Wandering - Live

on August 07, 2022
Yesterday I treated myself to a wander - The 2022 PhotoLive held at the Novotel Langley hotel. It was the same venue as a number of past shows - the mezzanine show room and a number of additional theatres and rooms for workshops and talks. A good venue idea, as the trade display can be kept to the one room. There is also a good bar and restaurant in the building so there is no need to be hungry, thirsty, or tired at the fair. I approached the event a bit differently this time - less of the planner and more of the flâneur. I wandered the hall looking at the displays by the trade firms and looked for new and useful gear on display. These have been lean times for new equipment but I was not starved for interesting bits - And I picked up news of a new lens that interests me mightily. If you went and attended some of the talks or a workshop, you got more focused news than I did - as I said I lounged through listening and making notes. It was good to see people I recognised from the trade and in a couple of cases they recognised me - even if I was wearing a mask and a cap. Next time I am going to need dark glasses and a trench coat. And a sign that says " I'm not a spy "... The event raised money for charity, as well as acted as a trade and sales event. You got in by putting a gold coin into the Telethon collection tins. I attempted to cheap my way through with a 50¢ piece and was horrified to see it stuck in the side of the can. It's not the thought of being a skinflint that bothers me - it's getting caught at it. The collector was good enough to push it on through and then not hit me with the can, but I am going to reform before next year. The official ticket table was cheery enough, though like some of us they were masked up against the times. So were some of the visitors. It was very early in the day and what I hope proved to be crowds of buyers had not yet developed. Electronic pay passing is so common nowadays we never think about it but there is a maelstrom of electricity flowing all the time at one of these events and it can be a surprise if one terminal or machine proves baulky. The IT repairman was there with the Dr Who screwdriver to fix most of the problems. I attend lots of events for my hobbies during the year, but this is an especial one - and it is interesting to note the intensity of interest that is taken for the day. I've been to big local scale modelling exhibitions running over two days and wondered on the first day where all the people were - bare aisles never look good. PhotoLive has no bare aisles, and I also noted as I left early to come home and write it up that there were people streaming towards the Novotel Langley from all along the riverside parking. Grown-ups with money to spend, too, so the even has a real purpose and a real magnetism for Perth. It can only get better as new goods flow into the shop in the future. We have a motto that says we love photography, but it appears that a lot of other people here in WA are also passionate too.
BACK TO TOP
x