For Kodak not to be associated with J.I.P. gives a signal that perhaps J.I.P. is not the place to be to promote products and services. Nikon seemed more than happy to promote the new F5 body in the Chapelle de la Charitˇ, Hotel Jules Cˇsar - a most exciting and original venue typical of the region. Fortunately or unfortunately, as the case may be, whilst numbers are down, and the venue offered was indeed less prestigious than before, the latecomer would have still found it difficult to find a hotel room. After 10 years of a successful international professional imaging event, it is not surprising that delegates from afar away as China have chosen to visit Arles in order to see what is on offer in Europe.
This year delegates are far more serious and determined, with an appetite for the many courses to offer digital imaging and photography. With this in mind, the collaboration of Polaroid and SPEOS, the Paris based photography school, created an incredibly impressive array of screens around which the delegates could discover the potential of digital imaging and the training that SPEOS could offer.
In fact SPEOS has never been busier than at the present time, training photographers in the new technologies. An added bonus for those in the American education system is that a course at SPEOS is credited towards a degree. The courses at SPEOS are in French and English.
This year, the theme at J.I.P. was the "New Generation", of which the two strands were education and the new technology. From Britain three companies were well represented - Bray Imaging Technologies Ltd, the Telegraph Picture Agency via their fully owned partner in France, PIX, and Signpost, the on line multimedia library.
The processing of E-6 and C-41 films was appreciated by many delegates and Bray's French representative, Mogens Reidl, with backing from the UK company, made a big splash. Signpost's offer of online imaging, 6 months free subscription to the online "European" newspaper, and software for immediate gratification was a hard act to follow, even for the not yet privatised France Telecom, with their new internet package,Wanadoo.
This is not a spelling mistake! Wanadoo is the internet for France. Its unique selling proposition is that the calls are at the local call rate from anywhere in France. The usual inducements to connect are offered but for those far from Paris, it may be the only economic way to join the net in France.
Signpost boasts 45Mb files (A3 reproduction size) for immediate use - and from my discussions picture buyers who have flirted with clip-art on CD-ROM, been seduced by picture agency catalogues on CD-ROM, might now be ready for a marriage with Signpost.
The picture agency PIX was seriously looking for new photographers, and, as the only traditional picture agency represented, a queue of interested photographers could be seen at most times on their stand. One of the obvious difficulties for the representative of PIX was to explain what in fact stock photography was and the long term nature of such investments for photographers. An information leaflet followed by appropriate seminars could be the way for an agency to be more effective in such situations. There are no schools for stock photography and full time successful stock photographers, for reasons of the massive investments that are involved, are few in number.
I was most impressed with the Sony portable disk drive and the 140 megabyte disk on the Konica stand, and I am wondering if this could become the new standard drive for imaging. It is important not to confuse on line imaging and the high cost of on-line transmission, with off line digital imaging storage and delivery.
In some ways, the simple colour transparency has increasing merits. It is the humble transparency that provides the basis for most digital imaging, and that is a fact least of all forgotten by one of the very impressive stands at J.I.P., Hi Scan from Eurocore. This is a high quality drum scanner at price that brings it within reach of those who previously could not have considered such equipment.
The opportunity to see the latest imaging technology as well as the more traditional equipment and services were just a few of the reasons to visit J.I.P. It is important to consider that most of the festivities are free. A coach laid on for delagates to see the Sistine Chapelle at the Cathedral of Images at nearby Les Baux was a touch of hospitality given generously. In spite of the notion that not everybody appreciates photographs of the work of Michaelangelo set to music and projected on the walls of a disused stone quarry, it is an experience that makes a visit to the J.I.P. exciting.
Contacts made in these most agreeable circumstances have a value that other conferences could learn from. However hard they try, it would be impossible to transpose the evenings in the Place de Forum, where every table in the square is involved in the discussion of photography.
My last comment is reserved for the ethos of this years J.I.P. - the new generation. If we fail to encourage and educate newcomers to the profession, there may not be much of a profession in the future. If anything, the new technology has not in itself made changes that have elimated traditional photographic methods. It has highlighted the need for continual evaluation and appreciation of all aspects of the profession.
Two young photographers from Paris, Romain Guedj and Phillipe de Salabert, took to the streets of Arles with their photographs mounted on dishcloths which were hung on a line between two shopping trollies - "An exhibition on a clothes line". The colour prints were for sale at about £ 30.00 each. These clandestine exhibitions, picture sales, local costumes, excellent food, and live music would make it difficult for me to accept the possible change of town for next year's J.I.P.
Alex Bartel
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