The Big Photo Show

it needed a little improvement after it’s first year but did better on it’s second. The show has gotten a little bigger and better. I especially like the gifts they give when registering for the show like the free photo frame from certain companies.

I attended the Big Photo show last year in 2013 & I enjoyed the energy from everyone. I thought this year 2014 would be a lot better… I was wrong. It was a bit of a disappointment so we left early. Other than getting tax free on purchases there wasn’t really any other sales on equipment. They offered extended workshops for a fee which was new this year. The shooting zone wasn’t as enjoyable they used one stage & just had everyone teach there. Last year I enjoyed going from mini workshop to a different shooting zone … It really kept you on your feet & excited to shoot the next models. This urgency helps for real life situations which Is great for event & action photogs. I went on Saturday & it was really slow hopefully Sunday was better. The free workshops seemed lifeless this year, the audiences were like zombies. I saw less people with cameras & very few pro’s than last year. being a pro I enjoy seeing the new photogs, amateurs & enthusiasts bring there passion & excitement… This year it was a bit depressing for such a wonderful art. The vendor list was weak. Also, too many odd filler type vendors that were very tacky & cheep to include on the list. I hope it only gets better I would love to continue to support this local photo show… There is only room for growth & on the flip side it has the tools to bring some great knowledge to the amateur & enthusiast photographers. They just need to step it up & bring the passion back!

The Big Photo Show in my eyes wasn’t as big as I imagined it to be, large ample space to walk around, sit, buy products from a few camera shops in the L.A. County and a few product vendors.
They had two open air theaters with a lot of information about perspectives of different photographers view, I found them to be extremely interesting & incite-​full.
Some of these lectures did involve the occasional product plugin but that’s normal.
There were two food options inside with cash only, one was Mexican Food and the other sandwiches and plenty of cold drinks.
Restrooms were plenty as well.
I for one had a fruit salad, water bottle & a snickers at Ground Works Food Station just outside the hall. I paid $ 11 for everything, fruit salad was big, water size was decent, the snickers was the normal size, not the larger candy bar.
I walked here so not sure on convention center parking lot price, but the parking right in front of the hall and next to Staples Center Arena was $ 15, that’s if you didn’t want to walk. Cheaper parking along Flower Street.
I took a lot of tips off this show and come to think about it, it was just the right size, very helpful staff from the people that put on this photo show, hope to attend it next year.

«You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.» Ansel Adams
The Big Photo Show is not big at all if you compare it to the NAB show in Las Vegas. This show operates on a much smaller scale in only one hall of the convention center. This is their very first show, although they may run more shows in the future. Admission is free if you pre-​register online, but if you’re paying at the door, it will cost you $ 25!
The only major camera retail brand in the show is Sony. They display almost all of their consumer cameras, a few professional cameras and camcorders, plus an amazing $ 4K television which will probably blow you away!
The show is not designed so much for professionals as it is for amateurs. People with nice cameras monopolize the photo shoots, which can be annoying for those who might want to take a close-​up of the models. The models from the studio trying to sell you packages also offer short 15 to 20 minute lessons about camera skills.
Sammy, a local camera shop, is one of the few vendors at the event who offered «no sales tax» as their biggest selling point. It would have been nice to see even more camera retailers. The show isn’t too bad but there’s a lot of room for improvement.

Pretty Awesome event for photographers of all levels
The Good things
They had alot of different learning lectures and exhibits on technique and camera equipment.
They had alot of interesting things to photograph including exotic models and dancers who were surprisingly close to us photographers.
A Lot of the photography brand stores showed up with their merchandise.
Learned alot and tried alot.
The Bad things.
Some of the other photographers were just blatantly rude to the hosts of the hands on photography exhibits. They were either acting like paparazzi or like this was their first and only chance to see a model. Kind of made it hard for the rest of us to take a few practice shots in. Felt bad for the hosts but maybe they can improve on it next year. Do some kind of a rotation better.
Definitely a blast. Would do it again next year.

since I’m a customer of samy’s camera i got an email to this event, otherwise I would have never known about it. This is a well put together event and i hope it continues on a yearly basis which looks likely becuz on exiting there was a note to see everybody in spring 2014.
There are numerous short lectures thru out the day covering photo editing, nature photography, video photography, mobile and other topics. I would bring something to take notes because some lecturers had a book out like the guy who does the videos for the online tech section of usa today. Also a few of the major retailers were there to show items and I guess sell items.
Also, if you are into model photography there were two hands on sections that allowed you to shoot models
By the way if you want to save on the parking either take the metro blue line to the pico station