Adobe MAX 2019 - Vignettes
Once again, I had the privilege of attending and participating in Adobe MAX. From a company perspective, I attended meetings and Adobe Stock customer receptions and I was also a Teaching Assistant for both the pre-conference and conference sessions.
With approximately 15,000 attendees, it's got to be one of the largest creative-focused events of its kind. There is so much excitement and energy at MAX each and every year.
From a personal perspective, I made a conscious decision this year not to be in the front row at the keynote sessions, photographing speakers, as I have done many times in the past. I knew from last year, there would be enough press photographers on site, getting essentially the same shots as I got, so I didn't feel the need this year to cover MAX like an event photographer. This also freed me up leave my big gun at home; my Nikon D750 was going to sit this one out. Instead, I brought my ultra portable Lumix GF7, my iPhone 7+, and all the lenses for both. I was - to an extent - packing light. I did bring a monopod, which, in hindsight could have stayed home.
And while I did not shoot as much event coverage, I still did take photos during the sessions I TA'd, as well as shooting for myself whenever the mood struck me. And the mood struck often.
Shooting on the Go
From a distance, the art installation on the 1st floor of the Intercontinental hotel just looks like a vibrant, textured gradient. But when you get up close, you see entire walls are covered in these colorful plastic figures. A great example of the depth of art; it can look (and mean) one thing at a distance, and then close inspection brings forth new meaning and impact. - Shot with my iPhone and the Moment Wide Lens.
I did a lot of shooting with my iPhone, and some with my Lumix. The reason for this apparent imbalance was mostly due to convenience; I had the iPhone hanging from a Peak Design Slide Lite strap around my neck with a Moment wide lens attached. It was always there, ready to go. My Lumix was sometimes on my shoulder, but other times in my camera pack.
Behind the Scenes (BTS)
Using a portable diffuser, Katrin Eisman shows how to manipulate the harsh, direct midday sun in downtown LA, during the first of THREE packed photo walk workshops.
Just because I'm TA'ing, doesn't mean the camera goes away! Many of my colleagues on the Solutions Consulting team were instructors for the Creative Cloud pre-conference labs, and I wanted to be sure I captured them in pixels as they wowed and inspired groups of 50+ attendees in these 2-day hands-on workshops I was also there to see the eyes and minds of creatives light up as they learned the power of the Adobe Lightroom mobile application.
Adobe Photo Walk
A combination of close focusing in the Lightroom Pro Mode on my iPhone, and significant post processing in Lightroom mobile produced a strong graphic image with depth, pattern and visual movement. As I am prepping several of these shots to submit to Adobe Stock, you'll notice in the photo grid below I have removed the branding from the padlock.
TA'ing during the Photo Walk sessions was great fun, and very inspiring. Along with assisting students in their use of the Lightroom mobile app, and giving guidance on composition, I also made several photos myself that I am quite pleased with. Some of these are going to make their way to Adobe Stock, I hope!
And that's a wrap for MAX 2019! I hope you got a taste of this amazing event, from my photos and hope one day to see you at MAX.