British Photographic Industry News – April-May 2023
English | 24 pages | pdf | 29.76 MB
With the biggest UK photo trade event of this year in the Societies Convention &; Trade Show now behind us (see page 8 this issue), and having just returned from voting in this year’s TIPA Awards as I type (see next issue for more), it was great to be able to share ideas and feel a closer sense of community. Something we’ve much missed during the colder, darker, quieter months. Feeling you’re a part of something bigger, rather than just a cog grinding away in your individual machine, elicits a fresh sense of purpose and motivation. And that’s the spirit with which we’ve approached putting this issue together. Yes, as we’ve learnt from chatting with colleagues, times may remain challenging, but there is a real desire to rise to, and overcome, such obstacles. Recent discussions with industry colleagues have also addressed the fact our market for photographic products is shifting from traditional photographers to ‘content creators’ – the buzz term that has been appearing with increasing frequency. It’s no surprise that we’re hearing of another device in the Sony ZV-E1 this month that, while outwardly resembling a traditional stills camera, is in fact a ‘video first’ product, the latest iteration of a product line only begun in 2020. Video does seem to be becoming as important a feature as stills when it comes to pitching a new camera’s specification – doubtless a lot of it down to how we currently share imagery.
We’re told online engagement is better if sharing video than sharing a still – and of course video prompts the viewer to hover longer over our post while it plays out than a photograph does.
Perhaps we should be renaming ourselves British Photographic Industry News Magazine & Video Industry News to reflect the shift? Answers on a postcard, or via email, to the usual address.
It’s not all new ways of thinking though. Whereas once digital was trumpeted as a simpler alternative to analogue photography, the latter has undergone an unexpected resurgence. When it comes to making the most of its film and print heritage Fujifilm seems to currently have it sorted and followed the ‘keep it simple’ mantra with its Instax instant print cameras. Yes the idea is somewhat recycled from the Polaroid cameras of our youth – a brand also enjoying a comeback. So, ironically, in an industry where much weight and importance is placed on the ‘new’, it seems equally true there’s life in old ideas yet. Those who can take the best of the old, while spearheading the new, seem best placed to succeed.
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