I got back from the Palm Springs Photo Festival over the weekend, and like my previous visits, it was a wonderful experience. We had an interesting thing happen while I was there that illustrated the value of having good backups, and of having a great team in place.
Just before my second presentation, the power to an entire city block in the center of Palm Springs went out. I was scheduled to present in only a few minutes at the Hyatt. The hotel had emercency power to keep the exit lights and elevators running, but that’s it. I expected that my presentation would have to be canceled.
But the people who run the Festival are a group of really experienced photographers, assistants and producers, Within a few minutes of the blackout, they had a generator on site, and had strung a cord into the conference room in the hotel. Without hesitation, they knew exactly what to do to keep running, and they did it.
The hotel managed to find some Coleman lamps, and voila, the show took place without a hitch. (Well, it was a little hotter and stuffier than normal, but you get the picture.)
Kudos to Jeff Dunas and his team for throwing one of the best photo events all year, and for dealing with unexpected glitches without missing a beat.
Presentation by camping lantern, Palm Springs Photo Festival.