Founder · Professional Images Photography
Joseph Rodriguez, Convention and Trade Show Photographer
Thirty nine years on show floors. I started this company in 1987 and I am still the one holding the camera.
I am based in San Antonio, Texas, and I work conventions, trade shows and corporate meetings across the country. Exhibitor booths, keynote stages, headshot stations and video. If you are hiring me, you are hiring the person who will actually be standing in your exhibit hall.
How this started, and why it still works
I opened Professional Images Photography in San Antonio in 1987. Conventions and trade shows were not the plan at first, they became the plan because I was good at them and because I liked the pace. A show floor gives you one chance at every moment. The keynote happens once. The booth is only full for a few hours. That pressure suits me.
Thirty nine years later I am still the photographer on most of these jobs. That matters more than it sounds. When you hire a large agency you often meet a salesperson and get a contractor. When you hire me you get me, and the small team I have trained, and a workflow that has been sharpened on a few thousand show floors.
The other thing that changed is delivery. Early on, clients waited weeks for proofs. Now my galleries go up while the show is still running, catalogued by day and session, so your social team can post before the hashtag goes cold. That single change has probably won me more repeat business than anything else I do.
I am based in San Antonio with two locations here, and I travel for the rest. Texas is home, the country is the territory.
The work, and where it happens
Thirty nine years of show floors, general sessions, exhibitor booths and headshot stations. Every photograph on this page is my own work, and the ones tied to a city were shot in that city.
Credentials and how I work
- Reuters credentialed. I hold a Reuters credential and shoot Reuters Events conferences, where images move from camera to global distribution in minutes.
- ASMP member. American Society of Media Photographers, the trade body for working commercial photographers.
- Fully insured. Professional liability, with a certificate of insurance naming your venue as additional insured, normally within one business day of the request.
- Dual card recording. Every camera writes to two cards simultaneously. There is no single point of failure on your files.
- Same day delivery. Edited frames upload to your shared folder hourly while the show runs. The full gallery is finalized the same day.
- Photo and video from one crew. 4K video alongside the stills on the same booking, delivered raw for your editor or as a finished edit.
Some of the floors I have worked
Brands and organizations whose events appear in the work shown across this site.
- Reuters Events
- ADNOC
- Southwest Airlines
- Marriott Bonvoy
- American Express
- GBTA
- Siemens
- Humana
- Nokia
- 7×24 Exchange
Where you will find me
San Antonio is home. These are the markets I work most, each with its own page and its own portfolio: San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Phoenix, Chicago and Orlando. Beyond those I regularly cover Las Vegas, Nashville, Denver, New York and Washington DC, and I hold dates anywhere a show lands.
FAQ: Questions I get asked
Will you personally be the photographer at my event?
On most bookings, yes. I still shoot. For multi room programs that need several photographers at once I bring a small team I have trained myself, and I am on site running it. You will always know before the show who is holding the camera.
How long have you been doing this?
Since 1987. Thirty nine years, almost entirely in conventions, trade shows and corporate meetings. I do not shoot weddings or family portraits, which is deliberate.
Are you based in San Antonio?
Yes. I have two locations in San Antonio and that is home. I travel to every other market, and travel is quoted as a flat line item up front so there is never a surprise after the show.
What kind of events do you specialize in?
Conventions, association annual meetings, trade shows and exhibitor booths, corporate general sessions, medical and healthcare conferences, and headshot stations. Anything with a show floor, a stage or a run of show.
Do you carry insurance and can you provide a certificate?
Yes. Professional liability, with a certificate naming your venue as additional insured, normally within one business day of the request.
How quickly do I get the photos?
Selected edited frames go up to your shared folder throughout the show. The complete gallery is finalized the same day. That is the single thing clients tell me they value most.
Tell me your dates and your venue
Send the run of show and the hall. You will get a scoped number back, not a range.