Thursday, January 15, 2009

ImagingUSA

I've just returned to Pittsburgh from Phoenix, AZ (which is about 60 degrees warmer than home) where I was attending the ImagingUSA photo conference as a student volunteer. While it was definitely not a vacation, I had a good time and learned A LOT - amazing Photoshop techniques I can't wait to try out; some ideas for weddings and portraiture; as well as that fixing my camera should be covered under SPS/PPA's insurance policy.

There was a portfolio review that, sadly, I didn't get as much out of as I would have liked, but did meet some interesting people. One is a portrait photographer from my home town of Moon Twp - interesting that I went all the way to Arizona to meet her! I also met the founder of AfterCapture Magazine, which I absolutely adore, and some of the photographers who looked at my portfolio were pretty cool. My reviews were a mixture of "your work is wonderful" and nitpicking. I was most pleased with being nit-picked, because it reminds me to fix small details and also lets me know that overall my work is decent far more than just being told that is. If they're looking at the tiniest things to correct I must be doing something right.

I shot almost 2 whole rolls of color slide film on the plane home today, so I have to go to Photo Depot and get them processed tomorrow!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

The Good and The Bad

The Good: I got a flash (and a new camera case) for Christmas - it's the Pentax AF549FGZ, which is far too complicated of a name, so from now on it's going to be referred to simply as The Flash. It'd be great, except for...

The Bad: My camera broke on Christmas and it's currently off being repaired. I won't get it back for a good month or so, which is quite a setback.

The Good: I'm taking this quarter off, so I don't have to worry about actually HAVING to photograph and can spend time editing instead.

The Bad: I don't have a camera to take to ImagingUSA, though I'll probably be buying a point-and-shoot for the trip. This will also allow me to take a small camera with me when I don't want to lug my Pentax around. It'll be helpful for ideas and sketches.

The Good: ImagingUSA is next week!