Chloe! Chloe....!

My name is Beulah! Not Chloe! Aaaaarrrrgh! Shouting out a name whilst in the transports of love may be all very well, but it is best to shout out the name of the person with whom you are currently entangled. Anything else and it gets violent...and not the good violent, either... This thought flashed through my mind one night long ago while attending a promotional lecture for a brand of photo equipment. The lecturer was showing results of photographic assignments and contracts undertaken in the last few years. In support of the new camera model, he had been given one and had done some delightful pictures with it. Unfortunately after touting it with that presentation he went on to show other work done with another brand's gear, and mentioned them by name... That was a perfectly truthful thing to do, but I doubt the state or national representatives of the host brand were all that pleased. Fortunately the keen audience wanted to talk about the new star camera anyway, so the gaffe went largely un-noticed. I have mentally marked the occasion, though, and will try never to do it when I give public addresses. The new camera was quite wonderful and I we sold it with pride. Having laughed at this, and I certainly hope you did, I was brought to the realisation that other promotional speakers have done the reverse. I recently heard someone explain their gear choices in support of new lenses and list their former equipment as well - but they did it to tell how much better their current choice was. That's valid if it is given as opinion, or can be supported by clear evidence. If you start a promotional battle with an industry rep, however, you have to remember that they are generally equipped with far more statistics than you and a desperate need to defend their employer's brand. It can be even more fraught if you rile an enthusiast - their regard for the equipment they carry may go all the way from affection to lust, and they will argue longer than you can listen. Note that I've sometimes been twitted for taking pictures at an industry event with a camera or flash that is different from the brand being introduced. The answer to that is simple: If you wish me to take pictures of the new Flapoflex Supacamera at the launch, provide me with an example of the device to do it with. And provide it well beforehand so that I can learn to use it properly on the night. If there is no coverage for it from ACR or the editing programs at present, any pictures from it would have to wait until Adobe told me to go ahead. On the other hand, I own the camera I report with and know where to put my fingers to make it work. If you want your Supacamera to feature next day, hold it up and smile while I use Old Faithful to take the picture...