Imaging USA 2019: Day 2
The second day of Imaging USA 2019 slowed down significantly, when compared to the first day that ended up being packed.
In the morning, I attended a very interesting talk about Portrait Lighting. Do I care about portrait lighting? No, I don't take photos of people, unless they are playing an instrument or singing. I love landscapes or architecture because mountains, lakes and buildings are very rarely in a hurry.
I still enjoy the theory behind lighting, the techniques of shaping light and the language of lighting itself. The session touched subject like color psychology, which is still relevant for what I do.
Most importantly, one of the speakers was another geek. My second geek in two days: Imaging USA this year is being plentiful.
The second part of the day was very conveniently left empty of sessions, so I could spend it harassing various vendors exhibiting in the main hall: my task was finding a second printing lab that is able to face mount my Premium Edition metallic prints on Acrylic.
My main target was BayPhoto.com, a very high end lab that is conveniently located close to where I live. They already turned me down a couple of times via email, but this time I went straight to the top and met Larry, the owner. His first response was "Hell no".
I'm not known to get no for an answer and just walked away.
After about ten minutes of showing Larry photos of a Premium Edition as big as 72x24" made in a different lab, Larry, a very likable and knowledgeable guy, finally capitulated and gave me his email address to continue the conversation.
I lived to fight another day.
The key point Premium Edition that I tried to carry across is that I print on the fine art paper myself and then, my signed print, is face mounted on a sheet of acrylic glass to leave no gap between the paper and the gap itself. The result is stunning, reflecting the light in beautiful and harmonious ways. It takes about a month to produce a Premium Edition from start to finish. It's a very unique product.
It's a product I'm deeply proud of.
The Sony stand was my second victim: I spent about an hour playing with all the mirrorless GM lenses I could find. I can't hide it, I have a camera lens fetish, I love how they look, I love holding them, I love looking through the lens from the front side!
When lens fetish is coupled with GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), the only loser is my bank account. I resisted the urge this time, but I can't guarantee what will happen next time I hold a Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM in my hands.
My preciousss.
Check out my Day 1 recap and don't forget to give a look at the Premium Edition collection of acrylic prints: I'm fighting hard to give you the best quality there.