Trade shows are one of the more challenging environments for a photographer to work in.  A client’s product or service is showcased in the best way possible for the public or press, but not necessarily for photography.  Sure, the lights, colors and excitement are great, but you have control of virtually nothing.  No matter what time you go, there is a lot of activity and getting clean shots without blurry people in the background is a challenge.  Despite the bright lights, the overall lighting level is quite low.  Getting quality shots that are usable for something other than the web, necessitates the use of a tripod and a little patience.  I was able to get in for the press events, and before the switchover to public mode, but even so, it was like juggling running chainsaws on fire to coordinate agreeable shots.  Everyone has their own pressing matters at a big event like this, and they rarely correspond with a photographer’s.  This is where managing a client’s expectations and my travel photography background come into play.  The client usually understands some of the limitations involved in any given situation, but in the end, doesn’t really care.  They are hiring you to work some magic, and expect to be excited by what you deliver regardless of the difficult conditions.  That is certainly fair.  After all, they hired you over relying on “Jim in accounting who has a really good camera” so they recognize, and respect the experience you bring to the table.  This is where the travel background comes into play.  When I first started in photography many years ago, I didn’t know how travel photography was going to translate into my current specialties.  Boy do I now.  First, when traveling to a new place you rarely have complete control of the conditions, weather, lighting, time of day, people etc.  Unlike the many great landscape photographers who camp out in a location for hours, days, weeks or more for the perfect conditions, I have never had that luxury or the desire to do so.  Well, maybe hours, but certainly not days or weeks.  For me, at least early on in my travels, I had very limited time in any given place, so making do and getting the best possible shots was very important to me.  After many years, I accumulated experience in a wide array of conditions that has translated into reflexive knowledge that I can use in virtually any situation.  Second, I have learned many ways to process the images to get the best result for a given situation.  This, unlike travel, is a knowledge base that I work on every day, and it filters back to the moment of capture, so I have a good idea what will ultimately result from pushing that shutter button.  Still, there are surprises that keep it interesting until I experience the final aperture in the sky.