Words and Light

The Flash Bus Tour came to Philadelphia yesterday, so I battled early-morning grogginess and rush-hour traffic to see and meet Joe McNally and David Hobby.

Joe McNally greets people signing in for the Philadelphia Flash Bus event in the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Wednesday, April 6, 2011.

Philadelphia was McNally’s and Hobby’s 19th stop (of 29) as they travel around the country in a bus tour to teach and demonstrate flash techniques. Although I’ve used flash on assignment (despite my coworkers’ teasing that I’m scared of this old technology), it was great to be in a learning environment again.

I also got to meet my friend Charles there.

Walking around in Philadelphia Chinatown after the conclusion of the Flash Bus event.

Charles is freelancing in New York City, but the NYC Flash Bus event sold out before he could get a ticket. So he took a bus to Philadelphia. It was great seeing him again, and getting to explore Philadelphia with him during the lunch break and after the event.

And — we happened to be sitting next to a Playboy photographer during the event sessions.

About 400 people attended the Philadelphia Flash Bus event. Naturally, of all those 400 people, I found myself sitting next to a Playboy photographer. In this picture, he and dozens of other Nikon photographers have synced their strobes with Joe McNally's and are holding them up for a fun photo McNally took on-stage.

Needless to say, there were many different photographers there. When David Hobby asked who in the crowd was an editorial photographer, it looked like Charles and I were among maybe five others who raised their hands. And it seemed as if we were among the two youngest photographers in attendance, as well.

But it was a good crowd, with lots of good questions. Joe and David absolutely encouraged questions during the sessions, despite the fact that they held a Q&A/giveaway session at the conclusion of the event. They were also very accessible: Instead of running away during the breaks, they stayed in the room and talked to those who crowded around them.

Guess what Jeff'll be getting in the mail.

So, was the event worth the $99 registration? I think so. I’m pretty sure everybody left the event wishing they had a dozen strobes, umbrellas, light stands, snoots and softboxes (Joe said he has at least 20 speedlights), but it was a good learning experience and refresher course.