Create with Us 2023

In 20022 I asked myself, “Self, why don't you take photographs anymore?” After some introspection, I realized that it was a weight problem. Not me, the gear.

It occurred to me that I could trade my heavy, aging gear for a lighter, cheaper class of equipment without sacrificing quality since the technology had improved over the years.

At the time, the Fujifilm X-T4 was considered the best camera of its class. But, the X-S10 was basically the same camera in a smaller package, so it was extremely tempting. Ultimately I went with the X-T4, though, because 1) it was a little more capable, 2) it had weather proofing, and 3) it had an unusual array of retro-cool buttons and dials .

While I never regretted that decision, I have occasionally wondered if it was the best one.

A year later, I received a one-word email from my photographer friend:

“Interested?”

Attached was a promotion from the local camera store, called “Create with Us.” The invitation raised far more questions than it answered, but tickets were free, so why not go?

The event featured plenty of swag, demos, seminars, loaner gear, complimentary equipment cleaning, a lunch voucher, raffle ticket, and plenty of long lines.

They had also constructed several little “houses” and hired an army of models to take turns posing throughout the day. That’s what you are seeing in most of the pictures in this post.

Opportunities to shoot professional models are rare, so it was a great way to pass time while waiting for upcoming items in the schedule.

This model spent a lot of her time on a video stage. They had several professional television cameras pointed in her direction.

The cameras were seriously large and undoubtedly expensive. Most people, even while carrying thousands of dollars of gear on their shoulder, carefully avoided touching the television equipment..

I felt bad that such a large, expensive demo area wasn’t getting any attention, so I played with the cameras a bit, not really knowing what I was doing.

A gentleman approached and we asked him for some advice on getting started with video. “The X-S20 is what you need,” he advised.

Remember the X-S10 I almost purchased? Well, he was recommending the latest model of that camera over the X-T4 on my shoulder.

One of the professional photographers happened to be passing by as we silently took photos of this model. In retrospect, we must have looked ridiculous to him.

“Tell him what you want! Ask him to do things!” the photographer encouraged. It was a recurring message during the event, but normalizing the idea of ordering strangers around did not come readily.

In retrospect, I feel sorry for the models because it was probably awkward for them to self-direct while we took pictures of them like animals on exhibit.

“I lost my raffle ticket,” my friend told me. It was nearing the end of the event, and we probably would have left, but there were hints of an open bar and tapas at the finish line.

“No problem, I’ll share mine with you,” I offered.

“239738? 239738?” The crowd silently checked their tickets.

Meanwhile, we were standing in the back maintaining a low profile, making sure that no tapas went to waste. At least, not the good ones.

“893523? 893523?” Still no response. The announcer was starting to move through the numbers more quickly with the realization that some attendees had left.

My friend held our ticket as I worked on my 3rd glass of wine. We didn’t want any of that wine going to waste, either.

“294535?”

Wait, what? That can't be right…

“294535?”

Before I knew it, my friend was running through the crowd towards the stage with our ticket yelling, “I won! I won!” The crowd cheered and applauded after she shared a bit of her immigration story while accepting the prize. I absolutely love that she got that experience.

Neither of us had any idea what we had won until she worked her way back through the crowd and we had a chance to read the wide grey lettering on the expensive black box:

X-S20

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01/22/2024