National Photo Month

High street independents will have the opportunity to benefit directly from next year’s National Photography Month, it was announced at the national launch of the month long promotion.

The overall “Capture and Keep” message of the joint PIC/PMA campaign will appear prominently in major, often countrywide, advertising and promotional campaigns run by most of the biggest names in the industry and will go a long way to helping drive customers into shops.  However, retailers who want to take advantage of those advertising and promotional campaigns to build their own local campaign will be able to by applying for a £25.00 Independent Retailer Licence.

This will include:

- A National Photography Month marketing pack

- Opportunity to use NPM logo on in-store and promotional materials

- Photos and templates that can be used in local press advertising

- Inclusion in NPM website listing and opportunity to submit news stories

- Link into national social media campaign.

They’ll also get a free place at PMA Spring Conference 2012 at which National Photography Month will be the main topic.

National Photography Month was described in the official launch presentation as “a nationwide opportunity to get involved with photography and how we capture and keep life’s most important moments”. It will be targeted at three main groups, young people, keepers of family records and enthusiasts, and “celebrate photography at a time when the use of photography has mushroomed but its importance has diminished, the fleeting nature of the digital image threatens the loss of personal histories forever and uncertainty exists over the role of ‘Memory Keepers’ in the home.”

It’s scheduled to take place in June next year but promotional activity will kick off in the Spring when people across the nation will be invited to send in a copy of their favourite family picture to create the world’s largest family album. The unveiling of “The Family of Britain”, possibly in Trafalgar Square, will then mark the start of National Photography Month.

Among the month’s activities will be a UK tour by the Capture and Keep bus, a charity photograph auction and exhibition held at Christie’s in London and an initiative encouraging young people to explore their environment using photography in geography lessons.

Speaking at the launch, PIC Chairman David Honey said the aim of the campaign, the first ever to involve everyone in the industry is this way, was to provide a focus for photography, which, he said, was going through something of an identity crisis.

“When I first joined Fuji,” he said, “taking a photograph was a simple matter. You took a roll of film, put it in your camera, take your pictures and send the film away for processing.

“It’s not so simple now. Photography has become “imaging” and there’s a million ways to share pictures, which is of course a fantastic thing.”

The problem was, he went on, that even though more photographs are being taken, the importance of photography in human behaviour has diminished, because it’s so easy to capture an image on a smart phone for example.

National Photography Month will provide a focus for photography, he said, but while manufacturers, suppliers and retailers could use it as a hook to hang promotions, campaigns and special offers on and then benefit from the extra sales generated, he hoped that it would also be seen as more altruistic than that.

“Photography is an important part of everybody’s lives and we want to stop it being trivialised,” he said.

Article reproduced courtest of BPI News

View Launch Videos here:

Part 1:

Part2:

Part 3:

Part4:

National Photography Month was officially launched to the Trade at a packed Getty Images Gallery in London on 27 September, 2011.

David Honey, chairman of Photo Imaging Council (PIC) opened the proceedings and explained what the initiative was all about. PMA’s Nigel McNaught explained more about how the campaign was aiming to bring the whole photo industry together.

Anna Burns of Kallaway – the PR company managing the initiative – showed what form National Photography Month was going to take and mentioned endorsements from a number of high profile people and companies.

Amateur Photographer magazine editor, Damien Demolder, also gave a short presentation and extended his backing to the campaign and encouraged all other publishers to back the initiative.

The official launch presentation can be downloaded here:

NPM_trade_launch

Photo caption: David Honey, Anna Burns, Nigel McNaught and Damien Demolder at the official Trade Launch of National Photography Month.

- UK’s first National Photography Month to run June 2012

- Capture and keep: NPM to celebrate the value of photographs as historical records

- Highlights: the world’s largest family album, charity auction at Christie’s, nationwide public events

- Backed by National Geographic and the Royal Photographic Society

National Photography Month is the UK’s first such event dedicated to celebrating the value of photography. Organised by the Photo Imaging Council and The Photo Marketing Association, and backed by organisations from the photography world including National Geographic,  the Royal Photographic Society, photo retailers and leading suppliers of photo equipment , National Photography Month, which will run during June 2012, will feature nation-wide events, celebrity exhibitions, a mobile Capture and Keep bus, and special offers from suppliers. Highlights include the creation of the world’s largest family album, as members of the public are invited to submit family snaps for a project which will be unveiled to mark the start of events, and a celebrity auction in aid of charity (further details below).

At the heart of the campaign is the message that the importance of photography lies not just in creating good images but in the role photographs have as historical records. The nation’s images represent a vast trove of personal histories. But while we are taking more pictures than at any other time, the fleeting nature of digital images means we are printing or keeping fewer of these important documents. National Photography Month aims to encourage the nation both to get more involved in photography, and to explore new ways to capture and keep life’s most important moments.

National Photography Month highlights:

The Family of Britain

Family ‘Memory Keepers’ – often mothers – no longer have the time to create albums, and the nature of modern photography means it is easy to leave images on disk or online. To highlight the importance of these unique personal records, National Photography Month will be launched with the unveiling of the World’s largest family album. This huge project will be comprised of family portraits which members of the public will be encouraged to send in following a campaign in Spring 2012.

Charity Summer Photography Exhibition

The Summer Photography Exhibition will be held in aid of national charities.  Amateur and professional photographers will be invited to anonymously submit work to be selected for an exhibition of outstanding images, selected by a committee of celebrities and professional photographers. Work will be auctioned by Christie’s with all the proceeds going to charity.

The Capture and Keep Campaign Bus

During National Photography Month a Capture and Keep bus will tour the country. A mobile shop window for photography, the bus will showcase the best British photography has to offer, run special workshops, such as how to make money from your hobby and tips from the paparazzi, and provide an on-the-ground resource for advice and inspiration. Highlights of the proposed route include:

- Portraiture workshop outside the Houses of Parliament

- Environmental photography at the Eden Project in Cornwall

- TopShop promotion at Westfield: how to look good in photos

Nigel McNaught, UK Director of the Photo Marketing Association says: ‘From mobile phones to digital cameras, we’ve never taken more pictures at any other time in history. But, ironically, we print far fewer, meaning that we’re in danger of losing a whole era of photographic records. The aim of National Photography Month is to reverse this trend so that traditions such as family photo-albums continue in their role recording vital personal histories – rather than becoming a thing of the past.’

David Honey, Chairman, PIC, says: ‘While digital photography has opened up exciting new ways for amateurs and professionals alike to harness the medium, its fleeting nature means there is a danger that these images could have no archival permanence. We want to build on the improvements in the quality of photography that these developments have created by encouraging people to think creatively about making permanent records of their images.’

Derek Birch, Trustee and Council Member, The Royal Photographic Society, says: ‘Photography as we know it was born in this country. As an organisation with a long history of exploring the potential of this amazing medium we’ll be encouraging professionals and amateurs alike to get out there and make the most of the opportunities this celebration offers.’

Justine Roberts, co-founder, Mumsnet, says: ‘Today’s family life is busier than ever before. But who doesn’t love looking through old family albums? We hope this initiative will provide the means and inspiration to encourage the family ‘Memory Keeper’ – be they mothers, aunts, grandparents – to make time to create these wonderful records for today and for future generations.’

If you wish to find out more about your business can be involved, please contact Nigel McNaught on nmcnaught@pmai.org or call 01438 840 367.

The PMA Retail Forum in June saw the introduction of a brand new initiative from PMA and PIC : National Photo Month . This is to be formally launched later in the year but delegates at the forum were able to see some of the ideas for NPM and to discuss how they might interact with the photo events and themes.

The proposal document sets out the reasoning behind NPM as follows: “Photography has somewhat of an identity crisis. Film is the heritage, but that’s being replaced by digital. The use of photography has mushroomed, but the relative importance has diminished – almost flippant and fleeting. It used to be clear what the ‘Memory Keepers’ at home used to do, but now not so clear. There is a huge danger that photography by phone or DSC will have no archival permanence and so personal history is lost – forever.

The purpose of NPM is to highlight the intense personal importance of photography and why it’s a unique and vital part of human culture. Knowing our history makes us who we are – can you imagine a history without pictures?. The basic concept is to blast the nation with information, events and activities organized by companies and individuals under the umbrella organized by PMA/PIC. The primary objective is Awareness, Interest and Use of Photography. This does not set out to become a cause related social marketing programme, there are already lots of existing fund raising events – however charitable association and any resultant benefit  is certainly worthwhile.”

Three target markets have been identified: Young people , Family memory keepers, and Enthusiasts and a steering group incorporating representatives form across the industry has been formed.

PMA and PIC will be organising materials and events across the three target markets and suppliers and retailers and photographers will be able to dovetail their own promotional and marketing activity with these events and themes.

Nigel McNaught

PIC/PMA

Wisteria House

28 Fulling Mill Lane

Welwyn AL6 9NS

01438 840 367