pm. I know Laurie and her band’s music well because our son Tyler has enjoyed it for many years. They are also having a “Camp Package,” for the first time with special discounts for camp groups.

Special Opportunity for Amateur and Professional Photographers

On Friday morning 7/28 at 6:30am the festival organizers allow members of the press as well as amateur and professional photographers/videographers to attend a “Pre-Festival Media Launch” for no charge (parking is also free). To attend the festival after the media launch, you must then have a ticket and pay for parking in a separate area. I plan to attend once again on Friday morning to take photos with many other pro and amateur photographers and videographers. Experiencing the sun rising with the balloons all gathered in one place is truly breathtaking. Below is a self-portrait from a few years ago, taken with a GoPro camera. I’m sporting one of my favorite ways to carry my gear–using The Wedding Photographer’s Vest from TheVestGuy.com. Another favorite accessory (the Peak Design Capture PRO Camera Clip), allows my camera to hang securely from my chest. For more information, including parking instructions, see the bottom portion of this page on the festival’s website.

Ticket Information and Discounted Tickets

Regardless of which day you attend, there is a special discount available when you purchase tickets by end of day Wed. 7/26. Kids 3 years and under are free, and tickets for children 4-12 are about 50% less than the adult tickets.

Any general admission tickets purchased are valid for one day only. You can also avoid an online ordering fee by purchasing tickets at a QuickCheck store (here is a link to a page where you can search for a QuickChek location).

Join Our Meetup Group

I also posted a Meetup event for the Friday Media Launch over on this Meetup Group. You are welcome to join, and there’s no membership fee. I post events, workshops, etc. there from time to time (both local to the NY/NJ area as well as virtual events).