the Agony and Ecstasy of Show Applications

First of all, I LOVE the Zap application process. A) I can keep a "bank" of good photos on it, that I can keep updating as I get better ones. Once they are there, they're already formatted correctly for all the applications so I don't have to do it over and over again to different specs. each time. B) I can pay through PayPal which means I can use whichever account has the most $$ in it (personal or business) or if I have to I can use my credit card. C) It's all electronic. Nothing to get lost or broken, I am sure they will be able to read my files, *and* it's instantaneous... no snail mail transit time.

(Also, I don't have checks out there that *might* be sent back to me, which makes the accounting process easier. I don't have to pay booth fees unless I am accepted to the show, which means I don't have to worry about having all the $$ for *all* the shows when I am applying. This is a big plus in my book.)

But man does it drive me crazy when people start asking for photographs. *nobody* prints photos of their work (because no-one takes their pictures with film, and if they *did* it would be *slide* film which is really expensive to make prints of). Photos are never as good, and frankly most portfolio pictures are taken to be shown projected or on a monitor (also lit). Yeah, it is relatively easy to go to Target with a thumb drive or something and print off pictures, but it never strikes me as looking as professional as the slides or the digital files, and you *know* you aren't getting a good print, let alone a *great* print. Since most photography is digital nowdays I don't understand why an organization putting on an event would *want* a pile of photographs printed from .jpegs when they could get the files themselves. Isn't it easier for promotional materials to *not* have to convert a photograph into something that will make descent add copy, catalogs, directories or fliers? (scratches head...) Seems like extra work to me.

I checked the CD's to make sure they would open. They are in jewel cases in bubble mailers. Hopefully they will all get there without the CD being *broken* this time. Again, in this day an age, why not have people email you their pictures? It's safer for everyone, and you, the organizer, don't have to worry about mailing anybody back their CDs. Sooo much more convenient.

I am mostly not a technophile but in some cases technology is *gooood*!