There was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when photography was about film rolls. You could click just 32 photographs at one time (33-34 clicks if you are lucky). You did not have the chance to review the pictures, until you sent the roll to the dark room to be developed, and you received the prints, either in gloss or matte papers. Then, digital cameras were invented, and everything changed. Now, you could click insane amount of pictures at one time, and also, review your photographs real time. You did not need prints to see your pictures. With the coming of smartphones, the act of taking pictures took another dramatic turn. Selfie became a legitimate word in our language, and taking pictures, selfie or otherwise, became the national pastime. Today, you no longer print photographs. You upload them on Facebook, and if you fancy yourself as a photographer, then on photo upload sites like Instagram and Flikr.
Does this mean that photo printing as we knew it is dead? Yes and no. Photo printing is not dead. With the advent in technology, even photo printing has morphed into something else, a specialised service. Now, you don’t print pictures in 4×5 papers, you make a photobook, with vivid colours and various enhancements, which can make you look a million bucks. There are presses like the HP Indigo series, Xerox Versant and Scodix, which can help you achieve this. And there are service providers who will make you a photobook of your pictures the way you want it.
Both these press manufactures and service providers were big draws at the CEIF Photofair 2015, which was held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from 8 to 11 January, 2015.
The exhibition, organised by the All India Photographic Trade and Industry Association (AIPTIA) and co-organised by the Asian Imaging and Photography Magazine, is said to be the third largest consumer electronic imaging fair, and this was evident in the footfall the show received. As one visitor, an amateur photographer, remarked, the crowd at the show was as huge as one sees at auto expo. There are queues at the registration counter, and all the five halls were chockablock.
Understandably, however, most visitors were not just for printing and presses. Most were for the cameras being displayed here, and most of them were amateur photographers and photography enthusiasts. To draw their attention, there were more than 200 exhibitors, including the bigwigs like Canon, Epson, Tamron, Fujifilm, Noritsu, Sony, HP, Xerox, Ricoh and Panasonic. Among the highlights, Sony displayed its Alpha 7 II, the first mirrorless full-frame camera, for the first time in India.
Talking about cameras, the exhibition also hosted a Vintage Camera Museum, titled Museo Camera, curated by Aditya Arya, who displayed cameras collected from around the world, including some iconic cameras from the last 100 years. There were also several workshops for photographers, on wedding photography, fashion, and studio photography, by experts such as Shantanu Sheorey, Jattin Singh and Chandrakanth Kamath.
Not to be left behind, the photo printing segment was also at its competitive best. Xerox displayed the Versant 2100 and Xerox Color C60 presses. The company has installed 11 Versants in the last three months and plans to replicate the same success with the Xerox Color C60. On the other hand, HP displays its HP Indigo 7800 for the first time in Delhi and received a good response.
At its stall, the Konica Minolta team was available to answer all the technical questions from photographers. The star attraction at the Monotech stall, on the other hand, was Scodix, the print enhancement machine. Monotech has sold more than 15 Scodix machines. Fujifilm stall was equipped with printing equipment and the Instax, an instant photo system.
Epson displayed its dye sublimation solutions for garment printing, professional applications lab, D700, A3 and A3 plus printing, while Canon India displayed its DreamLabo. TechNova showcased its total photo media solutions, including NovaJet non-tear range, Felix Schoeller Ephoto series, Canson archival and inkjet media.
There were also good number of service provider of photobooks and fancy frames, and other photo printing related services.
“The objective is to spread awareness and knowledge on latest imaging technology, and its trends, and the latest digital products and services,” said Dhiraj Vyas, president, AIPITA.
