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American drone manufacturer Skydio is calling it quits on the consumer drone market, according to a new announcement from the company. Skydio says that they’ve made the “very difficult decision” to bow out to focus on enterprise clients.
Skydio has often been held up as a true competitor to DJI, which dominates the worldwide drone market. It seems an odd move with DJI products being banned throughout the USA in many government agencies and other organisations.
Kodak may still be around today, but it’s a shell of its former self. Founded in 1892, it was once the biggest name in the photography industry. These days, though, it’s mostly propped up by the Hollywood film industry and licensing its name to random products (not always for the better). Popping up slightly later, in 1934, Fujifilm came onto the scene.
While it might not be quite as old as Kodak, both survived similar upheavals in the industry and the onslaught of digital. How did Fujifilm survive when Kodak didn’t? Well, in simple terms, Fujifilm adapted with the times. Kodak, not so much. But here’s Asianometry with an interesting 25-minute documentary that explains it in more detail.
How much do you really know about photography? If you’re like me, your knee-jerk reaction is probably “quite a lot, actually, thanks,” however upon taking one of DIYP’s quizzes, I would beg to differ! Like most people, I am very knowledgeable about a few key aspects, somewhat knowledgeable about a lot, and I’m sorry to say there are a few gaping holes in some topics.
Now this shouldn’t really be a concern. Very often, we are hired to do the things that we do well. In this video, Scott from Tin House Studio tells us how it is and candidly shares his opinion on where you should put your stock as a pro photographer.
There are more photographers than ever before. And while I don’t believe that’s necessarily bad, it does create a lot of marketing “noise.” Our mission must be to raise ourselves above that noise so that we become more of a solo instrument, with the din of all the ‘others’ serving as our backup band.
We are constantly getting slammed with information and instructions to “put more out there”, share more images on Instagram, start a TikTok account, post more… more more more more.
Photographers spend quality time establishing their brand, organizing their photos, and building a website showcasing their photography. So, the next logical step is to share it with the world. Social media, mass emails, search engine optimization, and other marketing campaigns are excellent ways to connect with potential clients. Still, once the traffic starts flowing to your website, it can be challenging to understand how effective those efforts are without proper tracking and measurement tools. This is where Google Analytics comes in.
By setting up Google Analytics, photographers can gain valuable insights into their website traffic, such as where their visitors are coming from, how long they stay on the site, and which pages they visit. This information can help photographers better understand the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and make informed decisions about how to improve their website and online presence.
In a recent article on Japanese outlet Newswitch, Ricoh CFO Shun Kawaguchi says that the company is looking to essentially dump some of its business in order to be able to focus its time and money on more lucrative areas of the company. There was no explicit mention of Pentax, Ricoh’s own branded cameras or the Theta series of 360° cameras, although logically, they might be some of the first up for the chopping block – and probably in that order.
Pentax’s defiance of market trends and its steadfast refusal to enter the mirrorless market could be its downfall. Who could’ve seen that one coming, huh? Pentax proclaimed in 2019 that users would start switching from mirrorless back to DSLRs within 1-2 years. Well, it’s 2022, and that hasn’t happened. In 2020, they reaffirmed their commitment to DSLRs. And just last month, they released the entirely underwhelming Pentax KF – which is basically just a K-70 with a flippy-out LCD.
It’s probably not much of a surprise, really, but as Newswitch reports, Panasonic Entertainment and Communication president, Akira Toyoshima, has stated in a press conference that Panasonic is essentially done dealing with lower-end and compact cameras. They’re not giving up on cameras completely, however, saying that they are going to be focusing on, amongst other things, “video mirrorless cameras”.
This essentially confirms the August rumour that Panasonic was planning to dump low-end gear – an idea that seemed to be backed up last month by the discontinuation of the Lumix LX100 Mark II. Getting rid of the compact point and shoots and cameras primarily designed for shooting photography rather than video. The move definitely makes a lot of sense in a world of smartphones – and all the other camera manufacturers have done it.
I feel seen. I mean, really, this video from Scott Chouciño could be aimed directly at me, embarrassingly. I’ve often wondered if I have undiagnosed ADHD, sometimes getting anything done and focusing on the task at hand is such a struggle. I am incredulous at how other people seem to be three times as effective at working and getting stuff done as I am.
But no matter how much a label would be useful to use as an excuse for myself (I’m not saying such a label is an excuse but in my own case it would be), I really do just have to accept that frittering my work day getting sucked down YouTube rabbit holes is less neurological and more of a lack of discipline. In this achingly honest video, Scott tells us how he sets boundaries around his work day, even to the extent that he has banned his girlfriend from visiting the studio.
Ricoh has reportedly sent out an email to customers informing them that they’re shutting down their EU website at Ricoh-Imaging.eu on September 5th. It seems that the singular all-encompassing website is to be replaced by a number of brand-specific websites. This will allow them to target each specific demographic rather than having a single catch-all website for all their customers across all sectors.
According to the email sent out by Pentax, they “are currently creating new exciting websites for you. Our new websites will be brand oriented and will therefore have greater value for you. The first website will be opening soon” but some users fear that this may be Ricoh’s plan to split off Pentax to make it easier to sell off. Whatever the ultimate goal, existing Ricoh customers (in all markets) need to pay attention.
Sometimes the actual running of your photography business can get a bit much. We all want to be taking photographs, and yet find ourselves spending most of our time on the more boring tasks like invoicing clients and actually making sure we get paid. That’s where having a streamlined system in place can save you both a lot of time and a lot of stress.
Customer Relation Management (CRM) tool Bloom has just stepped up to help photographers by offering a completely free to use invoicing tool. It has unlimited use, and you don’t even need an account to use it. Sounds too good to be true? Well, it is, sort of, if you’re not based in the USA.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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