David Bergman speaks at the Nikon booth during Imaging USA EXPO.

This blog post may seem a little disconnected, but it is more like a journal of my experience today at the Imaging USA Expo. I had a lot of fun and learned a few things.

Kevin Ames is photographing a model at the Sigma booth. Kevin is is sponsored by Sigma.

The reason I drove to the convention was to see my friends. All the gear I have seen before and no company was rolling out new gear at the show that I knew about.

One person that always is good to have in town is Bill Fortney. Bill is retiring July 1st from Nikon as one of their representatives. I knew I wanted to have some time with him as well as get a chance to talk with his boss Bill Pekala, the head of Nikon Professional Services.

Bill Fortney is handling all the questions from the convention attendees.

In a few weeks I will be doing a similar role to Bill when I am answering student questions about their next purchases. While Bill thought I was just hanging out to say hello, I was actually listening to how Bill handled all their questions.

Bill was helping people understand the Nikon lineup of cameras. For the most part Bill was talking to people about the differences between the Nikon D800 and the Nikon D600.  For most folks the Nikon D600 fits the bill just fine is what he was telling them. Fortney thinks of his Nikon D800 like a 4×5 camera. When he shoots with it this is serious. He knows he wants all the detail possible and pulls this camera out of the bag.

For the most part Bill explained how much he enjoyed shooting for the most part with the Nikon D600 as his everyday shooting camera.  You can read a blog Bill wrote on this here.

Dr. Charles Stanley asks Bill for some advice on his upcoming trip to Africa. He didn’t want to take all his gear and asked Bill for what he recommended. Bill recommended the Nikon D7000 and the Nikon 18-200mm lens for the trip.

You need good relationships with the camera representatives because they know the gear the best and great people to help one navigate their lineup of cameras and lenses.

I went by the Nikon Professional Services room and even met for the first time face to face Melissa DiBartolo. For years she has helped me with getting my cameras repaired and answering questions. I walked in and she knew me right away and this was so reassuring to know they are taking the time to help us out.

Jeff Raymond enjoys meeting Dr. Charles Stanley in the hall of the convention.

While I was having a chance to renew friendships I also was starting new ones. Jeff Raymond was able to meet Dr. Charles Stanley and talk about his work in missions.

Coming up the escalator was my friend Tara Patty who has a photo studio in Colorado Springs, CO. I was enjoying hear how her business is growing and changing. Years ago she was shooting 90% commercial and only about 10% portraits for the public. Today she is shooting 10% commercial and 90% portraits and her business is growing.

I then met my friend Mark Turner who said the last three years have been great for business. He only wonders how much better if the economy was stronger.

As I talked to friend after friend I was finding they were all doing much better and had made changes in their business as well.

If you have time I recommend taking it in yourself if you are in Atlanta on January 22nd.

You can go here to register and enjoy the event www.imagingusa.org/registration.