NASHVILLE — Every time I travel to Nashville I enjoy the company and talents of songwriters and musicians, and this trip was no exception. But this time I also was able to enjoy the company and talents of many visual artists, as I attended ImagingUSA, the Professional Photographers of America’s annual show.

The vast majority of photographers I’ve met are self-employed or work in or run very small shops. Most of the attendees at ImagingUSA I met were studio or wedding photographers, but I met a nature photographer who also did freelance writing for outdoor magazines, and many other types of creators. (Look at how artists and creators chose to describe themselves when signing the Copyright Alliance’s letter to President Obama and Vice President Biden; many had a hard time choosing just one type of art.)

As was the case last fall at PhotoPlus Expo in New York City, Lucinda and I met many photographers who “get” how important their rights are to them in an online world, but don’t know as much as they’d like about their rights.

They also don’t know as much as many infringers about how technology can affect the reproduction and distribution of their works. They’re using digital technology, obviously, for production and distribution. But while others were learning tricks to obtain copyrighted works without permission, they were learning how best to light someone’s face for a portrait. (I mention that example because I saw a very compelling demonstration on that skill, and realized that no point-and-shoot of anyone, even with an SLR with a nice flash, can ever create the effects one can do with a box light and a reflector positioned perfectly to complement the subject’s unique facial characteristics.)

I’m told this was PPA’s biggest show ever; it was certainly packed. I specifically avoided CES this year — the first year I’ve missed it in four years — in part because I hate crowds, so I wasn’t thrilled about the crowded trade show floor aisles, but it was good to see so many artists serious about improving their craft and their business.

Good luck next year in San Antonio, PPA!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at 2:48 pm by Patrick Ross and is filed under creators, events, piracy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.