We’re all in the heat of trade show and convention season and it’s sort of a “which came first, the chicken or the egg” scenario.  Is it prime time for conventions because it really is the slowest part of the season or has it become the slow time because everyone is off attending trade shows and conventions?

Come on, work with me on this one, because I’ve only got two points to today’s blog and they’re totally unrelated and random:

First, slow season or down time should be whenever you need to take a break.  I’ve seen photographers at the height of the “season” come close to crashing and burning.  Obviously you can’t take a break when you’re in the middle of a shoot, regardless of whether or not you need a 10 minute or 2-day “nap”.  But, you can do your best to work in a destination wedding and break after the wedding, assuming it’s in a great location.  If you’re a commercial shooter then look for those projects that might be on location where you can also enjoy the luxury of tacking on a couple days break.  The point is that it doesn’t matter where you’re shooting, you can schedule down time when you know you’re most likely to need a short break – this also gives you a bench mark to look forward to.  Most important of all – if you don’t recognize the need to recharge your battery, nobody else will!

Second, when you’re utilizing this down time to attend a convention get the most out of the experience.  For you newbies out there:  When you see one of your favorite icons, GO TALK TO THEM!  They’re icons, because they’re special.  They’re special because they’re approachable!    They believe in education and want to share the gift they have of teaching.   If they wanted anonymity they wouldn’t be at the convention, wouldn’t be lecturing and wouldn’t be caught dead walking a trade show aisle.

When you get a chance to talk to one of your heroes – just talk to them.  Let them know you appreciated their program, their images or whatever new idea they inspired you to try.  You don’t have to suck up – just be honest and remember, every icon started out just like you, not knowing what they were doing, scared to death of their first shoot and feeling awkward.   Unlike you today though, if they’re over 40, odds are they had no social media, no forums and no Internet to really draw from.  The world was a much bigger place and there was less information shared and far less tools and techniques to talk about.

But be careful.  This is just like getting close to a wild animal and whatever you do, don’t let them sense you’re afraid!  And if you believe that, you really need to stay home and consider a new career!