Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: nemophoto on May 05, 2022, 09:42:21 am

Title: Death of PhotoExpo Plus
Post by: nemophoto on May 05, 2022, 09:42:21 am
I received a sad email yesterday. PhotoExpo as we know it is, well, dead. They have replaced it with what sounds like a lame substitute called "Create NYC" in Brooklyn. I've been a pro photographer for over 40-years. (I like to say that being a Lifeguard was the only "real" job I ever had.) I have been going to PhotoExpo at the Javits Center for more than 30-years when PDN first started it. (Really miss that magazine. I remember when it was a newspaper in the early 80s.)

I suppose to be honest; it has been dying a slow death since the 2009 recession. Since then, I have lamented how the exhibitors were diminishing. In recent years, some of the big guns no longer supported the show and many of the smaller exhibitors had vanished (either figuratively or literally). This new show sounds pretty lame by comparison. I'm sure the past few years with COVID et al have been disastrous for these kinds of shows.

Unless something is really compelling to make me attend (and so far, there seems to be little but marketing hype) I'll give it a miss and ask, "How was it?".

RIP PhotoExpo
Title: Re: Death of PhotoExpo Plus
Post by: digitaldog on May 05, 2022, 10:18:33 am
IMHO, PEP died like 10 years ago, or certainly showed the signs. To bad, it was a great show.
Title: Re: Death of PhotoExpo Plus
Post by: nemophoto on May 05, 2022, 09:22:52 pm
I must agree with you, whihc is pretty much what I said. Since 2009 or so, it's been a creeping death. It WAS a great show, and nothing like it now.
Title: Re: Death of PhotoExpo Plus
Post by: Peter McLennan on May 05, 2022, 11:03:30 pm
It's a fate likely to affect many trade shows in the future, IMHO.  The Internet has rendered many in-person demos much less relevant.
Last week's NAB, in the past one of the largest shows in Las Vegas, was reported as "slow" by attendees.
Title: Re: Death of PhotoExpo Plus
Post by: nemophoto on May 06, 2022, 06:59:33 pm
Personally, I hate the internet/virtual trade shows. I tried one a number of years ago (pre-COVID). I thought it was awful. There's a big difference be being able to touch/feel/try some equipment or see something else up close and personal, and essentially watching TV. I think people are needlessly scared at this point. I know I have clients for whom I used to travel every other month to some location or another. Now, it's shoot in the studio or shoot in the city where they are located -- no corp travel allowed. It's sad that the once great trade shows are probably a thing of the past. In a way, if affects smaller companies much more than the large. I have bought a number of Hoodman products over the years because I first saw them at PhotoExpo. The same with using DxO and Luminar and even Nik plugins.
Title: Re: Death of PhotoExpo Plus
Post by: raymond bleesz on May 08, 2022, 10:05:09 am
My exposure to the Photo Expo was perhaps in1982/3, my only one and it was a most unique experience, a “high” for me.  It was my introduction to the photographic world. I was a neophyte, and I was helping a friend who was marketing light banks (the chimera/Plume Wafer light banks from Colorado.)  I was able to step out into the Big Apple on one particular day. I had heard that Ruth Orkin was at the Rizzoli Gallery signing her new book. This hayseed cowboy approached her and asked her to review my “portfolio” which she graciously did. After a brief viewing, she said to me specifically, after making positive negative comments, {Continue the work, Continue the work.}

That has been my mantra ever since. A most impactful event for me.

Raymond A. Bleesz
Edwards, Colo
Documentary Photographer
Title: Re: Death of PhotoExpo Plus
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on May 08, 2022, 05:46:28 pm
What a wonderfully inspiring comment from Ruth Orkin: "Continue the work..."
Title: Re: Death of PhotoExpo Plus
Post by: TechTalk on May 08, 2022, 09:24:00 pm
...I was helping a friend who was marketing light banks (the chimera/Plume Wafer light banks from Colorado.)

Plume Wafers (https://www.plumelimited.com) are without question the best softbox/lightbank products that I've ever used.

One nice thing about the various trade shows was that you might discover products that you were unaware existed and examine them first hand. I found a number of very useful items that way, some of which became staple items for me.

You could also talk with their creators like Gary Regester who created other interesting products in addition to the Plume Wafers or Paul Peregrine from Lightware cases (https://lightwareinc.com) another Colorado product that I've always found exceptional. They were generally very happy to tell you why they were created, how they were made, details about materials, etc. like proud parents.

I used to attend Seybold shows (desktop publishing / pre-press / graphics), MacWorld, and occasionally a smaller local APA or ASMP exhibition as well, but I honestly couldn't tell you when the last time was as they've faded into the past one by one.
Title: Re: Death of PhotoExpo Plus
Post by: leuallen on May 09, 2022, 11:20:14 am
I used to attend the big shows in Chicago in 70's and 80's. The things I remember is Canon showing their new SLR to compete with Nikon. I was not impressed. The other thing is seeing Monte Zucker before he was well known. He was at a photo finisher both and had a stack of 16x20's. I stayed by his booth most of the day as he showed and explained his photos. I was impressed.
Title: Re: Death of PhotoExpo Plus
Post by: nemophoto on May 09, 2022, 08:08:59 pm
I think that's truly great. Established photographers should always give of themselves, even in small ways, to inspire others.

My exposure to the Photo Expo was perhaps in1982/3, my only one and it was a most unique experience, a “high” for me.  It was my introduction to the photographic world. I was a neophyte, and I was helping a friend who was marketing light banks (the chimera/Plume Wafer light banks from Colorado.)  I was able to step out into the Big Apple on one particular day. I had heard that Ruth Orkin was at the Rizzoli Gallery signing her new book. This hayseed cowboy approached her and asked her to review my “portfolio” which she graciously did. After a brief viewing, she said to me specifically, after making positive negative comments, {Continue the work, Continue the work.}

That has been my mantra ever since. A most impactful event for me.

Raymond A. Bleesz
Edwards, Colo
Documentary Photographer