PIX 2015 Photo Show Arrives in Seattle with Free Live Streaming (and Live Sessions)

I always enjoy sharing events like this one. And even though I’ve shared this event on my Facebook page and Twitter feed, this event offers so much that I wanted to share it here on ImagingBuffet.com as well.

PIX 2015  is a live and online photo trade show and learning event happening 10/6 and 10/7/2015 in Seattle, Washington. Registration for the live sessions ranges from about $10-30 depending on whether you plan to attend just a single session or for a full day. There is no charge to view the streaming sessions.

The show is being presented by DPReview (www.dpreview.com), in association with Amazon.com and the Photo Marketing Association.

There are many speakers who are presenting who I respect highly and know well either personally or through the content they’ve been sharing (books, online videos, podcasts, etc.) over the years. Here are just a few, with links to their speaker info pages on the site: C.C. Chapman, Tim Grey, Joe McNally, Ibarionex Perello, Rick Sammon, and Brian Smith.

For more information or to view the sessions live on 10/6 or 10/7, visit www.PIX2015.com.

PhotoPlus Expo 2014 Day 1 Quick Review

It’s late October, and that means the candy store of all candy stores for those who love everything related to photography and video (a.k.a. the PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo) is open for business at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Before Day 2 begins, I wanted to get a quick post out about my thoughts on the show, and highlight a few things that I highly recommend seeing.

To sum things up in a few words, the show (as usual), is amazing. There are about 220 vendors, representing virtually every photo and video product category imaginable. My favorite thing to do at the show is see the prints on the walls, whether they are from printer manufacturers, paper manufacturers, contest winners in various galleries on the trade show floor, or companies who specialize in fine art printing, and there are many opportunities to do that at this year’s show. Here are just a few specific booths that really impressed me, and I recommend checking out this post from last year with many booth reviews, since most of what I wrote about the companies last year is still valid for this year’s show. You’ll just need to find their booth number for this year’s show. I will also restate one quick tip that I cover in this other article (along with information on the PhotoPlus Mobile App, which is fantastic) and that is to bring a few SD and/or CF cards with you so that you can put them in various cameras and “pixel peep” later on. The miracle of metadata inside the files will give you a lot of information about the images.

A Few Highlights From the Show Floor

1. LED Light Cube (Booth #1073): This was probably the biggest “jaw dropper” that I saw at the show. Imagine a powerful, battery-powered portable light that’s about the size of a square tissue box that can produce both continuous light and flash using LEDs (with no recycle time). You can also dial in the flash duration from 1/8000 to 1 second. Cost is about $600 and there is a show special available from Adorama and possibly other vendors who sell the product. For more information, visit this page.

2. Phottix (Booth #1025): Phottix is known for its wireless triggers and other flash accessories, and this year they announced an impressive 500 watt second portable AC/DC strobe unit with battery pack called the Phottix Indra500 TTL Studio Light. Here’s a good overview of the product, with a video and list of booth presentations for the rest of the show.

A model being photographed by Clay Blackmore during a demo of the new Phottix Indra500 TTL AC/DC flash. photo © Andrew Darlow

3. Epson (Booth #701): Epson’s booth is always filled with incredible photographs made on its printers. This year the company is highlighting a new 13-inch-wide printer, the Epson SureColor P600. The main improvements you’ll see when viewing prints is that the black density has been improved, which allows for better Dmax (maximum black levels). Also, the amount of ink used when switching between the photo and matte black inks has been reduced significantly. The prints on display (especially those made on Epson’s different canvas media) are stunning. There are nine cartridges in total (8 used at any one time), and each holds 25.9 ml of ink. MSRP is US $799. For more information about the new printer, visit this page.

A comparison of prints made with the new Epson SureColor P600 compared with the Epson Stylus Photo R3000. Photo © Andrew Darlow

4. Unique Photo (Booth #937): Unique Photo always has a big booth at the show, and the main reason I mention them is that their booth presentations by working pros are always very informative, and their stage with body-painted models offers a great opportunity to get some great photographs without having to hire an artist and models. For more information, including a schedule of booth talks, visit this page.

5. Panasonic (Booth #837): I mention Panasonic’s booth for a few reasons. First, they, like a number of other camera manufacturers, are offering free clean and checks of their cameras during the show. Also, in the booth this year will be Frederick Van Johnson, host of This Week in Photography (TwiP). The show is one of my favorite photo-related podcasts, and it’s one that I have had the honor of being a guest on a few times over the years. Frederick will be conducting interviews with Pros who use Panasonic gear. The interviews will also be recorded, and you can find a link to them (as well as a contest to win a Lumix GM5 camera) on this page.

There are many other booths I could highlight, but I want to make this post live ASAP, so I’ll be back soon with more of my suggestions.

Enjoy the show if you plan to visit!

BookExpo America (BEA) Starts Today in NYC and Runs Until Sat. 5/31 – Some Quick Links

What if the Jacob Javits Center in New York City basically turned into the world’s largest bookstore for three days? That’s about the best way I can describe BookExpo America (a.k.a. BEA), being held from May 29-31, 2014. I covered the show last year for The Imaging Buffet, and you can find my article here for a look at a bit of what I experienced.

I was especially impressed by the number of photo and art books on display from many different publishers when I visited the show in 2013. I learned from the show website that Christopher Bonanos, author of Instant: A Cultural History of Polaroid (Princeton Architectural Press) will be a guest at the show this year. As a child of the 70s when a Polaroid camera was always nearby, and as a professional photographer raised on 35mm, medium and large format film (and Polaroid instant film), the brand brings back so many memories, and I look forward to reading the book.

This is a show for “the trade,” which means that you’ll need to be a professional in the industry to attend on Thursday 5/28 or Friday 5/29 (see the links below to see the categories if you’d like to attend on Thursday or Friday). If your job title does not fit into one of those categories, or if you’d prefer to save quite a bit on admission to the show, you might consider attending “BookCon” on Saturday, 5/31/2014 for just $30 (advance purchase) or $35 for tickets on-site: https://www.thebookcon.com/. You will then have access to the show floor, autographing area (over 750 authors are signing books this year at the show) as well as quite a few special events that are happening on Saturday. And don’t forget the kids! I would guess that at least 25% of the show is dedicated to children’s books, activities, toys, games, etc. Tickets for kids 6-12 years old for BookCon are $5.

Below are some links related to BookExpo 2014:

• Main Show Page
• Show Info/FAQs
• Link to the 2014 Exhibits and Conference Pass Pricing Page.
• A list of guests who are expected to be at the show. The list includes John Grisham, Mario Batali, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Martin Short and Peter Rabbit, just to name a few.
• Exhibitor Directory
• Autographing Area Main Page
• The BEA Mobile App Page
• BEA on Twitter
• BEA on Facebook
• BEA on Instagram
• BEA on YouTube
• A great post about a young person’s BookExpo experience from her blog, Words Like Silver, with some tips for getting the most from the show. Other posts related to the Expo, including her recent “Armchair BEA” posts (because she wasn’t able to attend the show this year), can be found here.

Here’s a fun video from (and starring) some of the folks who produce the show. Don’t miss the adorable cat at about 2:30 who wasn’t showing off any books (but I’m guessing he or she is a fan of Grumpy Cat, who will be at the show on Saturday signing books in Chronicle Books’ Booth #2827 from 12:00-1:30pm).

I also highly recommend taking some time to visit the New Title Showcase, which is in the upstairs lobby area of the Javits Center. There you will find a huge number of hardcopy and digital titles on just about every subject you can imagine.