{"id":1174,"date":"2012-02-26T18:37:18","date_gmt":"2012-02-26T18:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/test\/?p=1174"},"modified":"2012-02-26T18:37:18","modified_gmt":"2012-02-26T18:37:18","slug":"focus-on-imaging-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/?p=1174","title":{"rendered":"Focus on Imaging 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Focus\"<\/a>There\u2019s just one week left until the doors to UK biggest photography event swing open once again. Focus on imaging<\/a> is a four day feast of camera, lenses lighting, albums, software\u2026 in fact if it\u2019s connected to photography you\u2019ll probably find it at Focus on Imaging. <\/p>\n

The show runs from Sunday 4th to Wednesday 7th March at the NEC in Birmingham. It is primarily a giant trade show with hundreds of smart looking stands and helpful sales staff ready to sell you your dream lens or that \u201cmust have\u201d gizmo you\u2019ve never heard of before. <\/p>\n

Over recent years I\u2019ve noticed an increasing number of stands offering free training demos which can really make a visit to Focus a great way to gain some free education and inspiration.<\/p>\n

This year I\u2019ll be there for the full four days and I\u2019m thrilled to be representing Adobe UK once again. You\u2019ll find me on the stands of various suppliers passing on my Photoshop know how. I hope to give you exact times and places very soon.<\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re planning to make a visit to Focus (or any trade show around the world) here\u2019s my top tips.<\/p>\n

Register online
<\/em><\/strong>The queues to get in to Focus can be long, but if you\u2019ve already registered in advanced and have received your show entry badge then you can glide past the queues and walk right in. There\u2019s still time to register (just) if you go here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Research and budget<\/em><\/strong>
<\/em><\/strong>There really are some bargains to be had at the show. Discounts, offers and free extras are very common, but it makes sense to do your research before you go. If you\u2019re looking for new kit, narrow the choice down by checking internet reviews. Have an idea of the best internet price before going to the show. Once at the show you\u2019ll be able to get  your hands on the real thing and make an informed decision.<\/p>\n

Choose a day
<\/em><\/strong>Focus on Imaging starts on a Sunday and it\u2019s not surprising that it\u2019s also the shows busiest day by far. The Wednesday is usually a bit quieter, but by then the exhibitors are exhausted and sometimes they\u2019ve sold out of that one thing you really wanted. The flip side is there are often some great end of show bargains to be had on the Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

What to wear.<\/em><\/strong>
It\u2019s a long day and you\u2019ll be on your feet a lot, so comfortable shoes and clothes are the order of the day. Don\u2019t weigh yourself down with heavy bags either.<\/p>\n

Camera or no camera
<\/em><\/strong>Although it\u2019s a camera show there\u2019s really not much to photograph. Yes some of the stands will have mini studio shoots and models, but they\u2019re always swamped with people and you\u2019re unlikely to get anything more then a grab shot. Unless you need to bring your DSLR for a specific reason (e.g. for a sensor clean or to try a new lens), do yourself a favour and leave it at home.<\/p>\n

Eat & Drink<\/em><\/strong>
Food and drink at any trade show or conference is always going to be pricey and the NEC is no exception. Bring a packed lunch and a drink and spend the money you save on photo goodies. Just remember the car park is huge, so if you leave your lunch in the car you\u2019re in for a long walk.<\/p>\n

Arrive early<\/em><\/strong>
Focus gets busy, really REALLY busy but if you get there as the doors open you\u2019ll find you get to talk to three or four key suppliers in the first hour of the show before the really big crowds arrive. <\/p>\n

Listen to the talks
<\/em><\/strong>For me the very best part of any trade show is the free talks that many exhibitors lay on. Famous and talented photographers are on hand to pass on their knowledge and techniques throughout the day. It\u2019s a great way to pick up new skills and see different styles of photography. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s just one week left until the doors to UK biggest photography event swing open once again. Focus on imaging is a four day feast of camera, lenses lighting, albums, software\u2026 in fact if it\u2019s connected to photography you\u2019ll probably find it at Focus on Imaging. The show runs from Sunday 4th to Wednesday 7th … Continue reading Focus on Imaging 2012<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1174"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1175,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1174\/revisions\/1175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gavtrain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}