Wedding & Portrait Photography International

Conference and Expo

 

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In just a few days, the WPPI Convention will be underway. I’ll be heading out to the (hopefully) warm climes of Las Vegas to attend this annual gathering that takes places from Feb 5th through Feb 9th.

The WPPI is for photography professionals who are looking to enhance their various skills – posing, lighting, printing, marketing and sales. More than 200 classes are taught by expert photographers and speakers. In addition to the core wedding and portrait photography classes, a new Professional School & Sports Photography (PSPI) program has been developed to capture this growing segment.

To accommodate an expected 12,000 attendees, the WPPI has moved to the spacious Las Vegas Convention Center. These classes are led by 175 instructors including notables such as Katrin Eismann, Julianne Kost, Lindsay Adler, Joe McNally, Jerry Ghionis, Roberto Valenzuela, Bambi Cantrell and Bob Davis to name a few. Click here to see the wide variety of classes and instructors.

The expo portion of the convention has some 250 exhibitors in the hall showing the newest cameras, lenses, equipment, lighting, accessories, supplies, marketing material and services. All of the major camera manufacturers have booths where they demonstrate their latest wares.

For more information on this year’s convention, please visit the WPPI Conference & Expo website.

I hope to see you there.

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Written by: Arnie Lee
 
 

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All Things Techie

The Consumer Electronics Show has been the face of the electronics industry for almost 50 years. Except for one year, I’ve attended the show continuously since 1980 first as an exhibitor for many years, next as an industry member and lately as part of the press. CES is held each year in early January in Las Vegas. This makes traveling to CES a respite from the cold and snowy winter weather of my home base in Michigan. I walked many miles through the aisles and took in the breath of new gadgets that may make their way to our homes and businesses in the next months.

Along with 170,000 attendees, I was privy to see some 3,800 exhibitors that occupied 2.5 million square feet of floor space showing their products.

Here are a couple that caught my attention.

DXO One – iOS Camera
One of my first stops was at the DXO Labs booth where their rep Elodie Petiot demonstrated a small, standalone camera that melds seamlessly with the iPhone and iPad. The DXO One has a high resolution 20MP sensor with a fast f/1.8 32mm equivalent lens and attaches directly to the iOS device through a Lighting connector thereby eliminating the need for a wifi connection. An iOS app provides control over all of the cameras’s features – focus, exposure, shutter speed, aperture setting, ISO setting, more. Captured images are immediately transferred to the iPhone for editing or sharing online. The suggested price for the DXO One is $475. For more information please visit DXO.
Sony Alpha 7R II Mirrorless
I’ve been using Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras for the past four years, but Sony’s new full-frame a7r II has been on my radar scope since it became available late last year. With a whopping 42-megapixel sensor it should fits into my fondness for landscape photography. Its BSI (back sided illuminated) sensor enables Sony to pack more light gathering power onboard, thereby boosting sensitivity to 102,400. Autofocus speed is said to be 40% faster than the earlier a7R model. Other improvements include five-axis image stabilization and shutter dampening for less camera vibration.
What’s holding me back from purchasing this camera? I’d also have to shell out a big investment for a set of full-frame lenses. The suggested price of the a7R II is $3200. For more information, please visit Sony.

 
 

Stay tuned for a look at a couple of 3D printers that caught my eye at CES 2016.

Written by: Arnie Lee
 
 

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The Consumer Electronics Show – Drones

 

For more than 30 years, I’ve started the New Year with a trip to the Consumer Electronics Show. CES is the premier showcase for new and innovative techie products that are in line to hit the store shelves.

This year I notice the proliferation of 3D printers and picture-taking drones at the show.

Earlier, I wrote a short article about 3D Printing Technology that I saw at CES.

There’s plenty of controversy surrounding the use drones for commercial purposes, manufacturers from around the world are gearing up for battle as they try to outdo each other on features, price, and speed to market. This article presents several of the picture-taking drones that I saw at the show.

Robotix Ghost+
This is the Ghost+ quadcopter. Its payload is a GoPro camera mounted on a controllable gimbal and has a GPS receiver, gyroscopic controller for smooth flight, retractable landing skids and can stay airborne for 18 minutes. The WiFi module lets you stream the video remotely to a smartphone and/or tablet. The suggested price of the Ghost+ is $1300.
For more information about the Ghost+, please visit Thunder Tiger Group.
DJI Inspire 1 This is DJI’s newest model – Inspire 1. It has a bult-in gimbal-mounted 4K video camera that can be remotely positioned, real-time feed to the controller and automatic takeoff and landing.
while in the air, the landing pods fold into the “up” position for obstruction-free video recording
Price is $3400 with dual remotes – one for flight control and the other for camera control. For more info, please visit DJI.
Proto-X FPV
The FPV quadcopter is equipped with a 1280 x 720p video camera. Notice that the controller has a built-in video screen that displays the captured video in real time. It is gyro stabilized for steady movie. The suggested price is $350. For more info, please contact Hobbico
Zano – the nano drone
Zano calls itself a “sophisticated nano drone”. It’s so small that it fits in the palm of your hand. Your smartphone or tablet is the controller. Simply tilt your phone left, right, forward or backward and the Zano follows. Other onscreen icons control the altitude, rotation, capture, etc. This is a prototype model and Zano tells me that production begins in July 2015. Price in UK Pounds £170. For more information, please visit Zano.

 

As a former participant in the flight simulation industry, I’m in awe of the drone “landscape”.

As I watch these new models flying at CES, I am amazed at how quickly the technology surrounding drones has progressed. In addition to highly competitive prices, these devices are much easier to fly – many with auto takeoff and auto landing capability – and features such as gimbals, streaming and navigation are truly impressive.

Written by: Arnie Lee

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