PhotoPlus Expo 2012: First Day Impressions from the Show Floor

Yesterday was the first day of PhotoPlus Expo and as usual, I was amazed at the sheer number of products for photographers and video pros. I need to get back to the show floor, so I’m not able to post many photos right now, but I wanted to share a list of things that impressed me so far on the show floor (especially the things that you can only see (or really appreciate) in person at the show-stay tuned for more general announcements). Below is a quick list of 15 companies and there are more to come! Just search for the company name in the show guide (or at photoplusexpo.com) for booth numbers. I’ve hotlinked the company names to their respective websites, and added links in some cases to specific products that I mentioned.

At the Moab Paper booth, PhotoPlus Expo 2012, New York City. Photograph by Douglas Kirkland of Sophia Loren. Paper: Entrada Rag Natural 300.

1. CamRanger: A MUST SEE! This is an amazing wireless device that allows you to view DSLR video live and control many Canon or Nikon cameras from an iPad or iPhone. Plus, you can shoot RAW + JPEG and just have the jpeg’s transfer to an iPad or iPhone.

2. Nikon: As usual, Nikon has a huge booth, and highlights include a “mad scientist” actor with an amazing set, as well as some walls covered with impressive photos.

3. Moab: Moab’s booth is very open, which makes for easy navigation and print viewing. As usual, they have many print samples with the same image printed on many of their papers. There is a print by Douglas Kirkland of Sophia Loren from 1972 on Entrada Rag Natural that is truly stunning!

4. Graphistudio: INCREDIBLE BOOKS! There are not enough superlatives to describe the quality of the books in their booth. They also have free sample swatch books with actual print samples (about 4×5 inches). These are invaluable when trying to decide what papers to choose). The book cases/boxes are also incredible. They also have a number of very affordable book options for  under their Graphisenior program. For example, you can order sets of up to 30 tiny books that look amazing for under $100.

5. MetalMural: Really nice metal prints, in many different configurations. The booth is definitely worth a visit. Be sure to compare the different finishes they offer. Each is very distinct.

6. CamRanger: A MUST SEE! This is an amazing wireless device that allows you to view DSLR video live and control many Canon or Nikon cameras from an iPad or iPhone. Plus, you can shoot RAW + JPEG and just have the jpeg’s transfer to an iPad or iPhone.

7. SKB Industrial Cases: Gear is expensive, and this company’s hard cases really impressed me.

8. Canson-Infinity: Canson’s booth has a number of fantastic prints by Elliot Landy and others. Also, many of the prints in the gallery area were printed on Canson papers.

9. Kolo: I’m been a huge fan of Kolo ever since I first noticed their albums more than 15 years ago. They have a great service that includes photo printing and insertion into their albums at a very affordable cost. They even allow you to use their software to make proof books.

10. Woodsnap: Prints on wood! Amazing. Enough said. You should see these. I was told that the ink becomes part of the wood surface, and you have to see how they rout out the back for hanging with screws.

11. Innova Digital Art: In addition to showcasing many great paper options, the company sells inexpensive do-it-yourself art box kits that look like gallery-wrapped canvas prints called the “JetMaster Display System.” These should definitely be seen in person. They can used with a wide variety of different papers or canvas. I also learned about a direct printable option for flatbed printers.

12. Epson: The Epson booth is always impressive, especially because of the print samples on the walls. They have a new OBA (Optical Brightening Agent) free canvas in three finishes. They also have a new system for high volume printing called the SureLab D3000.

13. Moo: Moo has some amazing examples of their postcards, business cards and stickers at the show. They also have some great show specials that work by allowing you to purchase store credit at about a 20-30% discount.

14. Hahnemühle Fine Art: Hahnemule always shows incredible prints on the walls of their booth, and their sample books with large printed examples of different images are very helpful for narrowing down choices when selecting papers, canvas, etc.

15. UNDFIND: This company has great-looking and very functional camera bags with replaceable front covers. But what caught my eve first was their FISHBOMB. They are very strong, well-designed and functional cases that can attach to belts, straps, etc, and the newest version, the FISHBOMBV2, is a bit larger and has four special pockets designed for media cards.

Facebook Improves Timeline Post Viewing on Facebook Pages

I woke up this morning, posted something to my Facebook Business Page, and was happily surprised. After expressing my thoughts on Facebook and some blogs about a little blue box that would “hide” recent content on my Page (see screen shot below), all of my recent posts and images that I now see on my Page are lining up nicely, and all older stories are loading nicely as I scroll down the page. Hooray! This is just my observation and your milage may vary. However, I checked a few other Business Pages and they appear to have the same updates and functionality.

This is a screen shot of my original post that expressed my thoughts on the old Facebook Page format:

The previous Facebook Timeline layout would "hide" recent posts behind a small blue button that read "See More Recent Stories.".

This is important to me (and I would guess many others), because it was so easy to just skip over that little blue box, thus missing out on many stories, links, etc. from the recent past. In essence, the old approach made me feel as though I was wasting my time sharing information about which I was passionate.

Thanks Facebook. I’d like to think I was part of this decision, but it really doesn’t matter who gets credit for it (maybe Mark Zuckerberg has me on his “must read list.”) This may just inspire me to upgrade my personal page to the Timeline format. But wait, I may not have a choice, as per this Techcrunch article.

If you’d like to see what I’m seeing now on Facebook Fan/Business pages, feel free to visit my Page. My Facebook Photo and Printing Tips Page has over 1000 posts on the topics of Photo and Printing Tips, links to images that impress me, photos from events I attend, and more. You can find it here: https://facebook.com/andrewdarlow.

And if you’d like to receive 12 tips from my book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques over the next 12 weeks, plus updates and information about workshops, exhibitions and more, sign up to receive my free newsletter below:

Private One-on-One Color Management, Printing and Photo Workshops on 7/21/2012 in NJ

After nearly 20 years of teaching, I’ve found that one-on-one training is almost always the best way to learn how to get the most from an application or printer. If you own an inkjet printer and want to get a better screen-to-print match using Lightroom and/or Photoshop, or if you’d like to learn how to get better prints from a professional photo lab or “Atelier” (a term often used to describe a company that produces fine-art prints on a high-end level for artists), this one-on-one private consulting opportunity may be perfect for you.

On Saturday, July 21, my friend, Jim Roselli and I will be conducting one-on-one private consulting sessions at ARTISTICEfex Studio in Hillsborough, NJ. We are also doing one-on-one private DSLR training sessions in the evening in Princeton, NJ, which should be a lot of fun (especially since the weather forecast looks perfect).

Jim Roselli will be working with clients who want to explore large-scale printing with the Epson Stylus Pro 9900, and I’ll be working with people who want to make prints on an Epson Stylus Pro 3880. We’re both “Lightroom Geeks,” so either of us can help you to understand the workflow from beginning to end. For more information or to register for a session (there are only six private sessions available during the day and four in the evening), please visit this page:
https://darlowroselli721.eventbrite.com/

If you are interested in working with me but are unable to attend any of the live sessions in Hillsborough, NJ, I’m also available for private instruction in your home, studio, via phone, or via remote desktop (with your permission, I can view your screen). All ImagingBuffet.com readers who mention that they read this post can take $50 off the first hour of consulting if reserved by 8/1/2012 and completed by 12/1/2012. To reserve a session, please send a note to me via this page, and if you have any questions about the upcoming sessions, feel free to contact me via my cell phone at 732-742-0123, or via this page.