Travel to Germany for Photokina 2012

Photokina 2012

           

            Photokina is the biggest Photography trade fair in the world. This year I got a chance to experience the fair. It happens after every one year in Cologne, Germany. Koelmesse  ,was the biggest hall I ever seen, 11 big halls, 1hall dimensions was approx same as Ganesh Kalakrida manch, Pune.

It was amazing experience.

I booked the air tickets of Kuwait Air. I had flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt via Kuwait. I got very nice support from airport people. Since this was my 2^nd international trip so I was big relaxed but was also tensed because this time I was going alone.

            I landed in Cologne city around 6:15 PM, and that’s it the first view you see when you come out from the station is a big DOM. DOM is one of the oldest cathedral in the world, it was built in 1500 cent. That’s the only thing which was built before 2^nd world war, otherwise all the city is built after the 2^nd world war.

I stayed at my friends hostel; it was very near from DOM around 300m.

Next day was free for me cause Photokina was between 18^th-23^rd Sept. 2012. So I took a long walk in a city. I took many photographs in this walk. I also went to see the Koelmesse hall, which was 4.5 KM away from my room. Everyday I had to cross a railway bridge to go to that station.

Photokina gave me free transport ticket from DOM to hall but I decided to go there by walk. On first day it was warm day but since evening it started getting Cold and next day morning temp. went down to 5 degrees Celsius.

The day finally came for which I was waiting for since 3 months. 18^th Sept.  opening day of Photokina 2012. I was very much excited. I met Mr. Shridhar Kunte (Technical editor of Better Photography Magazine), he gave me big support. I was waiting outside the hall at 9 AM. Photokina people were shooting few videos outside the hall. They asked me few questions and they also took my Video footage, cause as per there record I was the youngest one from the other than Europe country.

I also made few friends there. And after a while at 10 AM the gate opened and everyone was excited to get in and see the new stuff. We had to scan our barcode ticket at the entrance of the hall. And as I entered the hall I saw a big logo CANON. And that gave me so much amazing feeling that I can’t write in this.

I experience canon cameras on the stall, they also launched canon 6D it is small version of 5D mark III. 6D is 20.2 Megapixel camera but body is smaller than 5D mark III. The next stall I went was Panasonic and there I saw all new Panasonic Lumix GH3. Fantastic camera it is, as they have mentioned it will change the ways of Photography and they are true. I also attended there workshop on the camera technology and the lighting.

The next stall I went was Epson Printers. As we know Epson are ther leaders in inkjet printing and also experience the people interest in Epson as compared with HP and Canon Pixima.

Next camera stall I went was the dream for any Photographer to click photograph with that camera. I went to Hesslblad stall and it was amazing I asked them about the system and I had a meeting with the head of  Hesslblad Germany, He also gave me a nice big time to experience the new H5D system with variety of lenses, as always it was best.

I also did meetings with few small stalls this took me a day. Around 6 PM I came out from the hall .

The next day was bit late I went back to hall around 11 AM. I again visited Canon & Nikon Stalls. After that I went to hall no. 4.2, Vangurad stall was there and also of Sigma, Cokin filters, Linof Cameras etc.

After visiting this stalls I went to hall no. 9, where lighting equipments are shown. I attended three workshops there. One was on Naked Photography, One was on Creative lighting and the other one was on Photo shoots with constant lights.

I rested in Cologne for the next day, cause I have to leave for Hamburg early morning.

On 21^st I took a IC (intercity) to Hamburg. The city is amazing and very big. I was leaving in German family. The house was 25 min. away from the Main Station.

I went for fairy ride with my cousin at Harbor. It was fabulous.

Next day was the coldest day I experience in Germany it was 3 degrees and also with Rain and Wind. After few hours rain stopped and we went out to take a Panorama view of Hamburg city form the Church.

We saw many buildings, which had an impact of the Second World War (1939-1945)

On 23^rd I had a early morning train to Franfurt hbf. (Main) and I took a return flight from Frankfurt Flughafen (Airport).

                                                           

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Sarvesh S. Rajpathak

Proprietor   

Rajpathak Creation Studios