Monday, November 5, 2018

Photo Plus Expo 2018

Hello all!

Good morning; afternoon; and evening friends and fans! I had recently gone to the 2018 Photo Plus Expo and had a great time there when I had attended the expo with my friend, Jason for the first two days (October 25 - 27, 2018 and I went the third day solo). We had gone around entering different contests from different exhibitors and getting free items from the Photo Plus Expo, I had gotten seven pens from B&H, one pen from another exhibitor, two Nikon lanyards, two B&H lanyards, an Olympus lens cloth, four grey Hoya and a black Hoya Filter USA lens cloth, a T-Mobile hat, three t-shirts, Focus 12" Flexible Tripod, a Decisions: Party's Over (Homido: VR glasses) just for trying the Virtual Reality, and several pins that were at the photography convention. If you're an avid photographer such as myself, it's totally worth attending and there were many different exhibitors at the Expo along with models who were there at the convention. After the convention was over (October 28, 2018), I decided to drop the six rolls of film at B&H for processing and made a deposit so I'm not stuck paying the entire amount at time of pickup. I realized after dropping off the film for processing, I had this weird vibe that I had mixed up one of the rolls of film since I had used the Fujifilm Fujicolor Pro 400H Professional Color Negative film for a majority of the convention and I had also purchased one roll of Kodak Color film. When I picked up the contact sheets and CD from B&H yesterday, the pictures did not come out at all. Fortunately, I had found out from a B&H employee in the Used Department had mentioned that the reason why the pictures didn't come out was because of a shutter issue and suggested that I'd have my camera serviced. I was hoping that a lot of the pictures with Kalmon Stokes, Jessica Leigh Ford, Analia Marecos, and the young lady who was painted up as an Avatar would have been something I'd show off. Approximately three pictures had came out of the four rolls of film and I'm going to drop off this one roll of film at B&H. Unfortunately, I've gotten several pictures of Kalmon Stokes, a single picture of Analia and three other pictures of another model. I'm disappointed that my camera decided to give out on me but overall, I'm grateful I had gone to the Photo Plus Expo and I am looking forward in attending the 2019 Photo Plus Expo! Once when I have available funds to service my trusty sidekick, Minolta X-370 and zoom lens serviced then I should be good in the hood and I have a strategy for next year's Photo Plus Expo! When funds become available, I plan on going to Camera Doctor NYC and have both my camera and zoom lens serviced but hopefully I won't be overcharge me. I had gotten a free roll of Ilford HP5 as well out of this and it's a good thing I had stuck around for a bit!

Fortunately, I have a Japan Camera Hunter 35mm Film Hard Case from B&H and this bad boy comes in handy (just to save yourself from frustration when you know you've packed several rolls of film and with this item, all your film is in one place). I had brought this with me to the convention and it came in handy! Okay, enough talk about the Japan Camera Hunter 35mm Film Hard Case and I do love  this item, best investment if you're currently shooting film (I'm just saying and I recommend this item). In regards to coming up with a strategy for the 2019 Photo Plus Expo, my best intention is to use one roll of film per model as I make my way around the convention over the course of three days (hopefully, it will equal to thirty rolls of colour film and at least five - ten rolls of films, give or take by the end of the convention) and I hope the convention will have at least four items of interest,  Benro TAD18AIB1 Series 1 Adventure Aluminum Tripod with B1 Ball Head, Sirui P-306 Aluminum Monopod, Sirui 3T-35K Table Top Tripod, and a Manfrotto Windsor Camera Reporter Bag for DSLR on hand at the convention! Free is always good, depending on what you're looking for and hopefully it's worth stocking up on to avoid heading to the stores later on or when you're short on cash, whatever your situation may be. That's how I'd do it and you'll never know when you'll need certain items for a photography assignment. Yet, I hope I can form a small squad of like-minded individuals who share the same common interest and passion in photography. I hope to at least capture a group picture both outside the Jacob Javits Center and several more under the Photo Plus Expo banner just before we begin our nerd, camera drooling journey (well, after we've gotten our badges at least). Since I had such an awesome time, I hope I can attend again and I doubt I'd be able to form a small squad for the 2019 Photo Plus Expo since I'm sure I'd be given any excuse: "I'm broke!", "I've already made plans, sorry." "I'd have to work" or whatever. I understand people have their own lives to live and not always available to attend certain things with me (in some ways I ask people less and less nowadays but if people choose to tag along, I have no issues.

I'm hoping the exhibitors don't have the items mentioned above at the Photo Plus Expo, I hope B&H will have them at a discount price. It's still too early for sure on what or who the exhibitors/vendors will be and what they have to offer. I'm looking forward for the 2019 Photo Plus Expo and will make I take those days off once when I've found employment as I'd have money that I've worked hard for.

(I'm hoping to save up for a Hasselbald film camera.)

Blessed be,

Jennifer