Focus On Imaging - 6th - 9th March 2011

It’s that time of year again when the Lowepro UK team load up the vans and head over to the NEC for the annual Focus on Imaging Consumer Show.

The Lowepro Team at last years Event

Come along to Stand B10 to check out the Multi Award Winning Industry leading Lowepro Range including the brand new products like the new S&F range and ILC Classic products.

This year we will also be running some talks with some of the UK’s top photographers Paul Galagher, Colin Prior and David Noton. Places are limted so you will need to register to get a ticket.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS & REGISTRATION

For more information on Focus On Imaging please visit their website here.

The 2011 WPPI tradeshow is right around the corner, and we are feverishly getting ready for all the festivities. We’ve got some exciting things we will be unveiling, so if your not able to attend in person, you’ll definitely want to stay tuned to our blog and our Facebook page.

We are partnering with SanDisk and Pictage (they provide a platform for marketing, selling and fulfilling professional photo products online) to give away some cool prizes at the show, so be sure to stop by our booth and ask about the details.

And then there of course is the awesome product. We will have a ton of our hottest gear on hand for you to play with. If you haven’t had a chance to see our new Street and Field product yet, it will be there for you to put through the paces.  This modular system features the Lens Exchange 200 which has been getting amazing feedback from professionals around the world.

We will also be showing off the new Pro Roller Attache x50 which was just awarded Professional Photographer’s “Hot One” award for 2010. This is a killer product that gives professionals the versatility they need to be able to travel easily and comfortably.

We can wait to see you at the show!

Frank Filice is the Marketing Manager for Lowepro USA

Greg Lowe at Photokina, 2010

Greg Lowe, 1967

Folks are often curious about Greg Lowe, the original founder of Lowepro. Is he a real person or just part of the corporate story?  And if he is real, what’s he up to these days?

Greg Lowe is definitely a real person — and an amazing one at that. He is the ultimate entrepreneur, founder of both Lowepro and Lowe Alpine, an accomplished mountain climber, photographer, Adacemy Award nominated cinematographer — in other words, larger than life.

Jeff Lowe on the Eiger, 1991

Greg’s brother, Jeff Lowe, is famous in his own right. As a legendary mountain climber, he has the distinction of being the first — and only — person to climb the nearly impossible route up the very center of the Eiger Nordwand in Switzerland. The story behind this incredible feat has become legend. For nine days in the winter of 1991, Jeff’s climb was all the more amazing because he was totally alone — no partner, no assistance from ropes or bolts left by previous climbers. Near the end, out of food, wet and chilled to the bone, he underwent a transformation that literally changed his life.

Jeff Lowe in the Alps, 2010

Now, 19 years later, the brothers are teaming up to film Metanoia, an inspirational, feature-length documentary about Jeff’s life and climbs. With Greg directing and their eyes set on the late summer deadline for submissions to the Sundance Film Festival, they will soon be heading back to the Eiger to film Swiss climber Ueli Steck as he attempts to recreate Jeff’s historic climb.

Today, Jeff is confined to a wheel chair due to a rare, degenerative neurological disease. But as this project suggests, nothing has dampened his spirit. He is hard at work, raising funds to complete this project and will be right in the thick of things as the team films in Switzerland — getting back up in a helicopter to oversee the aerial shots and, in his own words, “having the most fun he’s had since the disease forced him to quit climbing seven years ago.”

So now you know. There is definitely a Greg Lowe, and he’s part of a family who continue to leave their mark  on the world.

Sam is the PR and Photographer Relations Manager for Lowepro’s Worldwide Marketing team.

Here at Lowepro in addition to loving photography, we are also big fans of technology. I’m a gear head myself and really looking forward to seeing what future products are headed our way.

You may have heard the rumors about everything from Sony’s camera lineup to all the iPad competitors. To say the least it’s going to be a super exciting show.

What will I be bringing with me? I’ll be taking my Lowepro Pro Roller Attache x50 loaded with my Canon T2i, 24-105 F4 and 50mm 1.4 lenses as well as my Speedlight 580 ex II. The Attache x50 will allow me to carry all my gear onto the flight as well as give me ample room for all my clothes.

We will be sure to follow up with what we find out and give you a first hand glimpse of what went down.

-Frank

Frank Filice is the Marketing Manager for Lowepro USA

I got this from Pete Hill, our VP of Design. It’s a great story about the Versapack 200 AW. My hat’s off to Luis — not sure I could make it for 2 full weeks in just this backpack, but then I’ve always been challenged by travelling light!

As a Lowepro Designer, Luis is always willing to walk the talk with products. When he designed the VersaPack he had in mind a product that would travel well under a wide range of demands. 

For a two-week trip that included a visit to Photokina in Cologne, Germany, market visits in Milan, Italy and a fast weekend in the mountains, Luis packed the Versapack – as in just the Versapack. He carried a 13” Macbook Pro, a Canon G-10 with charger, a small Wacom tablet plus business and outdoor clothing for 2 weeks. His concession came when he had to tie his climbing helmet and harness on the outside of the bag.

While it may seem extreme to pull off a two-week trip in a small daypack, I think it speaks to the challenges everyone faces when they travel internationally with cameras. How do you pack all the equipment you need into the shrinking requirements of international carry-on regulations.  Scrutinizing every piece of equipment and every article of clothing and being a creative problem solver in the field can make it work.

So, how do you pack your Versapack? We’d love to know…..

Sam Marsh is the PR and Photographer Relations Manager for Lowepro’s Worldwide Marketing team.

Some days are pure magic. All the elements align to create the perfect day on the tundra. Saturday was like that. The air was crisp, cold and clean. The skies were clear. And the polar bears were both plentiful and active. It was a day that had even the tour guides excited.

Our Tundra Buggy experience started with a bang. A couple of curious bears had come right into the staging area while the guides were trying to load all the Buggys. While they seem to move slowly and nonchalantly, this was nothing to take lightly. When they want to, polar bears can cover quite a distance in just a matter of seconds. So we waited while they were encouraged to move back to a safe distance and then set out. Not more than a minute or two out of the yard, we had our next encounter — which set the tone for the entire day.

We were blessed with sightings of over 30 bears that day and even saw one bear actually swimming in the water. This is rare for this time of year as the bears are still conserving their energy and fat stores while waiting for the ice to freeze and the opportunity to hunt. We saw two bears sparring — or play-fighting — in the distance but missed seeing the action up close. Fortunately we have one more day out on the tundra and hope to see some more of this socializing behavior.

The thing is, though — the bears shouldn’t still be here. With the changing weather patterns, the ice is forming later and later. The fact that both the river and the Bay remain unfrozen is serious as it means the long fast for the bears continues. So while it was a treat to be able to see so many polar bears, it would be much better for them if they had already headed out onto the ice.

The end of our first day on the tundra was truly the icing on the top. We were treated to a magnificent sunset that escorted us all the way back to base. We haven’t seen the Northern Lights, but these colors were spectacular, turning the sky into an amazing artist’s pallette and tinging the snow and ice with pastels.

This has definitely been a trip to remember. The people of Churchill have been wonderful and the folks from Frontiers North Adventures (aka the Tundra Buggy team) absolutely outstanding. I believe Buchachon has enjoyed it every bit as much as I have.

So the only question is — what do we do for our next photo contest????

Traveling by private charter is the only way to go — no lines, no security checks and they actually feed you! We arrived in Churchill to find snow on the ground and temperatures below freezing — perfect for a polar adventure. I wonder how Buchachon is taking this, though. The climate is definitely (forgive the pun) polar opposite from his home in Thailand. I’ve peeked over his shoulder to see some of the images he’s been taking and definitely understand why he is our contest winner. I’ll try and share one or two in future posts.

A couple of folks saw a polar bear on the ice when we were landing — and we had a wonderful encounter with a red fox this afternoon. Highly inquisitive, he meandered all around us for a full five minutes, winding his way closer and closer. We also saw the kids from Project Polar Bear — and we’ll catch up with them again for interviews and polar bear watching in a couple of days. We checked out the polar bear jail — a holding facility used for bears who won’t keep their distance. This is a great program that relocates the bears thus protecting both them and the residents of Churchill.

Tomorrow will find us on the Tundra Buggy and it promises to be a great day. There are a lot of bears around waiting for the ice to come in — so far, both the river and the bay remain unfrozen. For a sneak peak of what’s in store for us, check out this video: Blog from the North.

Our group is an interesting mix of pros and enthusiasts. We have a videographer from New York and a National Geographic photographer with us — more on that in coming posts. We’ve also had some Lowepro sightings — a Flipside and SlingShot are being put to use by two of the members of our group. And, of course, Buchachon is using his new Flipside 500 Limited Edition bag (sorry, it’s not available for sale).

Stay tuned for more tales from the north…..