Of course, I had planned on writing this article on the flight home after Imaging USA 2025—best-laid plans, as they say. I forgot how a successful tradeshow can leave you drained. Tired and happy, like running a marathon, excited you made it through to the end, but glad you don’t have to do another next week. Unless you are one of those ultra-marathoners, I’m not. So here I am a week later, collecting my thoughts on the whirlwind of inspiration, education, networking, and collaboration that was Imaging USA 2025.
Adorama had an amazing booth this year featuring their private label products, Printique, a huge HP printer, and personal shoppers. This article will focus on educational content.
Over the course of three days, Adorama featured seven photographers who shared their personal visions and experiences. All of these creators were happy to share techniques and stories. Additionally, with such an intimate crowd, questions could be asked, and it felt very much like a conversation.
I’ve been shooting and presenting for a long time. However, every time I watch a creator share their vision, I walk away having learned something. If you saw any of these demos or have some insight to share, reach out to 42west@adorama.com, and perhaps we can share your story here.
Adorama Booth Speakers Imaging USA 2025
Jeff Carpenter
Opening the show, Jeff came more prepared than anyone I’ve ever seen. I’m not talking about camera and lighting or PowerPoint here. Jeff had his own tethering system that used an iPad, and an AppleTV. This allowed him to be sure that from booth demo to booth demo, his AV was gong to work exactly how he wanted it. As someone who has walked into some weird setups, I really need to steal this idea!
Monica Sigmon
Monica’s demo focused on capturing movement in a dancer. What I picked up here was to embrace all this new technology we have been handed. I’m known for saying I just turn a camera to “M” and shoot like I always have, but that does mean I can miss out on some stuff that could elevate my work. Monica used the Sony a7R V with pre-capture and shot hundreds of frames in a few seconds… I know what you are saying. I said the same. However, she cleverly used the TV and the playback option to essentially watch back the capture, almost like a video clip, find the frame she loved, and mark it “5 stars.”
The ability to star images in cameras is not new. I want to say my first camera in 2000 had it, but I can also say I have never used it! By combining the new(ish) pre-capture and high-speed shooting with an old standby (stars), Monica was able to quickly capture exactly the image she and her dancer model wanted.
Seth Miranda
What can I say about Seth? He is a master artist who makes technical matters seem simple with his casual style of teaching. I’ve seen Seth present dozens of times, and I always go out of my way to see that man work. Still, I pick up tips every time. Imaging USA 2025 was the official release of the “Brooklyn Reflector,” and people lined up to have theirs signed. It started as a bit of a joke and also to show how understanding light is more important than gear; Seth’s balloon and pizza box demo always leaves the crowd cheering.
The beauty of this demo, though, is how Seth then produces images with “proper” gear. As a result, you see how technique gets you there, but good gear makes the work consistent and clean.
Gary Hughes
Gary, who has recently been creating videos for AdoramaTV, is a master of clean headshots. Watching him work, I could see why. On the surface, many of these booth demos are focused on lighting or other gear, but when you watch a photographer like Gary, you see how important the human element is to this type of work.
Daniel Norton
Though Seth might say differently, I don’t want to focus too much on myself except to say that I appreciated those of you who came out to see my demo. If you were there, drop me a line and let me know what you learned.
Will Cadena
Remember way back at the beginning of this article; I talked about booth demos and AV gear? Well, our laptop was not kind to Will. While I worked to get him up and running, he held the attention of a large crowd, teaching and answering questions and generally just being calm and collected. This is a huge lesson for any professional: keep cool. I have much respect for Will here, and he still managed to create a great shot in about 1/3 of the working time the rest of us had!
Jennifer Stitt
Closing out the booth demos, Jennifer worked with a couple, posing and lighting in a small space. Posing is a valuable skill, and Jennifer did a great job keeping the advice actionable.
The Main Stage
Seth and I also each had a platform class, sharing our knowledge with a much larger crowd than a booth demo could support. One advantage of the main stage is that you don’t get that random person walking into the demo mid-shot looking for swag. As they say, though, that’s a story for another day!
Check out our recap video here:
