I just spent 83 consecutive hours in the Orlando Airport. No, my flight wasn’t THAT delayed. The reason I didn’t leave the airport is that I had the bizarre experience of attending The Photo Managers annual conference at the Orlando Airport Hyatt. Literally, the view from my hotel window was the security line in the airport!
Sunrise view from my hotel room
This was the ninth Photo Managers conference I have attended since starting Organized Photos Forever in 2015. My family and friends question if there is more to learn after all these years. The answer is YES! Here’s my top three takeaways:
1. Artificial Intelligence is Everywhere
Advancement in the technology of photography is hard to keep up with. Artificial Intelligence can create a photo from a text prompt (which is troubling but also very cool). I learned about software and apps that can suggest the best photo from a series, use OCR to create a searchable transcript of a video, or suggest the location of a landmark from a photograph. Apple Photos continues to evolve with intelligent deduplication that merges the best attributes of duplicates into one photo. I’m excited to incorporate some of these new tools in my photo organizing toolbox, with my human touch to keep it real.
Using Google Lens to identify a client photo
2. There’s More than One Way to Organize a Photo
A series of back to basics presentations by photo organizers showing how they approach different stages of a project was excellent. Organizers shared their tips and tricks for Print Photo Organizing, the benefits of Lightroom vs. Apple Photos vs. Photo Mechanic for Digital Photo Organizing, pros and cons of Camera Scanning vs Batch Scanning vs Flatbed Scanning, and favorite tools and programs. I love that we all run different businesses, use different tools, and are passionate about different solutions for our clients.
Teaching photo managers about options for premium albums
3. Collaboration Trumps Competition
For me, the most valuable part of conference is forming relationships with other photo organizers from all over the country (and the world). We are all small business owners who rely on each other throughout the year for information and support, and to take advantage of each other's areas of expertise. The chance to connect and brainstorm with my 2018 Masterclass colleagues as well as educate brand new photo organizers allows us all to serve our clients better, and collaboration is more fun than competition!
Post conference cocktails with a view of the airport runway
The Photo Managers conference was excellent (and bonus no Uber ride from the hotel to the airport) but I was happy to trade hotel views of security lines and runways for views of beautiful flowering trees from my office window in Connecticut.