Smart Photography started its publishing journey 12 years ago at around the time the last analogue SLR was launched. Since then, the digital bandwagon has completely conquered the market. A significant change like that brings in its wake a lot of pain. All the film manufacturing companies (bar Fujifilm) virtually disappeared. Camera manufacturers had to face competition from smartphones. The compact camera market was under severe pressure. The consumer electronics companies opted for the mirrorless format thus putting pressure on existing major D-SLR players. At the same time, more pictures than ever before were taken. The problem was, however, that they were not printed except in cases like wedding photography. Instead they were uploaded on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram or WhatsApp, putting lab owners under severe pressure. Lab owners, like photo retailers, are increasingly competing with on-line companies for business. Do things really look gloomy? The answer is a firm ‘No’ if you are willing to reinvent yourself. New opportunities have been opened up by photobooks, action cameras, drones and very soon by Virtual Reality(VR). VR can extend application of photography to new markets like real estate and documentary projects. The increasing use of video on the web opens up opportunities for good video photographers and believe me, there is a shortage of them. Finally, with digital technology, do not forget that you are not restricted to printing on paper. Images can be outputted on glass, acrylic or aluminium. The possibilities are endless.
We, at SP, promise to be at the forefront of the revolution that the imaging industry is undergoing. On our 12th Anniversary, we would like to thank our readers, advertisers and staff for their unstinted support. Our digital reach has increased by leaps and bounds and our commitment to deliver quality content to our readers via a medium of their choice continues..
H. S. Billimoria