PhotoPlus Expo Returns to NYC This Week, and a Quick Review of the Mobile App
One of the highlights of my year is the PhotoPlus International Expo + Conference, held in New York City. This is the 30th Anniversary of the show, which is being held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center from 10/23-10/26, 2013 (trade show runs from 10/24-10/26). Over the last 20+ years I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of the event in many ways, from being an attendee (like most of the 20,000+ people who are expected to attend this year), as an exhibitor, as a speaker and as a member of the Press. All of the experiences have contributed to my love for photography and my overall education. It’s also been a place where I’ve met and have had a chance to catch up with many of the people whom I respect and with whom I’ve become good friends.
Quick Review: PhotoPlus Mobile App
This year, the company who runs the Expo built a new app for iOS, Android, Blackberry and other Smartphones to make the experience of finding everything at the show a lot easier. I downloaded the iOS version for my iPhone and found it fast, easy to navigate and extremely useful. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to go to the main website in the past and hunt around to find the trade show hours, or information about the Keynotes, seminars, special events, etc. The fact that all the exhibitors are listed both alphabetically and by product category (with their booth number just under their name) is fantastic, and you can even press the star in the top left of just about any page to add it to your Favorites (a list of Favorites will then be visible on the page for each category (Exhibitors, Seminars, Special Events, etc.), as well as under the Star on the main page of the app (you can find it just under Special Events)).
The main page of the PhotoPlus Mobile App
The main Exhibitor Page of the App
A “Show Special†section of an Exhibitor Page
There is even an option to view “Exhibitors with Show Specials,” and if you click through, the specific show special will be listed. If you are really organized, you can press the “Add to Agenda” button on any exhibitor page to bring up a calendar where you can insert the item into whatever time slot and on whatever date you choose.
To download the PhotoPlus Mobile App, visit this page: https://app.photoplusexpo.com/landing/
Quick Tip for Testing Lenses and Cameras at the Show
The ability to see different papers, print processes, try out different cameras, lenses and other equipment on the show floor are main reasons why many people come to the show, and I highly recommend bringing a few extra SD and/or CF cards to put in any cameras that you’d like to test out. Also have a safe and dust-free place for your current lens to go while you are testing a lens (or better yet, just keep a body cap on your lens, and place it in a small zipper bag to keep dust at a minimum while you are testing lenses).
Related Articles
Below are articles with my “First Day Impressions” and “Second Day Impressions” from last year’s show (Oct. 2012). The vast majority of the companies listed in the articles below will be there again this year, so this information can be very useful for planning your walk through the trade show.
https://imagingbuffet.com/2012/10/26/photoplus-expo-2012-first-day-impressions-from-the-show-floor/
https://imagingbuffet.com/2012/10/27/photoplus-expo-2012-second-day-impressions-from-the-show-floor
And here are links to two more articles from past shows:
https://imagingbuffet.com/2009/10/23/photoplus-expo-new-york-city-1st-day-observations-5-trade-show-booth-suggestions/
https://imagingbuffet.com/2010/10/29/2010-photoplus-expo-review-day-1/
As in the past, I’ll be posting my thoughts and sharing photos from the show floor on Facebook and Twitter. I will also be sharing links to information like booth presentation schedules from different exhibitors. The amount of information you can learn at the talks happening on the show floor is truly incredible. You can keep updated by “Liking†my page here and/or by following me on Twitter here.
Enjoy the show, and if you see me running around the show floor, please say hi!
Link to the main page for the PhotoPlus International Expo + Conference.
Two Upcoming Lightroom 5 and Printing Workshops in Long Island, New York, and special offers that end on Mon. 9/9
Hello and happy almost end of Summer! The very cold weather is not something I’m looking forward to, but that’s for another blog post and season! It’s been a while since I’ve announced my workshops here on ImagingBuffet.com (I often announce them on my Facebook Page at facebook.com/andrewdarlow and on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewdarlow if you’d like to connect).
Even though I mentioned it on Facebook and Twitter, I wanted to make sure that I tell everyone here about the “early bird” offers that will expire at midnight tonight for two of my upcoming workshops in Long Island, New York on Sat/Sun November 9 and 10, 2013. I’ve been doing similar workshops on Lightroom and Printing for many years, and I look forward to sharing many of the new tools and features that can be found in Adobe’s Lightroom 5, as well as many of my “tried and true” printing and “screen to print” color matching secrets. If you are unsure at this time whether you are free on either of those dates, there’s no risk because  a 100% refund is given for cancellations made by 10/10/2013 (50% by 11/3 or 11/4 depending on which workshop you reserve).
In this photo, I’m demonstrating a few things things during a full-day workshop in New Jersey: the look and feel of a specific inkjet-printable canvas material mounted on an easy-to-assemble stretcher bar kit; and the importance of lighting in a gallery, home, etc.
In this image, I’m demonstrating the differences between two different inkjet papers during a full-day workshop in New Jersey. I’m also demonstrating the value of using a standard calibration image for print testing.
WORKSHOP TITLES AND LINKS
Monday, 9/9 is the last day to save over 20% on my 2.5 hr. workshop: “Lightroom Printing Techniques for In-Home/In-Studio & Pro Lab Printers” being held from 2-4:30pm on 11/9/2013. See the link below for a full description or to register: https://www.longislandphotogallery.com/proddetail.php?prod=2013-DARLOW1
and Monday, 9/9 is also the last day to save $20 on my upcoming full-day workshop: “Using Lightroom for Inkjet Printing and Color Management,” at the same location in Long Island on Sunday 11/10/2013.
See the link below for a full description or to register:
https://www.longislandphotogallery.com/proddetail.php?prod=2013-DARLOW2
If you have any questions about whether these workshops might be right for you, or if you would like to inquire about me speaking for your photo-related organization, please contact me here:
https://imagingbuffet.com/contact-us/
Book Review: From Fleeting to Forever by Greg Scoblete and Michael McEnaney
I recently had the opportunity to review a new e-book by Greg Scoblete and Michael McEnaney entitled: From Fleeting to Forever: Enjoying and Preserving Your Digital Photos and Videos. The book covers many topics related to the challenges and opportunities that virtually all of us experience with regard to downloading, organizing, printing, archiving and displaying our digital photographs and videos.
Virtually everyone knows the damage that Mother Nature can cause to our homes and electronic devices, often with little to no notice. Like a news report of a severe hurricane or tornado, I believe this book can serve as a good “wake-up call” for those who are not properly backing up their photographs and videos because the book gives an overview as well as some specific advice on how to back up and archive digital content. I often speak with people who are just one power surge away from losing thousands of their photographs and videos (and in some cases hundreds of hours of editing). That being said, this book does not go into great detail on many of the topics that are covered. Instead, it offers a lot of useful advice to help people understand their options so they can get step-by-step help from other sources, or from an expert.
What I like most about the book are the many specific suggestions for print service providers and photo/backup-related software and hardware. I pay close attention to what’s new and interesting on the market, yet I found quite a few new product options in the book, from free software that converts photos into “sketches,” to a service that prints and creates “pop-up” frames that can be sent to any address, to photo rugs, to higher-end offerings like a company who prints directly onto glass. I was also impressed by how the authors covered digital frames, a product category that can be very confusing for consumers.
I recommend “From Fleeting to Forever,” to photographers of all skill levels (especially to those who are not backing up their images both on- and off-site). An example of a good off-site backup option would be in “the cloud,” using a service like Carbonite, Backblaze, DropBox or SugarSync (a few online storage options, plus some of the positives and negatives related to using them, are discussed in the book). There is also a companion site for the book at www.your-digital-life.com; it contains some very useful tips and additional information about specific products and companies who offer them.
Availability (from the press release)
From Fleeting to Forever: Enjoying & Preserving Your Digital Photos and Videos is available now for $6.99 at Amazon, Sony, iTunes, and Kobo bookstores. Here is a direct link to purchase the book on Amazon.com (affiliate link).
Disclaimer: I was sent a digital version of this book for this review.
Below is the full text of the book’s press release:
Morris Plains, NJ—Every day, we snap an estimated 266 million photos or about 97 billion photos a year, according to the research firm InfoTrends. Between our cameras and our phones, we’re being snowed in by a blizzard of digital data and like any massive storm, many people find it overwhelming to dig out. A new e-book—From Fleeting to Forever: A Guide to Enjoying and Preserving Your Digital Photos and Videos—aims to help consumers not simply poke their heads above the snow bank, but to find new ways to enjoy their most precious digital memories.
In seven detailed chapters, From Fleeting to Forever outlines how you can organize a vast and growing collection of photos (from prints to digital camera and smartphone photos) and how to bring those digital images out of your phone and computer and into the real world in the form of unique products such as prints on glass and bamboo, canvas wall art, 3D prints, photo merchandise and much more. Each chapter combines a comprehensive overview of the subject as well as specific recommendations and links to service providers so that readers can immediately begin creating the products they’ve been reading about.
“We really view this e-book as a practical reference that will not only shed light on all there is to do with your photos but also point directly to high quality services so you have a concrete starting point,” said co-author Michael McEnaney.
From Fleeting to Forever also tackles some of the under-appreciated challenges of photography in the modern era, such as how to maintain your privacy while sharing your images digitally and, crucially, how to ensure that your digital photos will survive for future generations to marvel at. Readers will find step-by-step suggestions and detailed advice that can help them safeguard a digital inheritance.
“Many people don’t realize that the digital memories they’re recording with smartphones and cameras may not last as long as prints made from film cameras,” said co-author Greg Scoblete. “Digital photos are vulnerable to hard drive crashes and changing technology trends that can render old storage formats, like compact discs, obsolete. We take photos and videos to preserve moments in time, but today, keeping those memories safe for future generations is a lot harder than dumping a print into a shoebox.”
Authors Greg Scoblete and Michael McEnaney have covered the photo and technology industries for a wide variety of print and online publications. McEnaney was most recently publisher and editor-in-chief of Picture Business Magazine as well as the editorial director of the TechnologyTell network. Scoblete is currently the editor of RealClearTechnology and has contributed to numerous photo publications including Photo District News, Digital Photographer, Digital Photo Pro and Photo Industry Reporter.
The authors have also joined to launch Your-Digital-Life.com, a website dedicated to expanding on the themes covered in From Fleeting to Forever. Unlike most photo and technology sites focused on camera reviews and gear, Your Digital Life is centered exclusively on what happens after the camera shutter is snapped—whether it’s a traditional point-and-shoot camera or a smartphone. It’s the go-to site for the latest apps and photo products that will help consumers enjoy and preserve their digital photos and videos (their “digital life”).
From Fleeting to Forever: Enjoying & Preserving Your Digital Photos and Videos is available now for $6.99 at Amazon, Sony, iTunes, and Kobo bookstores. It will be available at other e-book sellers by the end of April.