As I went out with the camera this morning with dew on the ground and a lack of butterflies to photograph, a realisation set in that Autumn is coming. I’ve reached a bit of a saturation point in the year with photography, so my thoughts now turn to The Photography and Video Show 2022.
Last year brought mixed emotions, it was great to be able to go to the show but there was no doubt it was on a smaller scale than previous years. You can read my thoughts on last years show here. Whilst Covid has not gone away it seems there won’t be a need this year for covid ‘passports’ or face mask wearing. It feels closer to ‘normal’ this year, if normal is ever a thing any more?
I will try to cover some thoughts whilst at the show this year, but in the meantime here are my pre-show things on my mind…
The organisers have already stated that this year will be nearly twice as many exhibitors as last year. Which whilst this is obviously a good thing, it would probably only get the show somewhere near pre-covid levels. It’s great to see in the exhibitor list the return of big names like Lee Filters, Manfrotto and Lowepro to name a few. Still no Profoto which is a shame as they have had good demonstrations in the past. And there are a couple of exhibitors I don’t recall seeing before that have caught my eye, Kingjoy and Ultramacro. The big names are important to pull the crowds, which in return gives other companies confidence to exhibit.
As I touched on earlier, despite the lifting Covid restrictions things are certainly far from normal… Last year it was evident that getting hold of goods was not easy, with many exhibitors honouring their ‘show’ price but having to place an order rather than you walking out with it there and then. This year I’m expecting similar issues. If Canon’s flagship cameras like the R3 and R7 are still hard to get hold of I expect the same to be true for many items. Then you have the ‘cost of living crisis.’ Photography is not a cheap hobby/career when you get into the serious stuff, and I wonder how this will impact the exhibitors with visitors either not attending or having less disposable money in their pockets. I for one can vouch for this. Finally with the cost of fuel how many people will be put off attending from any great distance?
There are still many uncertainties, but as my photography hits a saturation point in the year hopefully the array of free talks and ability to see and touch the latest gear will inspire me on…