Two Fantastic New York City Photo Events on 9/24/2015, Plus Upcoming Events in Toronto and LA

On Thursday, September 24, 2015, there will be two big photo- and imaging-related events happening in The Big Apple. Both are free to attend, though some seminars at the first event are fee-based (about $12 per session). Below are the details:

FIRST EVENT: The Stand Out! Photographic Forum

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2015
Time: 9:30am – 7:00pm
Location: Hudson Studios, New York City
Overview: This event is a combination trade show and series of seminars by some incredibly talented photographers and photo industry leaders.

Owners of medium format cameras can have them cleaned for no fee if you register in advance on the website. Mamiya Leaf and Phase One camera system owners can have their equipment both serviced and cleaned for no charge.

For more information or to register for either the trade show (free) or a seminar (about $12 ea), Visit This Page.

On that page, you will also see information about other Stand Out! Photographic Forum events happening in Toronto (9/29/2015) and Los Angeles (10/15/2015).

SECOND EVENT: Synchronized Swimming in Times Square, NYC

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2015
Time: 9:00am – 5:45pm
Location: North end of Times Square between 46th and 47th Street, and Broadway and Seventh Avenue (next to the TKTS ticket booth).

This free event, called “Swimming In Ink,” looks like it will be a great opportunity to experience something rarely seen in the middle of New York City. The U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Team, sponsored by Epson and Staples, will perform a series of synchronized swim routines in a 17,000 gallon swim tank...I hope it’s heated :). The swimmers will be performing hourly in swimsuits printed by Epson dye-sub printers. The 2016 Olympic Synchronized Swimming Duet will also be in attendance.

The athletes will also be available for autographs and photos with attendees throughout the day. If you can’t be there in person but if you’d still like to see the event, performances will stream live at www.epson.com/SwimmingInInk. The event is being produced in part to highlight the arrival of Epson’s new family of innovative EcoTank printers.

If you’d like much more information about the event, visit this multimedia news release page.

QUICK TIP FROM ANDREW

I should note that it’s very easy to attend both events. I recommend checking the seminar schedule first (you can find it here), then find some time to see at least one of the performances in Times Square.

New PDF Guide on How to Manage Your Media Cards and an Additional Quick Tip

I’m very happy to announce a new PDF guide that I recently wrote for a fantastic photo tips website called Photzy.com.

Front cover of the PDF Guide, available free for download from Photzy.com. Shown on the front of the guide is the Wedding Photographer Vest from TheVestGuy.com. It’s a product I use a lot, and I highly recommend their vests for safely and securely carrying cameras, media cards and a whole lot more.

In the free guide, I cover some of my favorite strategies for managing those amazing (but easy to lose) devices called media cards. If you’ve ever had to lug around large numbers of 35mm or 120mm film canisters (each holding a maximum of about 36 exposures), you will know why I think media cards are so special. However, managing those cards can be tricky, so I tackled the subject in detail.

In the guide, I also mention specific products that I use and recommend to help manage your cards at home and on the go.

QUICK BONUS TIP NOT IN THE GUIDE

After writing the article, I realized that I could clarify the meaning of the words “Full” and “Empty,” which I write on my card holders. So I added the following text to my media card holders (“Ready for Camera” and “Ready for Download”), as you can see in the photo below:

Two of my SD card cases with some extra type added. The “Ready 4 Camera” and “Ready 4 Download” text helps clarify the meaning of the words “Empty” and “Full.”. For much more on this, see the PDF guide linked below.

Now, it’s even more clear which case I open when I need a “new” card for my camera (the EMPTY Case), and it’s also more clear now which case I open when I am done with a card and still need to download it to my computer (the FULL case).

Another quick tip: Most photographers know this, but once you are ready to reformat your card, you should do that in the camera (every camera has a procedure for doing that), instead of formatting the card using a computer, and instead of deleting the files on the card.

To download and read the full guide, visit this page: https://photzy.com/free-guide-managing-media-cards/

On photzy.com, you’ll also find many other  free and fee-based photo tips guides.

Also, if you are located in the New Jersey/NYC-metro area, or if you’d like to travel there for workshops and other photo events, please visit this page and consider joining our free MEETUP GROUP: The Art of Photography, Photoshop and Lightroom.

The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning Returns to NJ July 24-26, 2015

The balloons are returning to central NJ! For the 33rd year, the QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning is happening at Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ from Fri. July 24 to Sunday, July 26, 2015. The number of photo opportunities (especially when about 100 balloons are in the air), are always incredible. I’m personally excited to see the Darth Vader balloon return, joined this year (for the first time) by Yoda.

The weather, based on a quick look at weather.com is looking ideal for all three days of the festival, which is important because if it is too windy, the balloons are not permitted to launch. There are planned morning and afternoon balloon ascensions on Saturday, July 25, and Sunday, July 26 at 6:30am and 6:30pm. There is also a “Balloon Glow” during the Saturday evening concert that is a truly incredible spectacle.

Photo from the Saturday evening “Balloon Glow.” ©Andrew Darlow

Special Opportunity for Amateur and Professional Photographers

On Friday morning 7/24 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). 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 last year’s Media Launch 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.

Hanging out with two cameras in tow during the media launch. Two cameras makes is possible to easily get wide-angle and telephoto images quickly. Photo © Andrew Darlow

I also mentioned the Media Launch on the Meetup Group that I run (it’s called The Art of Photography, Photoshop and Lightroom). Anyone who is passionate about photography is welcome to join for no cost. I will be announcing a few workshops and other events related to photography in the upcoming weeks.

What to Do at the Festival

There are many family-friendly events at the festival, 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 all held outdoors. I was there last year for the Joan Jett concert, and she and her bandmates rocked the house!!

Music acts at the 2015 QuickChek Festival of Ballooning.

For a good overview of the show, here is an informative interview from CBS News with Executive Producer of the show, Howard Freeman.

Ticket Information and Discounted Tickets Available Until 11:59 pm Thurs. 7/23/2015

Ticket information can be found on this page, including links to information on how to purchase balloon ride tickets. General Admission Tickets are $10 for children (age 4-12, children 3 and under are free) and $24 for adults when ordered by 11:59pm on Thurs. 7/23/2015. After that, they are $15 and $35 respectively. Other ticket options can be found under the “Tickets” section of the website.

Any general admission tickets purchased are valid for one day only. You can also avoid a $3.50 per ticket 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).