O'Reilly Team Reports from PhotoPlus

A report from my intrepid boss, Executive Editor Steve Weiss, who's at PhotoPlus in NYC this week:

The 2006 O'Reilly Photoshop Cook-off Awards ceremony took place last night, held at Javits Center in NYC, as part of the PhotoPlus Expo. Many thanks to a long list of generous co-sponsors, who donated prizes totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars, our esteemed judges, and of course, a big salute to the winners, including grand prize winner Suzanne Pitts, from Orange County, Calif. Awards were presented at a reception attended by press, winners, and judges. Here's Suzanne with her winning entry.

There are 20,000+ photographers---professionals and eager avocationalists---here, attending tutorial sessions, portfolio reviews, seminars, and corporate receptions. This is the biggest event of the year in photography circles, save perhaps for PMA (more of a vendor event) and Photokina (held in Germany) and usually attracting what seems like a million people globally). There's simply nothing like this event in the US for the sheer size and access to well-known photographers and the newest gear.

O'Reilly authors (or soon-to-be authors) teaching jam-packed sessions are Mikkel Aaland, Katrin Eismann, Julieanne Kost, Peter Krogh, Stephen Johnson and Eddie Tapp. (Mikkel pays us to have these lists in alphabetical order---cw).

The O'Reilly booth was packed all day; lots of interest in our books, we're happy to say. Biggest interest on the first day was in Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography and both of Eddie Tapp's new titles (Photoshop Workflow Setups and Practical Color Management). Lots of interest in learning more about Camera Raw; as such, Mikkel Aaland's book also flying off the shelves. Julieanne Kost's Window Seat continues to be popular; people attend her presentations and then seem to make a beeline to the booth to buy a copy; there's nothing quite like her book, and people tend to be transfixed once they crack the spine and begin flipping through the pages.

The other event in Javits was registration for this coming Sunday's NYC Marathon. 20,000 camera bugs eating hot dogs over here; 10,000 athletes in shorts, doing stretches and eating bananas over there. (So Steve, which line was the guy you mentioned on the phone standing in? The one with the track suit who was lining his hotdog with fries.---cw)

Thanks for the report, Steve!