@Techlicious @CTATech #CTAPhotoNYC Lunch and Learn @QualityMeatsNYC #Photography Gear and Pro Tips!

NOT a compensated post, however it does earn me an entry into a special competition!

This Butterfly about town is currently attending the Photo Plus Expo (which you can best believe I have already been tweeting about and will bring you highlights from the show as soon as possible) in New York City, so since this is going to keep me wrapped up for a few days I thought I would warm you all up on the idea of me talking some heavy tech and photography by sharing about a great "Lunch and Learn" event I attended recently hosted by Techlicious, The Consumer Technology Association, CES and Lifestyle Blogger Danielle Wilson

The Venue: Quality Meats in New York City

Above: You know I am all in when it comes to a nicely set table that is welcoming, inviting and filled with ambience and warm glow!

The Menu:

Above: Appetizers included: Green Goddess Chopped Salad, The QM Crabcake, Hamachi Sashimi; Entrees Included: Filet Mignon, Tuna Au Poivre and East Coast Halibut; Desserts Included: Chocolate Cream Pie, Passion Fruit Tart and Bellini Sorbet

Above: They brought out all three apps to the table and we were able to try a bit of each one!

Above: All about that Halibut!

Above: YES to that Chocolate Cream Pie which I wish I had right now!

The Speakers:

Above: Suzanne Kantra of Techlicious

Above: Tyler Suiters, Consumer Technology Association

Above: Alex Podstawski, Nikon USA

This was one of my favorite tips: VR is useful, but a tripod is better for very long exposures (I totally agree!). Use low ISOs for best quality and use high ISOs to stop movement at night. (Don't you love that effect?)

The Products Featured (and showcase sponsors):

Above: Shutterfly Framed Shadow Box

Above: Shutterfly Ribbon Candle

Above: Shutterfly Watercolor Patterned Frames Coaster

Above: Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II Silver

Above: Nikon D3400

Above: Panasonic Lumix ZS70

Above: Epson Expression ET-2750 EcoTank Printer

Above: Tiffen Steadicam Volt

Tips For Taking Better Photos:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Use Burst Mode to ensure you get the shot - In Burst Mode you are able to take multiple shots with one press of the shutter button.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Use Sports Mode To Stop Action - While this mode is not always as good at capturing true-to-life skin tones, it helps you capture a moving object with more vibrant color.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Use HDR Mode- In this mode your camera takes two or more shots at different exposures and then combines them so both the light and dark areas of your photos are shot properly yielding in a much better end result than if you didn't use High Dynamic Range Mode.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Tripod - Holding a camera or phone still long enough to get a clear, crisp shot is difficult no matter how steady of hand you may think you are, start using a tripod and you will notice a difference in your images. I do have one, I need to find the right carrier, and I saw one at Photo Plus Expo that I really like!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - "Fast Lens"- A fast lens will let more light through, enabling you to take pictures faster, and reducing the potential for blur. How can you tell how 'fast' a lens is? Look at the maximum aperture (the shutter behind the lens) called the "f-stop". The lower the number, the wider the aperture and the more light the lens will let in. A good camera choice will come in at f/2.8 or lower.

Cool Halloween Trick Shots:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Create Ghosts in your photos with multiple exposure mode- Take a shot of a scene, and then another shot with a person in it - the multiple exposure setting will combine the two shots, making the shot with the person somewhat transparent - Ghostly! The key here is to use a tripod so the background remains EXACTLY the same in each of the two shots.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Add Ghostly Writing to a Scene - You can add Ghost Writing by using a Long Exposure, ideally 30 seconds, again you want to use a tripod here to keep your camera steady, a light source (flashlight or glow stick) and black gloves to hold the light source. Once you've started the exposure, draw shapes or words with the light source. With your hands in the black gloves they won't be visible in the final shot. If you're writing words, they'll show up backwards in the image, but that's easy to fix by flipping the image afterwards!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Create Spooky Silhouettes - Find a spot with a clear line of sight to the western sky and have your subject stand in front of you with the bright sky behind them, turn off your camera's flash about 20 minutes before sunset for a perfect Halloween Backdrop.

 My Take:

I consider this more of a 'who I met' and 'what I got to see', these are NOT product reviews! You all know my motto on events is this: SEEING product is NOT the same as me putting it through its paces. And I have gone back and amended reviews if a product failed me while still in warranty. This butterfly is always going to be transparent, honest and just plain 100%.

I have followed up with everyone and offered them a shot at an actual product review and also the offer of doing something neat for my butterflies too!

We were provided with the Tiffen Steadicam Volt, which I have not yet had the opportunity to test as I tend to carry my DSLR to document most events. I will try to test it as soon as possible and come back to you guys with a full review.

Lunch at Quality Meats was fantastic, and I enjoyed getting the tips as well as I am constantly striving to improve my photography skills as a Lifestyle Blogger and Social Media Influencer it is a critical skill set. So while I am at the Photo Plus Tradeshow, I leave you with some homework of your own:

Visit the websites and read the product specs, then come back here and let me know which of the products featured above would you most want Santa to slip into YOUR stocking this year and why?

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored or compensated post, this was a press event one not open to the public, this is an event recap. All opinions are 100% my own! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

It was a #Luxury and #Audio Enthusiasts Paradise at the New York Luxury #Technology Show! @LuxuryTechShow #theLTS

June is certainly a HUGE month for gifting - be it attending a June Wedding, A Graduation Ceremony or celebrating Dads for Father's Day, there will invariably be someone on your list that you are plum out of ideas in terms of what to shop for. Looking for gift ideas for the 'person that has it all' or some other hard to shop for person on your list this month? Want to send your Dad's eyeballs out their sockets and accelerate his pulse a bit?

How about new technology? How about a touch of Luxe? 

If you are shopping for an Audio Enthusiast or all around Gadget Geek, then I can assure you that the New York Luxury Technology Review has got you covered!

I regularly attend their Luxury Review Show events, but the Luxury Tech Show hadn't quite worked with my schedule until now, but with this particular show being an Audio enthusiasts 'Mecca' it was a perfect show for this #TwitterPartyDJ to attend for the first time.

In terms of the sheer scope of pictures and witty captions, I think Cnet's recap of the show is definitely worth the read so when you get a chance, check it out HERE.

From the practical - like PENGUIN's Organic Food Safety Checker that helps you check for harmful elements in your daily food (this device allows you to check your groceries for antibiotics), the LugTrack which is a unique system that pairs two tags - one within your luggage and another to be installed as an app on your mobile device that then work together using a combo of GPS, GSM, WiFi and Bluetooth to relay tracking and location information of your luggage (perfect gift for a dad or grad in my opinion!), to something as '007' as The Kryptall K Phone which allows for encrypted global cellular calls, or how about not having to get up to turn the lights on or off, with Lutron you can do just that!

Is your Dad or Grad into Fitness? - You may want to consider these fitness tech toys:

CUFF - Both Smart Jewelry and Fitness Tracker, Cuff's products have built-in sensors that can alert you that you have a phone call, track your physical activity, or even call for help in case of an emergency Your 'in case of emergency' can also be your entire Facebook network if you choose, those contacts will get your location, live audio and other information needed for them to get you help. (They are compatible with most IoS or Android devices), and it's 'jewelry box' even has a charger which will keep the battery going for seven days. They definitely need to send me these for full review so I can put it all through it's paces and report back to you!

The Peloton Bike - I'm sure you have seen them on TV by now, but Peloton is an indoor cycling company that wirelessly streams live spin classes right to their Peloton Bikes, the interactive display on the bike shows distance, speed and calories burned. I want one of these myself! 

ProdecoTech Phantom X Electric Bicycle on display at The Luxury Technology Show New York City March 2015

ProdecoTech Electric Bicycles Close Up on display at The Luxury Technology Show New York City March 2015

ProdecoTech - For those who prefer their bicycling activities with a 'view', ProdectoTech had their Electric Bicycles on display! The Phantom X caught my eye, and I took a close up just to give you some more detail.

InBody - This digital scale breaks down body composition by muscle, fat and water weight in less than a minute using a bioelectrical analysis method and then gives a fairly wide variety of metrics including how well muscles are developed and how much fat is stored in each area of the body and can also estimate how many calories you are burning while at rest. It can aid in targeting not just your problem areas but also in helping you personalize workouts and treatment plans.

For Petlovers - Petcube is much like a nanny cam, except it's for your furbaby, the 10 centimeter cube provides a 138-degree wide-angle camera view so you can keep an eye on Fido from your smartphone and it also offers a two-way audio stream through it's built in microphone, not only can you see AND hear your pet, it can also hear YOU!

Home Entertainment - There was quite a bit fine Audio and Entertainment to be had including:

Panasonic - The show taught me that when it comes to Audio, everything that's old is new again, Panasonic highlighted the return of their high-end Technics brand (which I remember quite well and I am excited to find out they are back again), they are bringing back premium music reproduction over a traditional home theater experience and they displayed their Premium Class C-700 Series (made up of a Stereo Integrated Amplfier, Network Audio Player, Compact Disc Player and Speaker System coming in at around 6K) and the Reference Class R1 Series (This line includes a Stereo Power Amplifier, Network Audio Control Player, Speaker type mid-range drive unit, plus one 1-inch Dome type tweeter with floorstanding speakers and will set you back around 60K!)

They also displayed one of their 2014 4K Ultra HD Tv's as well as their cameras (including the Lumix DMC-CM1) and camcorders! And my favorite part of their booth, the Massage Chairs! (By the way I am not personally in the photo above, as you can see guests put those chairs to good use, just a few minutes on one will make you realize just how much you need one of these in your life!) - You would certainly score brownie points with Dad if you got him one of these for Father's Day! (By the way they would totally score brownie points with me if they sent one to Ascending Butterfly's offices - you know for when we are conducting interviews and stuff!)

Harmon Kardon also brought a taste of their audio lineup including the JBL Authentics L16 speaker system, the Revel Performa F206 floorstanding loudspeakers, The Omni Wireless HD Audio Systems (hi res lossless music), JBL Authentics L16 Speaker (300 watt three-way Speaker System) - if you are based in NYC like I am you can visit their Madison Avenue retail location to hear these for yourself.

Geneva displayed their single box audio solutions, on display The Model S ($300), Model M ($599), Model L ($1,199) and Model XL ($2,299) they offer FM Radios and Bluetooth Connectivity and the larger models include Apt-X support and integrated CD Players.

Fine Sounds Group - High-end Audio offerings were on display from brands like McIntosh and Sonus Faber, if your Dad or Grad is an Audiophile you can never go wrong with the gift of Audio!

and the system that gets 'pretty points' for most Aesthetically pleasing is ClearView's Clio speaker, featuring Bluetooth streaming support and a hidden woofer housed below the base, it retails for $349 and I am definitely hoping for a review unit on this one so I can give it an in-house test of my own as a tech show with so much noise in the background made it hard to get the nuances of this cute little wonder's sound.

Seura displayed their vanishing TV mirrors, waterproof televisions, outdoor televisions and lighted mirrors. When you want to bring your luxury lifestyle outdoors, this is definitely the brand to keep in mind! (and they do just as nicely indoors as well!)

Cars:

Audi and BMW were giving  us all car envy at The Luxury Tech Show!

Personal Mobility Device - Can't afford to get Dad or that Grad a Beamer? If those indulgences are not quite in your budget, perhaps the IO Hawk personal mobility device might be? These personal motorized transporters are where technology and innovation meet, it was fun watching people try these out!

If funky fun touches for the home is more your speed, then the fun lighting from Designer Richard Clarkson might be exactly what you are looking for! Put this one in your bedroom and literally sleep under the clouds!

My Take:

The Luxury Technology show definitely offered up a little something for everyone, and I'm pretty sure any Dad, Grad or Newlywed on your June shopping list would be delighted by these innovative offerings.

And let's not forget to mention the food and amazing cocktails that was certainly over-flowing. Busy New York City based press burn a lot of calories walking around this crazy city, and we like being fed, but being massaged on top of it all may just be event 'nirvana'!

Which of the items featured above is on your wishlist?

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, no monetary compensation has been received, and all opinions are 100% my own!  I attended The Luxury Technology Show as Digital Press. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.