Want to learn more about what The Photography Show has on offer for professional photographers this year? In this guest blog, The Photography Show team share their recommendations for pros attending TPS 2018.

Between 17 and 20 March 2018, The Photography Show will welcome professional photographers and members of trade to the NEC Birmingham, to try and buy the latest cameras and accessories from over 250 leading brands, get tips and advice on how to create (and edit) stills and film, watch live action demos, and be inspired by globally renowned image-makers.

If you're a professional photographer and want to get the most out of The Photography Show 2018, here are ten recommendations for pro visitors:

1. A number of new launches have hit the press over the last few weeks. Don’t miss the chance to try out the latest tech with the likes of Nikon, Hasselblad, Canon, Olympus, FujiFilm, Panasonic, Manfrotto, Zeiss and Sennheiser. From cameras, lenses and bags, to clothing, studio equipment and props, you'll find the latest gear from over 250 top brands at the show.
    
2. Find everything you need to take your business to the next level: software to organise your admin, online products to display and sell your work, printers and paper, and albums, framing and mounting services to add to your client offering, plus much more.
    
3. This year's Super Stage line-up includes those at the very top of their game across fashion, documentary and photojournalism, music, weddings, wildlife and landscape, and surrealism. These globally-renowned photographers will talk about their experiences, how they've got to where they are now and how they've captured their most iconic images. Book now to see Jasmine Star, Bruce Davidson, Daniel Berehulak, Ami Vitale, Erik Johansson, Brent Stirton, Zed Nelson, Gered Mankowitz, Miles Aldridge or Art Wolfe.*
    
4. The Pro Conference will offer advice to pros looking to take their business to the next level, including how to present their work and themselves to clients; setting the right prices for the services they offer; using personal work to develop their career; and how to remain creative and inspired. The Pro Conference will take place on Monday, 19 and Tuesday, 20 March.*
    
5. Specific to the pro, brush up on skills such as shooting commercial with mirrorless, setting up time lapses and long exposures and getting up close and personal at weddings without annoying your client, plus get a whistle-stop tour around the business basics and discover how others have approached award-winning projects at the Behind the Lens Theatre.
    
6. Attend a Redeye advice session – either on exhibiting and selling your prints (and where this can take you) or digital detox, a beginners’ guide for some of the many traditional printing techniques from the last 170 years, in particular, salt prints and cyanotypes, and including a practical demonstration.
    
7. Master lighting, create stunning beauty images, learn about light painting, and become an expert in action shots at the Live Stage. Find out how to make the most of the elements and choose the best locations for outdoor photography at The Great Outdoors Stage. Finally, visit the Mobile & Social Stage to discover how to get your photography noticed by the social realm and up your business exposure to your benefit.
    
8. Pro Lounge Live is a series of small, group sessions open to all professionals and will focus on finding solutions to a set of challenges not considered mainstream; including a wedding business clinic, a discussion on archiving and how to protect your legacy, creative business consultations, a women’s networking session looking at how to get your work out there and a dialogue around how to future-proof your business.
    
9. Our after-hours events bring together the professional community to chat about the highs and lows of being a commercial photographer and to have a drink after a long day at the show. The Pro Lounge will host happy hours from 16:00-17:00 on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 March and the exclusive networking drinks, including guest speakers, will be held 17:00-19:00 in the Toute Suite.
    
10. Browse David Hurn’s Swaps Exhibition – this is a unique opportunity to see works by some of the greatest photographers in history at The Photography Show 2018. A selection of prints, collected by David Hurn, will be on display at The Photography Show 2018 (one of only two destinations between now and September before the collection settles at its final home in the National Galleries of Wales).
     

*Please note that booking is required for Super Stage and Pro Conference sessions, at a small charge.

For more information about attending The Photography Show 2018, click here to visit the website.