ImagingUSA 2010

Just got in last night in from a week in Nashville for the ImagingUSA 2010 photo conference, where, for the second year, I was a student volunteer with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh's SPS (Student Photographic Society) chapter. I attended some lectures and checked out the Expo, where I bought an Interfit Strobies Portrait kit. It's freaking awesome - an accessory kit for my speedlight containing a mini softbox, a snoot, a beauty dish, barndoors, a 20 degree honeycomb grid and, my new favorite, a globe diffuser. Useful stuff for location shooting and will wonderfully complement the Alien Bees strobe I plan on buying in the next week or so.

There was also a portfolio review at ImagingUSA for the students and I got some input. Too much nitpicking and enough general tips, but my work was generally well received which was nice. I also made a couple contacts, including a man who runs a studio in Swissvale about 45 minutes from me and the president of the Professional Photographers of Pennsylvania. I've been invited to the first conference of the year, which is like a mini ImagingUSA for PA photographers and will be in 3 weeks or so. Might have to go check it out - only a two hour drive. There was also a woman taking photographs at the end of the conference party and I gave her my card (she was taking some of me and my friends) and then her whole group wanted my card as well! I have a couple different designs and they seemed to be comparing, which was entertaining.

Overall, Imaging this year was great, I learned a bit and made a great purchase. Hung out with photo students from other schools, which was great fun. I also got free subscriptions to a couple magazines - RangeFinder and my favorite photo magazine AfterCapture. Grabbed a copy of The Knot to do research for a wedding I'll be photographing in May. It was a productive trip!

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!

End of Fall Quarter

This is my exhausted face. V-V

I have to wake up in less than 5 hours to go to Master Printing, last final of the quarter. I've already had Fashion, E-Folio (www.elena-dee.com), and Thesis. After tomorrow is have winter break and a quarter off to shoot shoot shoot. And, of course, go to the ImagingUSA photo conference in Phoenix in January! I, along with others from the AiP chapter of the Student Photographic Society (SPS), am going as a student volunteer, which basically means I get to go for free because I'm working there. It'll be amazing and really educational. I need to work on my portfolio for the review I'm getting while I'm there.

I also need to work on getting an internship and matting my Master Printing final. The negatives aren't scanned yet, but here's something from Fashion.