The NEC Photography show 2022 - Review
The annual photography show at the NEC is an event I have attended for many years. It is traditionally held in March but because of Covid this year it had been moved out to September. It runs for 4 Days, Saturday to Tuesday but this year was closed on the Monday in respect to The Queen’s state funeral. I had originally planned to go on the Monday so had to change my plans and popped over on the Sunday.
I arrived at the venue at about 10:15am and found the car parks to be very quiet. I got the courtesy bus over to the halls and again no queues and it was straight in. On first impressions the hall did look very quiet, but I was told Saturday was packed out. This a show I enjoy as you can try out new kit and take in a few talks that suit your style of photography. I have never been to any of the large arena type talks, always preferring the smaller group talks.
I wandered around the outside as I usually do then up and down the centre aisles. All the big names were there Nikon, Canon, Fuji etc. but there were also a few missing. I was disappointed to see that Adobe were not in attendance as I had some questions for them and last time they had some great talks arranged. There were also a few empty stands where the exhibitors didn’t turn up I assume. I stopped to have a chat with a number of the exhibitors including at The Royal Photographic Society stand where I had a good discussion with the President of The RPS, Simon Hill HonFRPS. We talked about the RPS Magazine, what’s happening with the website and of distinctions. He encouraged me as a member to go for my ARPS distinction. I also visited the StreetSnappers stand where I met friends of mine Alex and Brian Lloyd-Duckett. Brian is the proprietor of StreetSnappers and I have been on a couple of his excellent workshops in London. I also took the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of Brian’s latest book entitled “Street Photography Workshop”.
By around 11:45am it was still reasonably quiet so there was no problem accessing the stands. I took a break shortly after that and found to my pleasure that there were vacant seats in the cafe which is unusual. I went to Brian Lloyd-Duckett’s talk entitled “Overcoming your Fears in Street Photography”. I had heard this talk before (or most of it’s content), but I find that I learn something each time that I missed before. The talk was very well attended and went across very well.
After a few more hours perusing the stands I decided at about 2:15pm it was time to head home. I hadn’t spent anything like I had done in past years, with Brian’s book being my only purchase. Why was that I hear you ask, well here are my thoughts on the show.
Although I find it a must attend event, this year I felt there was something missing. Yes, most of the big names were there, but one of the things I liked about shows of the past were the smaller traders with the quirky accessories that we all buy but never use. They seem to have disappeared. I am in no doubt it is because of the ridiculously expensive stand rent costs that the NEC charge. I know this from friends who exhibit at other shows that The NEC is very expensive. It’s a shame as many of these small independent traders gave the show character. Another thing I noticed was that there were many stands selling or demoing studio lighting equipment and services for photography professionals. It would be good if the organisers could bring the show back to catering for the non-professional enthusiasts. Too many stands selling insurance, expeditions and photo holidays you need a second mortgage for. One last thing, which may be a bit contentious, is why were there so many charity stands at the show? I give to a chosen charity every month through direct debit but it seemed that every row of stands had someone wanting me to save something from extinction, support medical causes or save the planet. It became a bit of a nuisance having to say no all of the time. The guy on the Greenpeace stand was actually rude when I said no to him.
I find the Photography Show a great place for people watching and this year was no exception. Many of the stands have models as attractions or set up dioramas for people to photograph. I have never seen the sense in what these are all about. Photographers elbow each other out of the way to get shots of them but what are they going to do with the photos? I took some to demonstrate what I mean but I don’t think any of their photos will ever see light of day. It’s also a place where some photographers put their gear on show around their neck, usually sporting a lens you could shoot the surface of the moon with from earth. Why?
A great day was had overall. Will I be back, yes for sure, but I may set my expectations a bit lower next year.
