“What made you come to Imaging USA?” the videographer asked me on the bustling expo floor, with the mic placed on my lapel. I raced back in my mind to a few months ago when I declined Imaging USA’s invitation. I’m just so swamped; I don’t have time. I fast-forwarded under pressure to what made me change my decision. I realized that I didn’t have time not to come to Imaging USA. Let me explain.

Any bustling photographer knows this struggle. You wake up, and the day seems unachievable before it starts. The one client who was supposed to send their selects never did. Now, when they finally do, it’s overlapping with your other job. You have three contracts to send and one quote to write. Oh yeah—gym, shower, have a social life… forget that last one. I said no when Imaging invited me. I had overlapping projects and a million booking requests.

I found myself, over the ensuing weeks, bemoaning that I hadn’t taken the time to learn that new Photoshop feature I knew would make my workflow faster. I had also intended to do an end-of-year reflection and visioning, but that got thrown out the window along with my personal life for the next eight weeks. That’s when I realized that if I just blocked off three days, I could learn everything I needed in Photoshop, Lightroom, and some of the new AI software I’d been curious about—how that one photographer does his cool complementary color lighting, and a thousand other things I didn’t even know I didn’t know. That’s when I realized I didn’t have time not to attend. I zipped over to my computer and set myself up for a three-day firehose of everything I needed and more.

This year, Imaging USA had over 90 speakers and dozens of classes in almost every major genre of photography. I think I could write a dozen pages on everything I learned, but since there are about as many laborious readers as there are photographers who read camera manuals—I’ll get to the good stuff and focus on a few highlights.

Updates in Lightroom With Julieanne Kost

Though we are supposed to “save the best for last,” Kost, the rulebreaker that she is, got us stumbling in—jet-lagged but excited—at 8 a.m. I knew from previous lectures to double up on wrinkle cream and skip ab day, as she has the uncanny skill to turn a highly advanced Lightroom seminar into a stand-up comedy show. I could write a whole article just about the brilliant updates that she shocked us with from Lightroom Classic—but since this is not a dissertation—I’ll share my top two.

The Remove Tool

Lightroom Classic has now integrated a generative tool similar to the one you may be familiar with in Photoshop. Using the eraser tool on the right menu bar, you can select the area you want regenerated and click the “Use Generative AI” checkbox. This will generate three options, just like in Photoshop. You can select an option or continue generating more until you achieve the look you want.

Pro tip: When using an AI tool, don’t make the selection too tight. Leave some space around the object so the software can blend the edges into its surroundings.

Adaptive Mask Presets

My other favorite tip was the capability to make adaptive mask presets. This could be a game-changer for portrait photographers. As you surely know, Lightroom can now create masks for each part of the face using AI. With just one click, Lightroom can create a mask for each section: skin, hair, eyes, etc.

The update that could be your new favorite timesaver is that you can now select any of these masks and customize them to your style. Once you adjust all of these masks to your liking, you can save them as an adaptive preset. This means that in the future, when you work on a portrait, you can get those tailored edits in just one click.

You can learn more about that at the 30-minute mark in Kost’s tutorial.

Updates in Photoshop With Julieanne Kost

After day one’s Lightroom session, I was so excited to sit in on the Photoshop session that I seriously considered popping a bag of popcorn for my 8 a.m. start time. She started once more with her aloud split-personality discussions:

"Why would you demo that if you know it won’t work? You know they can hear you, right? Focus, Julieanne!"

I will briefly touch on two takeaways that I think will be most relevant for our readers.

Remove Distractions, Poles, and Wires With a Swipe of a Brush

In your toolbar, under the Spot Healing Brush, you can find the new Remove tool. Using this tool, select the items you want removed. Make sure to select any shadows or reflections associated with the element and leave some space around the selection for blending.

If you thought your bank balance dropping at B&H on Black Friday was fast and effortless, wait till you try this feature! Boom. Gone. So effective it both excited me and irritated me.

Volume Sports With Jennifer and Robin Janson

Have you ever sat eagerly, notebook in hand, ready to soak up game-changing photography tips—only to realize you could have given the presentation yourself? For many of us who have been shooting for decades, it can feel that way at times. This session with Jennifer and Robin was not that way.

The wife, Robin, stood on the stage, hands firmly drilled into her hips, wide-legged, chest out, while Jennifer walked around with a jolly smile putting the last touches together. I leaned over to my colleague, “That’s some strong body language! I suspect she is the boss.” The marriage dynamics were funny, entertaining, and sometimes made me squirm.

The session was wonderful because they walked us through the evolution of their journey—sharing fails and pivots in lighting and workflow setups. There were many practical tips along the way.

On their journey to find the perfect light for expedient volume shoots, they had some fails. Robin went through a phase where he got into creative portraiture and became a lit artsy with his lighting. “What is the white milk on the side of the faces?” After trial and error with different approaches, he learned one valuable lesson for his business:

In volume photography, clients like flat light and traditional posing. It outsells creative approaches four to one.

Though they have more than one lighting setup, this is one has been very successful for them. It gives an image that is easy to extract from the background, and it took their setup from a four-light to a two-light model. They love a HiLite Illuminated background, with a diffused key light in the front.

Another very practical tip that made half the room gasp was his hack to make the balls easier to palm. He adheres a cell phone suction cup to the balls with Gorilla Glue.

The session was practical and presented with humor. Did they have marriage counseling scheduled after the session? Possibly. For the rest of the participants, they left ready to plug some great advice into their workflow.

The Expo

After our morning sessions, the floor was opened to the expo, where all the major brands hosted hands-on demos, and booths showcased the newest and greatest tools of the trade. From CRM platforms to AI-powered software, the latest camera gear, and print albums, it was all there, ready to entice.

Here are my top three favorite discoveries from the expo floor.

Viewfinders: An Adventurous PBS Series Following Two Landscape Photographers

In the PBS series Viewfinders, two photographers Chris Greer and Paul Daniel go to some of America's most beautiful and iconic locations to capture breathtaking landscapes. In the show, the duo shares adventures of chasing the perfect landscapes. It is authentic, showing the challenges, disappointments, and joys of creating the perfect shot:

For lovers of photography and nature, it’s the perfect show to sit back with a cup of tea and watch the educational and lighthearted adventure.

Just talking to Chris and Paul at the Sigma booth, I could tell they would be keeping us laughing and inspired. Season 3, sponsored by and shot with Sigma, will be available live and streaming in April.

Adobe’s New Remix Feature on Lightroom Mobile

If you’re anxious about how to satiate your scrolling fingers in the event that TikTok does go dark again, I have the perfect solution for you. Adobe has released a new module on Lightroom Mobile where you can view what other photographers are doing and learn the latest editing trends from them. You can also edit photos of others, compare edits, and post them back to the community—you can Remix it.

1. Select Community at the bottom-right of the screen > select the Remixes tab.
2. To edit a photo, scroll choose the one you want.  Select the Remix icon or open the image to remix it.
3. Click Play Edits to see the edits made by the original author of the image.
4. You can stop at the watching and learning or you can remix it yourself and send it back into the community.

CYME Media Management- Sounds Boring, Is Completely Mind-Blowing!

https://youtu.be/rpotOureGYE

Navigating our own media—scattered across drives, folders, and platforms like Lightroom, Aperture, Capture One, DxO, ON1, or Luminar for photos, and Final Cut Pro, Premiere, or DaVinci Resolve for videos—remains a challenge. Even today, photos and videos are still just files, lacking meaningful organization and structure.

I met Claudia Zimmer, CEO and Co-Founder of CYME, and she walked me through this powerful technology. The software idea came from the frustration of trying to organize and retrieve images. If you’ve been shooting long enough, you have images on a dozen external hard drives, Capture One, Lightroom, Photoshop, Luminar, and if you have enough wrinkles… Aperture.

What Zimmer and her team did was create AI software that analyzes and organizes your imagery. When you need a specific shot, you can type in the search box, “Sunset and Grand Teton with a bird in the sky” (or whatever your prompt is). The software will pull up all images that meet that designation. It will even pull up videos with the prompt, at the exact time in the clip where it’s found.

Another feature that appealed to me: if someone sends you an image request—something they saw on your website or social media—you can place that image in the search bar, and it will find the original file. Boy, I wish I had known about that last year when I was redesigning my website.

At a flat rate of $99/year, this could be a game-changer for many of us.

Diversity at Imaging USA

Companies tackling “diversity” efforts can be a sensitive topic. The term is defined by Meriam Webster as “The condition of having or being composed of differing elements: variety; especially the inclusion of people of different races, cultures, etc., in a group or organization.” What would we even be doing at a diversity session? It’s a bit intangible, and it’s supercharged with emotions ranging from hope and empathy all the way to pain and bitterness. 

A few years ago, I bumped into a colleague and said, “I’m on my way to the Shawn Lee diversity seminar. Want to come?” He looked at me confused, replying: “Why would I come?” It made me irritated at the time. “Because there are still problems and every single person with a pulse is part of the solution-duh.” In retrospect though, it’s a valid question. It’s a bit of an elusive idea. Why would he come? What will happen? Will one group be the enemy and the other group will echo their very-much-justified collective exasperation?

Everything is very loaded and intangible. I didn’t have the opportunity to attend Shawn Lee’s meeting as I have the last two years, but I can say one thing. The effort of inclusion felt authentic this year. Actually authentic.

Not some checkbox in a basement downstairs, but it felt like Imaging USA had shifted. One phrase I say regularly in my personal life is, “Energy never lies.” I can’t put my finger on it, but the best I can say is that it felt authentic to me. Whatever changed, I’m grateful. I talked to many people and the sentiment was echoed unanimously. Whatever is happening behind the curtain… continue. It’s rippling.

My Broken Record Complaint

In 2023, total media advertising spending in the U.S. reached approximately $389.49 billion, with over three-quarters allocated to digital platforms. By 2025, the advertising market in the U.S. is projected to grow to $455.90 billion.

Who is executing the artwork of a notable percentage of this? Product Photographers. Two years ago, Imaging USA had one class on the topic, and it was very good. Last year, they had none. Only one in pre-con that was paid, the day before the conference. This year? Zero. Was there food photography sessions? I could be wrong, but I looked carefully, and I did not see any.

This is a tremendous field in the photo industry. As a product and CPG (consumer packaged goods) photographer, there is barely a week that goes by without photographers asking me how I did this or that in my work in my DMs. They ask if I have classes. They ask if they can assist me. Hobbyists or photographers wanting to break into product and CPG photography are desperate for resources.

When there are two, three, or maybe four dozen classes on portrait photography, I hope that Imaging USA will consider product, CPG, and food photography for 2026. It’s a multimillion-dollar industry with hopefuls desperate for guidance. (I still love you guys like crazy! Sorry I had to write it.) (Again.)

Keynote Speaker

I sat most of the day with what to write about the keynote speaker’s talk. I discussed it with colleagues. Everything Richards said was true. 

It encapsulated the truths I remind myself of every morning.

"Be kind. Be truthful. Is it necessary? If not—don’t say it."

These are things I start my day with.

"How long do I have to be loving? Today. How long do I have to be a light? Today. Just today."

I say it every day. Today, hopefully, turns into a life that makes the world better.

But… I wanted something about photography.

He tried to apply it. It was clumsy, but he tried.

Later that day, I got sideswiped. Wow. I did not see that coming. Like a right hook out of nowhere when you’re just peacefully walking in your lane.

You know what I’m talking about?

In the middle of it, as every reply came to my mind, I heard Shola Richards’s prompt:

"Is it kind?" "Is it necessary?"

Every sentence—though much deserved—didn’t pass his filter. I listened patiently, expressed a clear and very firm boundary calmly and professionally, and ended the conversation on a gracious and underserved note.

Conclusion

When asking attendees what brought them to Imaging USA, I rarely received the same answer twice. Some needed refreshed inspiration and came for a creative jolt. Others came to network and build a mutually supportive community around their business. Some came to learn in hopes of jumping from hobbyists to professionals, while others felt like they were hitting walls and needed advice.

For myself, I came to turn everything off, micro-focus on staying up to date, and continue to build and strengthen my professional network.

Whatever your reason, I’m glad you joined. And if you didn’t, I hope to see you next year!