Ladies, Start Your Engines! "*

If you thought the Indianapolis 500 was a gruelling race you want to go to a PhotoLive trade show as a wholesale representative or the official photographer. By the end of the day you'll be ready for the pits! Here's Brenda and Julie at the Canon stand taken early in the day before the thundering herds arrived. They are cheerful and relaxed, and not at all apprehensive. They both know that the Canon equipment will not let them down - whether thry are selling it or shooting with it. Note that Julie is using an on-camera flash to raise the light level of the venue, clean up the colour balance, and tame the shadows that overhead spot lighting can sometimes produce. If you're ever in the same position - having to be a fast-moving worker in a variety of lighting situations, emulate her - a speed light is often the difference between a blah shot and a sparkler. Note to self: Emulate Julie in the footwear department as well. I chose my old black shop boots with the bovver toecaps for the day, having forgotten what they felt like at 5:00. The way of the future is lighter and better footwear for faster and surer getaways and no pain at the end of the day. As photographers we endure enough pain editing the files... Note also that Julie is using Canon for the serious stuff. Big camera body, lots of battery, big " L " series lens. Her files will be fabulous and no worries about whether the thing does what she commands it to. That's why they are the specified cameras of so many press agencies and professional shooters. You pays your money and you hauls the weight, but you comes back with the goods. Note as well that Canon has made their concessions to the success of mirror-less cameras with an increasing range of these types. They started small, and you can compare them to the DSLR bodies that have been the standard of the industry for over a decade...but I guarantee they will grow larger as more professional features and operations are demanded of them. Look at what a little video camera has become... I got so busy on the day that I missed out on asking Brenda a question I particularly wanted to ask of all the trade and professional people; what camera did they personally choose to use? I don't mean what body was in the studio and used for what pro job - I mean what do they cart around for themselves. I do hope it will not be " just a phone ". And finally...golly...a 5-year warranty. I didn't even get that with my car. * Your processing engines.