 Douglas Kirkland is a true narrator when he talks about the many photos he made from stars and celebrities, one anecdote after another comes rolling out of his mouth! Apparently he seems to have an inexhaustible source hidden somewhere from where the stories keep appearing! He also tells us the story about how he put down the rights to his own work, in an early stadium, without even thinking about it. His employer at the time, didn't think anything of this request, so that is why his work, the many thousands of images, fortunately stayed under his own management, even when his employer shut down the business.
The stories of his experiences with stars like Sean Connery, Kim Bassinger, Dustin Hoffman and Robert de Niro, and also pop stars like John Lennon, are being absorbed like sponges by the large amount of people who has gathered slowly but surely around this master narrator. Adults, men and women are listening to Douglas like little children, open-mouthed and touched by his passionate and enchanting personality. Also other famous photographers, like the Dutch nature photographer Frans Lanting, employed by National Geographic amongst others, still get touched by the enthusiasm of Douglas Kirkland.
During his enthusiastic talk, many different images are printed on the new HP Photosmart 8750 or the Designjet 90 printer, after being scanned. One comes out even more beautiful than the other. The prints look extremely astonishing, also the black and white images show to their full advantage and Douglas Kirkland himself is also really excited about the new HP printers. The prints, made by these new printers, are put up around the HP booth. And after the presentation, Douglas Kirkland takes the time to share a word with everybody who was swept of her/his feet by Douglas' enthusiastic performance, accompanied by his charming wife and business partner Françoise.
The presentation of Douglas Kirkland is a real happening for everyone visiting the PMA 2005 show. Getting away from technical forces, away from marketing slogans, and getting touched by what it's all about in this industry. Which is: to capture and share with others what makes you enthusiastic. Whether it's digital or analogue, to capture that one emotion, that one unique moment, or the everyday life, and to print it, so that this one memory can be relived time after time, just by putting it on paper. Isn't photography just beautiful? An opportunity to capture the scene in front of our eyes, to keep it for ever and thus create a basis for sharing your special moments with many other people.
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During my visit at the PMA 2005 show in Orlando Florida, I ran into Douglas Kirkland, the famous leading photographer. I already met Douglas last year during the annual HP Lab event. This event was held in 2004 for one week on the beautiful island of Kos in Greece, which turned out to be an unforgettable experience. Douglas has the gift of talking passionately about his photographic experiences. His passion is complete and pure and that’s why he’s able to pull everybody into the world of Douglas Kirkland. Douglas invited me to meet him at the HP booth somewhere during the afternoon where he would be giving a presentation about the print qualities of the new HP Photosmart 8750 and the HP Designjet 90 printer. 
