The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning Returns to NJ July 25-27, 2014
Get your cameras ready! An incredible event is taking place in NJ this Friday through Sunday July 25-27, 2014. This year’s QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning is the 32nd annual running of the event, and it’s happening at Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ from Fri. July 25 to Sunday, July 27, 2014. The photo opportunities at the festival are always incredible, and it looks like the weather will be perfect for the Friday balloon ascensions at 6:30am (Open to members with press passes, photographers and photo club members). There are also planned morning and afternoon balloon ascensions on Saturday and a planned morning ascension Sunday. I write “planned” because all ascensions are weather permitting. I plan to be there bright and early on Friday morning (and possibly on other days) taking photos with many other pro and amateur photographers and videographers.
There are also a lot of family-friendly events during the day, including a “Famous Movie Cars Exhibit,” rides for kids, and juggling/magic shows. And there are a LOT of food options, including many food trucks and a “pop-up” QuickChek store. The bands that they have lined up, including America (8pm on Friday), Three Doors Down (8pm on Saturday), and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (3pm on Sunday) look pretty amazing as well. You can either purchase reserved seats, or you can just enjoy the show from a lawn chair or blanket outside the main show area with your entrance to the festival since the concerts are all held outdoors under a covered stage. I was there last year for the REO Speedwagon concert, and the show was absolutely fantastic. The balloons glowing in the night sky during the “Night-time Balloon Glow” made it even more enjoyable.
Below is a gallery with a few of my photographs from the 2013 Festival, as well as a 2.5 minute video from the very end of the REO Speedwagon concert (includes a few seconds showing the “Wicked” Broadway show balloon glowing) to give you a feel for what it’s like to be there:
BE SURE TO ADJUST YOUR SPEAKERS for when the concert video appears (you’ll see a play button in the center of the screen).
For a good overview of the show, here is a link to a very informative interview from CBS News with Executive Producer Howard Freeman.
To get a better idea of exactly what to expect at the show, and to see a listing of all of the bands who are scheduled to play, below are direct links to the full schedule from the Festival website for each of the three days (I recommend printing these out or taking them with you on a mobile device so that you can get the most from the Festival):
Friday Event Schedule (PDF)
Saturday Event Schedule (PDF)
Sunday Event Schedule (PDF)
Ticket Information and 33% off Tickets Available Until 11:59 pm Thurs. 7/24/2014
General ticket information can be found on this page, including links to information on purchasing balloon ride tickets. General Admission Tickets are $10 for children (age 4-12, children 3 and under are free) and $20 for adults when ordered by 11:59pm on Thurs. 7/24/2014. After that, they are $15 and $30 respectively. Other ticket options can be found under the “Tickets” section of the website.
Just in case this is your first time at the Festival, any general admission tickets purchased are valid for one day only. You can also avoid a $3/ticket online ordering surcharge by purchasing tickets at a QuickCheck store (here is a link to a page where you can search for a QuickChek location).
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.
Two Upcoming Workshops in NJ on Image Management/Backup and Lightroom Printing – 12/13 and 12/15, 2013
There is a fantastic free event happening at Unique Photo in Fairfield, NJ from Fri. 12/13-12/15, 2013 called the NJ Camera Show. It’s a great opportunity to try out different lenses and other gear, and see a lot of speakers covering many topics, including how to use your DSLR more effectively (registration is generally $10 for most of the classes, and you then get that $10 back to use in the store, which is packed full of photo and video gear). Quick tip: bring a few extra SD or CF cards so that you can put them in different cameras and then take the cards home to see the cameras’ and lenses’ image quality.
ANDREW DARLOW’S UPCOMING WORKSHOP AT THE NJ CAMERA SHOWÂ
Date: Fri. Dec. 13, 2013
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm (during the NJ Camera Show)Â
(Please register for the show before registering for this or any other workshop.)
In this one hour lecture, Andrew will cover these and other topics:
– How to avoid pop-up messages and applications that want to “help” you bring your images into your computer when you connect a media card or camera.
– How to set up a “bullet-proof” system for downloading and cataloging your files using the Apple OS and either Apple Aperture or Adobe Lightroom.
– Suggestions for a few affordable “set it and forget it” unlimited backup systems.
– An easy (and free) service that allows you to create auto backups of your Lightroom catalog(s) to “the Cloud.”
– Tips for easily transferring and selectively deleting still photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch while still being able to keep some of them to show friends and family.
PLEASE NOTE: This workshop was designed for and will be tailored to users of Mac OSX 10.7 (Lion), 10.8 (Mountain Lion), or 10.9 (Mavericks).
To register for the camera show, visit https://www.uniquephoto.com/njcamerashow. Then, to register for Andrew’s workshop, visit this page: https://www.uniquephoto.com/event/856
Andrew Darlow demonstrating how a print looks under gallery light while teaching a printing workshop at an Arts Cener in NJ.
ANDREW DARLOW’S UPCOMING LIGHTROOM PRINTING WORKSHOP IN NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ
Date: Sun, Dec. 15, 2013
Time: 11:00am – 3:00pm
Whether you make prints on your own printer or use a lab, one thing always stays constant-to get great results, you’ve got to color manage your system and prepare your files properly. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom offers many powerful tools for organizing, editing printing and exporting images.
A partial list of what will be covered:
• How to make sure that your monitor and lighting are set up properly;
• How to determine and set the resolution of your images;
• How to quickly and inexpensively test the color & quality of any printer or photo lab; and
• Specific Lightroom Print Module Workflow tips.
A printed handout and links to more than 100 custom Print Module templates will also be provided to all attendees. Each participant will receive 40-50 sheets of letter-size fine-art papers valued at over $40. Readers of ImagingBuffet.com will also receive a follow-up 30 minute phone consultation with Andrew Darlow.
Workshop Fee: $89 per person