2020 vision
Buyers’ guide
Forget resolutions –make the new year a photo revolution. 2020 is your chance to change the way you shoot, use your images andmanage your kit, so why not kick-start a year of great photography with some of these ideas? Youmight feel like you’re not learning if you don’t have a camera in your hand, but inspiration and ideas often come when you’re not shooting. So if you’re lacking a creative spark, a good place to start is by immersing yourself in others’ photography – get yourself to a gallery, whether it’s a big one like the National Portrait Gallery (free!), or a pop-up collection like the Madagascar in the frame exhibition currently running at Fujifilm’s House of Photography in Covent Garden.WaterAid and long-standing partner Fujifilm teamed up to bring to life the stories of two communities in Madagascar and highlight the enormous impact of water and sanitation on their lives. The pictures come from FujifilmX-Photographer, Saraya Cortaville,WaterAids’ Ernest Randriarimalala and also from children who were given Instax instant photography cameras to tell their own stories. The exhibition runs until 2 February and you can find out more at fujifilm-houseofphotography.com Get some inspiration Go see more exhibitions in 2020
Make a photo book in 2020!
Get your photos published Ever feel like you don’t do enough with your pictures? Thenmake this year one where youmake a photo book! Abespoke collection of your photos put together with a professional finish will show themoff perfectly, and it’s even better if they’re the product of a specific trip or project. There are plenty of great producers out there, and one of them is Cewe, at cewe-photoworld.com. There, you canmake books from small (14x13cmwith 26-50 pages) to XL (38x29cmwith 26 to 178 pages) in portrait or landscape, with square formats available, too. And something that will really please enthusiasts is that you also get to pick the cover style and the paper to suit your images, with stocks including classic 200gsm, high gloss 200gsm, true matte 160gsm, classic photographic 300gsm, gloss photographic 300gsm andmatte photographic 300gsm.
AMAZING INTERNET’S PORTFOLIO SERIES
The way people viewpictures has changed.Although printedwork still has a huge appeal, these days you’re far more likely to view images online, be that via phones and tablets, a desktop PC or internet TV. So if your pictures aren’t on the web, you stand very little chance of people seeing them. So get your pictures online this year by building a newwebsite, or refreshing the one you already have.An online provider like Amazing Internet lets youmake your own website with little or no experience – all you need are some pictures to share.Amazing Internet’s Portfolio Series of designs –which you can find at portfolioseries.uk – can be put together quickly and look great – all you need to do is choose froma range of page templates, then upload you own pictures to the gallery layouts. Prices start from£70 per year, but you can see howmuch you like it with a free trial. Get your pictures online
Don’t run the risk
Whether it’s for an event, a wedding or a commercial job, if you’re lucky enough to sell your photographic skills this year, it’s best to take the responsibility seriously and get some specific insurance.
Insuring risk is different fromsimply covering your cameras and lenses, so seek out a specialist provider. Whinney Insurance, at whinneyinsurance.co.uk, has six years’experience in insuring photographic risks.
GET SOME COVER FROM WHINNEY INSURANCE
It can arrange Commercial Producers Indemnity, which accounts for losses from interruption, abandonment or postponement of filming due tomatters outside of your control; Professional Indemnity, which covers mistakes and negligence; and Media Liability, which centres on loss of images while in your control.
Have a clear-out and raise £££s
Most photographers are hoarders.We keep bodies, lenses, tripods and accessories for years without using them– then pine over new gear. If you want to break the habit, be brutal this year and have a proper clear-out. Not only will you feel better, you canmake somemoney and put it towards kit you’ll use. You could take it to a car boot sale, or spend time listing on eBay and fending off time-wasters, but if you want to get the job done quickly, go for a respected dealer. It’s worth canvassing a few to find the best price for your unwanted kit, but tryMifsuds (mifsuds.com), London Camera Exchange (lcegroup.co.uk), Ffordes (ffordes.com), Park Cameras (parkcameras.com), and MPB Photographic (mpb.com) for starters. Out with the old!
30 Photography News | Issue 73
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