A Photo Tour of Photokina

Sometimes, I still can’t believe I’m here at Photokina in Cologne, Germany. Every day, I have the amazing opportunity to present my life’s story of travel, photography, personal growth, and LOVE.

In front of my presentation at Photokina on the first day of the trade fair

Faux Flowers and a Butterfly at the CAPCam Booth at Photokina 2012 in Cologne, Germany

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But when I’m not on the Samsung stage or watching my fellow presenters Dario Endara, Christina Grabherr and Jeff Hutchens, I have time to wander the floor of this prestigious imaging trade fair.

It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. When I’ve gone to trade fairs in the past, booths were usually the size of a garage. At Photokina, major companies like Samsung, Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Kodak, and Sony all have a space that could better be described as a warehouse floor.

A panoramic view of the Samsung area of Photokina - taken with the NX20 — A panoramic view of the Samsung area of Photokina – taken with the NX20

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Each “booth” (if that word can even describe these sprawling areas) has dozens of cameras and lenses for visitors to try out. In this first image, each camera and lens combination costs roughly $25,000.

Watching the watchers at the Canon booth of Photokina

Businessmen take a long look at the lens lineup at the Lumix display

An Om-D Model gets the Paparazzi treatment

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Companies also create extravagant scenes and sets to give visitors something to point their cameras at. Some of my favorites are the jungles, desert islands, cityscapes, mock-stores and even a bar with a bartender flipping empty booze bottles.

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At first, I walked around thinking it was completely cheesy to take photos of them. But, as I started getting into it, I realized how much fun it could be photographing things that have been specifically designed to make beautiful images.

At the Samsung booth alone, we’ve got break dancers, light tracing, a model train set, a motorcycle, sketch artists, a Lego cruise ship, photo opportunities galore, and more.

These break dancers always come on at the Samsung booth just after I finish my presentation

As a lover of model trains, this display at the Samsung booth may be my favorite part of all Photokina – taken using the miniature setting on the NX20

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Other companies employ models to pose for the Photokina paparazzi, or have luxury cars that people can sit in. This photo of two women in a Hyundai tank makes the least sense of all to me…