Do I feel let down by our industry well no, not the PMA anyway I think they strive to inject enthusiasm into a apparently moribund industry. Let me clarify that, a professional imaging industry, I think the high street retailer is a little bit more enthusiastic though not much, where was everybody from the professional imaging Labs from around the country Metro, Bayer, Golden shots, Acrom, Loxleys, Leach colour, I could go on and on yes our industry has been hit hard by the loss of film and the move to digital but we had enough warning, do we feel let down by our main industry players i.e. Fuji and Kodak, yes, the likes of Asda, Boots Tesco, yes you get it, large users of material and equipment! might take there attention, but do you really need them to hold your hand, we the pro industry drove this market during the 70's and 80's and now this, antipathy, fragmentation. It's got to change, do we have anything to fear, off course that's business but manage change.
The conference, some great inspirational speakers like Dr Glen Omura from Michigan State University, "American" Stephen Giordano, Lucidiom. "American" these guys talk and inspire yes its high street slanted, but take some thing from it! Richard Worsley from the tomorrow project "British" presented in our understated way, but very interesting, then you had The self appointed messiah, who does he inspire other than himself, and maybe HP who he plugged at every opportunity, I fail to understand his role at the PMA the most grandiose, self congratulatory pumped up bullshit I have heard for a long time, yes we know about "Facebook" "Myspace" the fact our kids use there camera phones and save there images on computers and swap them so what, it does not mean anything, you were not getting that work before because it did not exist so what are you missing! Its more images thats for certain that's good, years ago when I was growing up we did not have the budget to produce those images photographically or for that matter cameras that were in our price range as kids, the way images are used and created now is fantastic and its good for our industry we will only get a percentage, but that is what's so good about digital imaging, the fact people can edit and manipulate, and only have printed what they require, off course this applies to professional photographers, however convince through your marketing that it is in there interest to let you the pro imaging house handle the post editing and printing, we are the professional technicians its our job to make our clients work look outstanding it's what sells there business and while they are tied up trying to do it they are not selling there services, and I know there are some good photographers out there who are also good technicians who can print there own work as good as a pro house but generally the two roles are diametrically opposed, and those pros who use the likes of Boots and Tesco etc... well they are not pros are they! So don't try to capture that market by trying to compete on price you will never win that way. No I have not mentioned Jessop's, think they have enough problems! I digress, our industry has got great potential stop navel gazing and get out there and take it.
So far this year, I have visited PMA Las Vegas, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Seattle, next year Australia and Japan to get a feel for these markets to see what they are doing and to keep ahead and to transfer that information in a small way to The Vault. I hope it works, I do know that I am as excited now by images and there production, however they are produced, as when I started in this industry commercially back in 1979. So pro industry shake your morose view off, do not listen to the doomongers, our industry will survive it will just be different.
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