(The images in this post were taken by an iPhone and not a professional camera)
The City:
We drive to NYC every year around our birthdays. We were both born in October (12 & 16). We stay at the Holiday Inn express in midtown (Hell’s Kitchen) which is only a couple blocks from FDNY rescue 1. I find it interesting that they are re-doing their front ramp so they park their apparatus out on front parallel and leave the doors wide open to the squad. The hotel is also a 15 minute walk to the Javits center where the expo was held and was about an 18 minute walk to Time Square.
This year, since we have invested in our photography business, Northern Lights Photography, we decided to go up a little later to attend the photo expo. When we arrived, we went right to the convention center. While walking, I noticed something this year that I hadn’t noticed in years past. The dogs of NYC are very different than your everyday suburbia dog. 1) A lot of people have dogs and 2) they don’t bark! Literally no barking at all. They don’t bark when they see other dogs. They don’t bark when they see other people….they literally don’t care about you. They are just happy to be with their owners walking around the streets. They are very well behaved and generally accepted. Some owners allowed us to pet them, but you could tell the owners who didn’t want anyone touching their precious pooch. We came across a man carrying his dog wearing a sweatshirt. What you can’t see from this photo is that the poor doggie was beat up with his leg in a cast. So, his owner is carrying him around. The dog was happy as could be and the owner didn’t have to hold him at all. The dog was just wrapped around his neck. It was such a sweet bond they share. (keep scrolling for more)
One of our favorite things to do in NY is go to B & H photo. It is the largest photography and tech distributor in US. It’s pretty well known. We order from them on an app and it arrives the next day with free shipping. The only thing is B & H is closed for every jewish holiday and closes at sunset on Friday and start taking orders on Saturday at sundown. It’s really great that they have their beliefs, close when they feel its right and they still have a rocking successful business. In general, despite what many think, the people of NY are very friendly.
The Photo Expo:
When we first arrived, we went to registration and the hostess gave us our badges (they had Cannon lanyards so I had to change mine out later for a Nikon one :). She gave us our complimentary bags that included a black tote with a camera on it, a Fuji Film instax camera and film as well as some special offers. I am super glad that we have 2 instax cameras because I can’t imagine our 5 year old twins sharing them at this point, lol! The hostess asked us to look in the bag to see if we had the Golden Ticket which is worth up to a $400 value. Mine was a professional photo magazine subscription. Only 1 in 10 bags had the Golden Ticket. So I was lucky and won :) A great way to start the expo! (keep scrolling through pics)
I chose to not bring my professional camera with me. Pretty much everyone had some sort of camera with them and they had booths set up where you can take professional images of models, but since it was my first year, I wanted to just take it all in and see what I could learn.
So what does this mean for you?? Well, I want to make sure out clients get the best possible services from us. This includes your experience with us, your final images and the products we can offer you to display those special memories. We have found a new vendor for printing and I think ya’ll are going to be pleased! They have so much to choose from. In addition, I wanted to make sure I had the tools I needed to keep growing and doing better. I linked up with Nikon Professional Services (NPS) and they have guided me so much already. I also learned about lighting, wedding photography, maternity photography and wildlife photography! It really was a busy, but wonderful 2 days.
I just wanted to say thank you for supporting our business and helping us grow. We love chasing moments. Thank you for allowing us to do so.
xoxo,
Jamie & Bob
