CP+

The not-so-snappingly titled CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show in Yokohama this weekend.

Campaign Girls... bless 'em.

Lens Envy. Snapping away on my mobile phone I felt a bit inferior at first, but at least I knew how to use it.

There was an area for about 150 independent photographers to show their stuff and the best of the lot was Yuko Yagasaki. Her Sakada Bitch Project is basically her being snapped Dancing-Matt-like in various spots around the world while doing a handstand. "At least you can laugh at yourself or you can make someone laughJ." Simple but very funny.

The space next door to her handstanding couldn't have been more different. A very poignant photo-journal, My Life Without You was the story of a woman being told she had uterine cancer, the subsequent hysterectomy and eventual recovery. I wondered if these two had met and had chance to chat while they were setting up for the show, the deep-thinking cancer-survivor searching for meaning behind the cruelty of life and the carefree, make-em-laugh happy-snapper artist. It took me a while to realize it was the same woman.

The best part was, the hand-standing came later.

Snaps mapped from a cycle-trip round Japan.

A funky Handycam with built-in projector on the Sony booth.

It's got a small projector bulb on the other side of the viewfinder screen which lets you watch your movies on the wall like they were on Super 8... without the film-jamming, burning, or spiralling into a heap on the floor. Out in Japan in 2 weeks. Hope they add an overdub of a real projector clicking and whirring.

Crash course in marketing. The guy on the far left spent the whole show wondering why the Nikon booth opposite was always packed, but his poor little Trek booth was always empty. No-one.

Maybe he didn't have Nikon's budget for the gorgeous model photo opportunities, waterfalls and light shows, but it might have helped not to call your new product the "Flu Card Pro" and launch it in the middle of winter.

Disappointing show on the analogue front. No Lomography stand but there was a tiny booth with Holgas, Dianas and Pinholes. Got this free Holga 110 giveaway, now just need to find some 110 film.