The global health pandemic has thrown the European photographic sector a curveball of unparalleled proportions. With weddings & events all but on hold, amusement parks and labs largely closed, it's been a tough year, to say the least. The big question is, when will it end and when can we expect to get the wheels turning once more?
Topics: Print, Photography, Photo print, Event Photography, wedding photography, Photobooth
Citizen Systems has joined forces with the Alzheimer’s Society in supporting the launch of MyPhotoMessages.com. The new association has been formed to benefit the vast numbers of families affected by Alzheimer’s disease in the UK.
My Photo Messages, which launched in May 2020, is a mobile-friendly web-based platform, which allows visitors to upload, edit and send 6x8” photographic prints, embedded with personalised messages, to loved ones across the UK.
The Alzheimer’s Society’s pledge has been to serve people with dementia and their carers in the UK since 1979. The partnership with CITIZEN and My Photo Messages has been established with two goals. The first is to bring a smile and some happiness to people living with Alzheimer and who have been forced to isolate. The second, to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society, supporting the tremendous work they do. To support these great causes, CITIZEN is donating 25,000 photo message prints.
Simple use in 3 easy steps
The My Photo Messages platform has been developed with simplicity in mind. Firstly, visitors must select either portrait or landscape format for their 6x8” prints. Secondly, upload or capture an image before personalising with text and shapes in any font, colour and size. The final step is to checkout, where delivery details of loved ones are entered. Photo messages are then delivered directly to the recipient’s door.
Upon checkout, users will be presented with the opportunity to make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Society along with a nominal charge of £1.89 to cover postage and packaging of the photo message.
“It’s at times like this, our support for people affected by dementia is more important than ever”, said Jess Hillicks, Community Fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Society. Adding: “Of the 850,000 people with the condition in the UK, 700,000 fall within the government specified vulnerable category which will only serve to exacerbate the feelings of isolation and loneliness that many people with dementia have reported feeling. The generous support from My Photo Messages and CITIZEN at such a difficult time is so greatly appreciated and every penny raised means we can continue to be there for people affected by dementia, wherever they are and whenever they need us.”
Quality prints - every time
The CITIZEN brand is perhaps best known for its precision watches and consumer electronics products, although the brand is also prominent in the healthcare and print industries.
All photographs created via My Photo Messages are printed from CITIZEN’s market-leading photo printers. CITIZEN designs and manufactures professional-grade dye-sublimation photo printers that produce superb quality, long-lasting photos. CITIZEN’s Official Photo Reseller in the UK, PhotoXport, are kindly donating their time to fulfil all orders for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Gary Andrews, EMEA Business Manager, Photo Printers, Citizen Systems Europe, said: “Never has the gift of a photographic print been more relevant than during the current Covid-19 pandemic. We all appreciate that a printed photo of a loved one is something to cherish. To support this great initiative CITIZEN has generously committed to supply 25,000 prints free of charge. We want to raise as many smiles as we can and at the same time raise as much money as we can for the Alzheimer's Society."
Since the arrival of COVID 19 just a few short months ago, life, as we know it changed beyond all recognition. So did our business. Whilst some industries have been thriving in the chaos, the photographic market all but halted. At least, photographers specialising in the events markets have seen their diaries evaporate before their eyes. Even with small groups now being able to congregate, we are all wondering if, how and when life and business might return to some form of normality.
Topics: Insider, Print, Photography, Photo print, Event Photography, Event Photographer, Wedding Photographer, wedding photography, Photobooth
This year saw the 10th-anniversary edition of the VSLO arts festival, which takes place each year in Vama Veche, Romania. As a headline partner, Citizen’s EMEA Business Manager for Photo Printers, Gary Andrews, hopped onto the 2.5 hour flight to Bucharest.
It was back in the spring of 2016 when PR and media production agency, MBG, first landed on the idea of building a photobooth. A venture that quickly evolved into a true voyage of discovery.
Jörk Schüßler, Marketing Director EMEA, Citizen Systems, caught up with Operations Manager, Steve Gibbs, to learn more about this unusual story for this, our latest blog feature.
Topics: Print, Photography, Photo print, Event Photography, Event Photographer, Wedding Photographer, wedding photography, Photobooth
There's no doubt about it; there is something quite glamorous about working in the world of photography. In its many guises, it can be an extremely rewarding way of life; not only financially, but also enriching for the soul with the ability to work in a creative field and making people happy along the way. What's not to like?
DI: What are the advantages of the Citizen OP-900II for portrait photographers?
Established in 2014, Booth Nineteen started out as the brainchild of serial entrepreneur, Sam Bird, who initially grew the business in and around the Bristol area. Recruiting friends and family members to manage both day-to-day- office duties and manning the booths during bookings, Sam realised the potential that stood in the market and registered the company as a limited business towards the end of 2017.
Schneider, the writing instrument manufacturer, is delighting visitors and employees with a new gift: the printed photo from the click-it Fotobox. The highlight: After a few seconds, the user holds a finished picture in his or her hands. The integrated Citizen printer, from the CX series, prints photos reliably and quickly – as a personal reminder or souvenir to keep.
It’s a true statement to make, that Dye Sublimation technology in modern photo printers is among some of the most reliable and best quality machines available. That said, not all printers are born equal. To clarify this point, Citizen Photo appointed a respected UK-based colour consultancy company to test a selection of leading dye-sub photo printers.
Many people will know the Citizen brand for their near-hundred-years of precision engineering in the watch industry, producing timepieces in Nagano, Japan, of exceptional quality and value, and then making them available for every ‘citizen’. For the first time, everyone could own a high-quality timepiece, which was previously the exclusive domain of Swiss watchmakers. What is perhaps lesser known, is the fact that Citizen is also prolific in many other areas of industry, and serve the photography market by producing dye sublimation printers for a vast number of specialist photographers and retailers across the globe. In fact, Citizen produces over 40,000 printers each and every year.