After getting back from PhotoPlus and catching up on things I can now write about the trip to New York City.  For those of you not aware of PhotoPlus this is the largest photo conference and expo in North America which occurs at the end of October each year. When you attend the event, you also have the choice of going to just the expo or attending one of the many seminars offered during the three day event. My feeling is if you are heading in from outside the tri-state area it makes sense to take advantage of the time while you are there and hit some of the seminars as well as anything for free which you may be able to take advantage of from the professional organizations you are a member.  My schedule consisted of eight seminars as well as the hour long sessions provided by the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP).

I will just mention the seminars I attended which consisted of using small flash for lighting, marketing, stock photography, technical elements of small flash, and travel and lifestyle photography.  I could probably talk about each one for quite a while, so I don’t want to go on too much.  Through ASMP, I also had the opportunity to sit down with Detroit Photographer Blake Discher to talk about search engine optimization on my website and get some helpful pointers of the next steps to be taken for my websites.

In addition to the expo and seminars it is also about networking, and visiting New York allowed me to catch up with some friends who live there.  First off was photographer Caryn Posnansky who I met in Missoula and actually I have spent more time talking with after the intensive programs of RMSP.  Caryn was nice enough to let me crash at her place saving a good amount of money during the trip.  Additionally I met up with Ahron Foster and his wife who I met at the AMSP SB2 seminars this past April in Chicago.  Ahron’s photographic focus is musicians and after dinner on Friday night in the village we went to see the Chris Bergson Band, a group he has photographed in the past, at the Rodeo Bar.  The sound of the band was quite good with a blues influence you can get a feel for the style of music at Amazon or iTunes.

In addition to the NYC people, I came across Liz and Page from the Rocky Mountain School of Photography and had a chance to chat with them briefly at their booth in the expo hall.  I also ran into Becker who operates The [b] School doing some video in the hall as well.

On my final day in New York City I decided to take the subway to Times Square and just walk around eventually making it back to the upper east side via Rockefeller Center and 5th Avenue where I was staying and catch a cab to the airport.  Look for another post for some images I took on the streets of New York.

The trip to NYC and PhotoPlus was a good where were I came across some interesting products, learned a lot of new information and enjoyed the city.  But I think all the oxygen was getting to me so it was nice to head back to the mile high city and the thinner air.