The Photography Show On A Budget

Last weekend I went to The Photography Show. It was a last minute decision as I only booked the ticket on Wednesday, but I had been thinking about it for a while. I was toying with the idea of going with someone, but in the end decided to go it alone. The main reason was that I had specific things I wanted to see and do, and I felt it would be easier to do this on my own.

Last year launched the first ever Photography Show, so having not been there before I wasn't really sure what to expect. I have, however, been to hairdressing shows and the Clothes Show and presumed that they would be of a similar experience.

I must admit there were quite a few differences and I guess this was mainly down to camera equipment being a lot more expensive than clothes or hair products. For instance, don’t expect any freebies. You even have to pay for the backdated editions of magazines here.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed my day and learnt a lot. I’m already looking forward to next years Photography Show, especially as I now know what to expect and can go with this in mind. So I thought it might be nice to share my experience with you, so if you decide to go to The Photography Show on a budget, you have some insight into planning your day and maybe saving yourselves a few pounds.




Ticket Discount Codes

The price of a ticket on the door is a reasonable £18, but if you book online beforehand you can get them for £13.95. Better still, if you Google The Photography Show Discount Vouchers you can get an extra 25% off and pay only £10.35. For what you get on the day this is an absolute bargain!

Free Mini Guides

If like me you are an avid reader of most photography magazines, keep an eye out for a free mini guide inside. It gives you a list of all the companies that will be there and a list of all the talks and workshops and where you can find them. There is a map in the center which also shows all the stands, so you can plan what is most important to you before you get there. A guide on the day will cost you £5.

(I must add that the downside to the free mini-guide was that the map only stated the stand number and when you are there it is very hard to judge where you are. I’m also pretty sure some of the stands had changed. Most stands are not numbered and only have the company name when you get there, so I had to keep asking for the numbers to try to get my bearings.)



Parking

The NEC have their own car parks that go on for miles. Having been to the Clothes Show and having had to have walked 20 minutes to get to the car with heavy bags, (and a cost of £10) I was determined to find another option. Thankfully, a friend suggested parking at the Birmingham International train station, as the station is actually attached to the NEC building. This took only 5 minutes to walk to from the car, it is inside all the way and it was half the price of the NEC car parks, at a very reasonable £5 for the day.

Compare Prices and Trade In’s

One of the things I wanted to do while I was there was to trade in my old Tamron 70-300mm lens for a secondhand Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro for my portraiture, garden, and wildlife photography. Thankfully, I was clever enough to shop around. At the first stand Calumet, they said they wouldn’t touch such a substandard lens. Then, Camera World offered me a measly £30. The London Camera Exchange (which is who I normally use for my secondhand gear) gave me £50.

Don’t Be Afraid to Barter

It is always worth asking a stand if they are willing to give you a discount for a bulk buy. Especially, (for example) if you are wanting to buy a few filters instead of just one. However, I managed to get an extra £50 off my Nikon lens by asking if they did extra discount for trade-ins. With £50 for the old lens and £50 trade-in discount, I managed to get what I wanted for an amazing £400 instead of £500.



Decide Beforehand What Is Most Important To You

Prioritise your niche market, so if like me you are interested in nature and wildlife photography, check out the IGTOPY Garden. If post editing is your thing there is an Adobe Theatre with talks on all aspects of editing. There is so much going on make sure you are where you want to be, instead of walking around for hours aimlessly just catching snippets of different things that don’t really appeal to you.

Make a list of all the stands you want to see and all the talks you want to hear (don’t forget to put the times too,) so you know where you want to be and at what time. You can pay an extra £10 per talk on the Super Stage, but unless you are really keen on the photographer talking, you can save yourself the money by watching all the other fantastic talks on the smaller stages.

Travel Light

There are a lot of opportunities to photograph different set ups around the hall, in fact they actively encourage you to take your camera and lens with you. Just don’t forget you will be walking around all day with your kit on your shoulder. PLUS, there will be the added weight of any extras you buy while you're there. My advice is to take only what you need to and wear comfortable flat shoes. As you can see I didn't take my camera and just used my phone to get a few basic shots of the day.