Grateful Diver wrote:.. I'm sure glad I'm just some schmuck who's finally figured out which end of the camera to point at the fish.
[snip]
It's easy to complain. Might be more productive though to get ahold of Rick and see if there's something you can do to help make it work out better next year. That is, if you really think there should be an Expo next year ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
I'm with you, Bob. I'm just a guy who likes to take pictures of the cool stuff I see beneath the waves. Many people have told me that the pictures my family and I take are of unusual quality for P&S camera users, and that's cool, but I know my photography isn't any kind of world-class material. I take them for my own enjoyment and to remember exceptional dives, and often for the "what was that?" factor. A handful of pictures make the best tool around for critter identification.
As for your last paragraph that I cited above: anybody who hasn't volunteered at the expo at least once, you don't know what you're missing. The level of energy, the chance to interact with the vendors on a whole different level, and just being part of something so massive that's totally devoted to an activity that I love so much - there's nothing like it, and I can't describe the sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing you helped to pull it off. I can't recommend it enough. It's bloody hard work if you do it right, and this past expo I probably overdid things more than once, but the older I get, the more I find myself asking one key question about practically all of my activities and expenses:
Is it worth it?
In the case of working the expo, that's an unqualified YES. I usually end up all over the place; I'll start out working the front desk, handing out goodie bags and giving directions and all that, but since I'm fairly skilled in computer and A/V stuff I generally find myself heading here, there and everywhere to help sort out equipment problems. The volunteers also spend a bit of time watching vendors' booths for them so they can pee etc. It puts you on a different level with the vendors; you're almost an equal rather than just someone who might spend a little $$. It's a whole different world from behind the "volunteer" badge, and I encourage everybody who loves diving to try it. You don't have to commit to the whole three days; anybody who wants to can work a few hours on any of the expo days, as much or as little as they're able. I like to just block out that whole weekend and devote all my energies to it, but other's mileage may vary and that's okay. But give it a try. It's one big way that we of the diving community can help make it successful and help make it better in the future.
[sermon mode off]
Banning anyone who is a "professional" is going to get rid of people who think they are but aren't, and it's going to allow people in who maybe shouldn't be allowed to enter. Rather than basing things on this arbitrary word, a better definition is needed (see my previous post for some examples). 
