Verdict: The Holiday & Travel Show

Well, I did drop by the London Travel Show in Earl’s Court. The exhibitors included every travel-related business operating in the United Kingdom, from Audley Travel Group to World Expeditions. Hundreds of travel operators offering travel packages, adventure and specialty tours, along with tourism boards and vendors of travel gear, were all represented there. Heidi Laughton, a photographer friend here in London, joined me in attending a Beyond the Lens lecture in the hall. It was moderated by photographers Paul Goldstein (Exodus), Ariadne Van Zanderberger of Bradt, and Steve Davey. The lecture was a ho-hum affair with nothing more than superficial discussions on the current travel photography industry in the UK....but let's face it, it was free.

The short listed submissions in the Travel Photo of the Year competition (run jointly by the Independent newspaper and Wanderlust) were exhibited. Heidi’s submission was a lovely black and white photograph of street urchins in China.

I came out of the show with a handful of handsomely printed travel catalogs. The quality of the printing of some of these catalogs surpass anything I've seen in the United States. Audley Travel's glossy catalogs with superb photography, as an example, really stand out. Many of the well-known UK and European travel and stock photographers, such as Paul Goldstein, Steve Allen, Peter Langer, Toby Sinclair and Mario Pozzi, are credited for photographs on the Audley catalogs.