Day 2: Photoshop World, Orlando 2013
Wow..... Day 1 was exhausting but day 2 was brutal.
I had heard all of the hype about "Midnight Madness" and wanted to make sure that I was up and out early enough to ensure I got one of the coveted tickets. Despite getting back to my hotel around midnight, I set my alarm for 6:00 am so I'd get to the convention center on time.
I was number #58 in line - a ticket to Midnight Madness was mine!
After getting tickets, it was time to hit the books for another gauntlet of classes. I started the morning with Frank Doorhof's Photoshop tricks and then attended classes in portrait composition and hidden tweaks in Photoshop. The best class of the morning, however, belonged to Mr. Moose Peterson who gave a lecture on aviation photography. The class was not only informative, but it was very personal, inspiring, and emotional. I left completely motivated to go shoot some aircraft.
A few minutes to shove some food in the mouth before I was back to the expo floor to see more nifty gadgets and hear a quick lecture from National Geographic photographer Joe McNally.
Mid-afternoon it was back to the grind.... Back to back classes with world renown photographer Jay Masiel. Jay had many inspiring photos, but his quotes were probably the best part. My personal favorite was his response for how to take more photos: "Carry your F--ing camera. It's easier to take photos that way"! You've gotta love his dry sense of humor.....
I have been posting to Twitter (@ScenicTraverse) most of the convention, and at one point I was listed as a top contributor for the Photoshop World hash cast. Cool!
After classes ended for the day, it was time for the panel discussion on the Art of Digital Photography. This class was one of the highlights of the week; six of the best photographers in the world spent a few minutes showing off their latest work and talking about what inspires them. The panel was stacked with amazing photographers and I saw some very inspiring work. Well worth the time!
No sooner does the panel end, then it's time to shove some quick food in my mouth and head out to Midnight Madness. I was very excited based on the hype I'd heard from previous years, but wasn't impressed with the overall event. Photoshop World Midnight Madness has one rule - you don't learn about Photoshop! They had long periods of 'dry' activity and filler and the entire crowd got very restless. Talking to other people afterwards, it seems that this year was not the norm, so next time I'm at Photoshop World, I'll give it another try. The best part of Midnight Madness was the Photoshop pranks, designed to teach you how to screw with coworkers who use Photoshop.
After a long day, it was back to the hotel to get 5 hours of sleep before the final day of the conference. I'm totally wiped out, but having lots of fun and learning a TON!
Once again, apologies for the cruddy iPhone pictures!
