ImagingUSA 2009 – Phoenix!
Posted on January 19, 2009
We took a road trip earlier this month to Phoenix, for the ImagingUSA convention. The event ran 11-13 January; we drove over on the 10th, getting to our hotel around 9pm. We got a map of the brand-spanking-new Metro train system from the front desk and discovered we were about a mile from the end-of-the-line station – perfect! We rode the train downtown and back all three days; the three-day-passes for both of us cost us less than a single day’s parking fee downtown.
The first day of the convention was a ton of fun! We hit classes on wireless off camera flash (and resolved to buy some RadioPoppers as soon as they’re available!), posing and lighting portraits with Hanson Fong, and packaging before lunch. Lunch all three days was combined with the Imaging Expo Tradeshow, where anyone and everyone who makes products for photographers had a booth showing off their latest and greatest. We perused albums, asked the Cannon reps about 300 questions about various cameras, and spent hours just wandering, awestruck, like kids at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. We also saw a few oddities – like the Mennonite photographers, and the iMac at the Microsoft booth. Come on guys, what’s up with that?
After a few more classes, we decided to skip the opening night cocktail hour, and went back to the hotel to collapse.
The second day was much like the first – classes started at 7am and went until 6:30pm, with a break in the middle for the tradeshow. Anne Geddes was delivering the event keynote in the evening, but Roz and I aren’t just huge fans of her work, and since the other 2500 event attendees were, we decided to skip the crowds and go find someplace quiet to sit down and have dinner. We met two awesome older gentlemen on the Metro, Bill and Kevin. After we spent the entire ride out talking and joking with them, we asked if they knew any good places to eat in town. Boy, did they ever! They recommended a hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant, Hanley’s Bistro, not far from the Metro terminus. I haven’t eaten so well in a very, very long time. Thanks again guys – it was excellent.
By the third day, Roz and I were feeling the effects of being on our feet so much. Classes that day blurred into one continuous smear of speakers. We did take time off to have one of our friends, Rachel Hadiashar of Merge Weddings, shoot some portraits of us together – we had a blast at the shoot Rachel, and we cannot wait to see the images! It was enlightening to be in front of the camera for once.
We skipped out on the closing reception (we were so tired we could barely stand up) and hit the hotel for a much needed crash. On the plus side, we both lost some weight as a result of all the exercise!
On the 14th we headed out of town, after a stop at our favorite store of all time, Ikea, for breakfast and shopping for the wedding booth. I had no idea you could get eggs, sausage, bacon, french toast sticks, Swedish pancakes, and coffee for two people for less than $8 anywhere in this country.
All in all, we had a great time, and we learned a ton. I think Imaging is already on our schedule for 2010!
Jason
I didn’t know you were here. I am so bummed, we could have gotten together.