Woody's iPhone

Woody texting, Las Vegas 2011

Las Vegas

Las Vegas, 2011

More from the PMA in Las Vegas

"Celebrity photographer" (feast on that two-for-the-price-of-one modifier) Brian Smith presented a slide show of his work, dispensed wisdom, and did a photo shoot, all the while remembering to promote his sponsor at the Sony stage today. Here's another shot I took with the Alpha 900 Sony. It's so portable and the quality looks just as good as my medium format cameras...

Although the product endorsement was as subtle as "The Stephen Colbert Dorito's Spicy Sweet Pennsylvania Primary Coverage Live From Chili-delphia City of Brotherly Crunch," I enjoyed hearing real-life tales of Smith's long career. Smith's self-depricating sense of humor came through in anecdotes about his work with septuagenarian burlesque dancers and nudist golf enthusiasts.

Otherwise, and uneventful day. Here are a few shots:

As I watched lens-envious photographers gaze at exhibition booths through 800+mm lenses, I thought of Marcel's touristscope photos.

Outside of the convention center...

I'm not sure if I felt more trapped by the trade show or the disorienting casinos.

The dizzying pastiche of Vegas that provides so much fodder for French theorists' smug assessment of American excess makes me feel like a ball darting through obstacles on a miniature golf course.

The amount of photography that takes place with cell phones amazes me. What do people do with those photos? Do they print them? Save them? Blog them? I have taken a total of 5 pictures on my cell phone. Ever.

Here is what they are photographing (quickly rendered in monochrome for the sake of my own sanity):

I overheard the announcer bragging that this habitat cost 9 million dollars. For a split second I wasn't sure whether he meant the one for the lions or for the humans.

Tomorrow I will go out and do some street photography. After that, I will be glad to get back to a more familiar kind of frenzy.

PMA 2009 International Convention and Trade Show

I'm in Las Vegas this week at the Professional Media Association conference, so I thought it might be fun to give you a taste of the trade show. I will do more posts throughout the week, but here are some first impressions:

It seems like the point and shoot digital market is all about putting cameras in a fish tank. Great news if your name is Ariel or Aquaman! Pretty much every brand has got cameras that are dust- and water-proof. The one by Panasonic (above) shoots stills and HD video.

The PMA embraces diversity. Gay Ken dolls take a stroll in an "It's a small world"-esque diorama. A couple of provincial sled dogs look on with curiosity, but the fishing bear exhibits a tolerant insouciance. What the—? you say. Indeed. Some marketing genius (perhaps a 6 year-old girl?) decided that a tacky toy pastiche would be just the thing to promote their line-up of cameras.

I haven't been to Vegas in many years (possibly because I don't drink or gamble), so here are a few photo impressions taken tonight at TI:

The empty drink sitting alone a slot machine just says "Vegas" to me.

Two more variations on the drinking and gambling theme: