 The Specialty Industry Conference held over three days in Manly, offered a wide range of topics, speakers, panels where members were engaged in discussions, receiving information that they could immediately implement in their own business and hearing from suppliers who shared their vision.
Friday's trade show with around 30 suppliers/exhibitors showing their wares was an opportunity for one-on-one demonstrations; as well as plenty of networking and camaraderie at the various events and meetings, coupled with some drinks and excellent food. Saturday saw the small but quality PSPA group listening to two diverse speakers; Ed Monahan, Kodak Alaris talking about School Photography opportunities in an increasingly digital word of consumer behaviour, followed by Sue Gresswell on the New Working with Children Check - the rules and costs involved for anyone working with children. A trip to Sun Studios provided a welcome view into a successful business, a fun ride in a shuttle bus and a delicious lunch.
Sunday's full conference program delivered intelligent and thought provoking sessions aimed at a primarily retailer audience to help them do what they need to do for growth, in a changing world. The upshot was that there is still opportunity to make money; there was an openness about the whole event in terms of speakers, panels and the audience willing to share their techniques, their ideas, their strategies for success.
Overall, this was a successful event which gave value to members in terms of education. Now comes the hard part: keeping motivated to put into action the ideas and suggestions that were delivered.
Special thanks to our National Chairperson Paul Atkins who was tireless in his formal responsibilities as well as showing he is a master in "holding the audience" during the various panel sessions.We will seeking feedback from the the major participants in Camera House, PSPA, APCI and the various buying groups to agree on next year's format.
The general consensus amongst conference attendees was that the first Industry Conference was "very worthwhile".
Cheers,
Director of Australian Activities
PMA - The Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations
PO Box 932 Baulkham Hills NSW 1755
Tel: 61 2 9686 3188 | Fax: 61 2 9686 3166
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Connecting With Members At The Conference
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Connecting with members, are you kidding! I was like a kid in a lolly shop! I had a glow of happiness on my face over the whole 3 days of the Specialty Industry Conference; sure it was really exhausting but to see members was like greeting family. There was such a genuine energy of like-minded people getting together, networking and connecting in a welcoming environment.
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Matt Makinson, John Atkins, Doug Raisin, Mark Smith, Tony Wouters,
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It really did warm the soul to catch up with Sandra Ryan, escaping on her own for 5 days (a kindred spirit); Paul Dawson, subdued but looking slim and healthy; Alan Logue, without Catherine, still in a little bit of shock from computer issues at work but a great sense of humour and full of passion; Marwan Sarayeldin from Kennedy's - a commanding presence; Keith Shipton, checking everything out and looking for a story to share; the Atkins boys, fun, personable and both a real delight; Matt Makinson, honest and caring; Stephen Perris, making me laugh; Phil Gresham, being Phil, a little crazy, has been there and done that, and, wow, did he deliver a brilliant workshop; Penny and David Valentine; the amazing John and Deb Ralph, looking great and involved; the team from Permajet (Matt Harper is a true gentleman), meeting Michaela Lawrence from Fujilm; eavesdropping on a Frank Bite conversation about AFL (I just happened to have my Sydney Swans Bag handy)!
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Members enjoying the APCI Dinner
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Catching up with my predecessor, Kathy Warlum, who is as gorgeous and kind as ever; Paul and Margaret Boniface - looking relaxed and unstressed, down from Hallidays Point for the weekend. Michael Warshall, again funny, warm and very knowledgeable; Mark Alderson; a leading light and visionary, a very caring and respectful leader; seeing Jill Boswell from Snapshot in New Zealand; and meeting some other proud New Zealanders from IPS who were going back home after an IPS conference; seeing Bruno, David, Darren and Stuart also; a quick hello to Kenny and Jane Tran, finding out Adrian Hurst's wedding is in January; getting some audio help from David Green, MyMyk and Scott Mellish of Panasonic, busy, but still smiling who stepped up to the plate to lend us a Lumix G to record some sessions over the conference; David Parmenter, a PMA member for over 25 years; Julie Hart (an apt name) responsible for getting everything to work, delighted with a visit from her granddaughter Ivy.
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Paul Atkins, Alex Christianian
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Meeting Ben Gay the new CEO of MSP Photography, and David Burlew, again new to Adeal; a quick hello from the fantastic Mr Bill McCurry who was wondering who the heck I was!! Catching up with the charismatic and brilliant John Swainston; Tony Kay from Noosa; John and Matt Paxton, Sina Clayton who must have been proud of retailer panel member, Marcus Lim; Libby Jeffrey from Momento engaged in every session on Sunday; Tim Jones from Perfect Prints, making a huge effort to attend on Sunday when he had many reasons not! Finally meeting the Frank family from Perth, with Ron celebrating his 70th Birthday; and Chris and Wayne Baker, our only PPFA members present who came to LEARN, still attending after Chris' recent knee surgery. Mark Smith from Bond Imaging; Nick Gunther, event photographer, Paul Maietta, all the way from Perth, three genuine and really nice guys! Saying Hi to Nadish Naoroji who always makes my job easier!  | |
Paul Maietta, Nadish Naoroji
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Sharing the shuttle from Sun Studios with Mike and Jacqui Piggott from Cairns, checking out photos of their family; Tony Wouters and Wayne Padley both PSPA members who are a huge support; Garrick Dostine, another school photographer, frustrated with Government policies and the New Working with Children Check.
So many people, who are just people, really nice people - this isn't a job, this is a joy! Yes, a very warm and satisfied feeling of success - we delivered a mix of sessions and speakers who did excellent jobs in generously giving away information. There was lots of engagement between members, suppliers, wholesalers, labs and other retailers - all sharing ideas to help the industry as a whole.  See you in 2015! Keep healthy and productive!
Barbara Bryan Member Connections & Event Planning
Telephone: 02 9686 3188 Email: bbryan@pmai.org |
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Specialty Industry Conference - Session Videos Available
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We managed to get some video and audio of sessions at the conference. They are not Steven Spielberg productions but will give you the message being relayed by the presenter.
Thanks to Panasonic for the loan of the Lumix G for the event.
 To be fair, if you were at the conference the videos are free; if you were unable to attend we are placing a small charge of $15 per session to help with the administration expenses. If you want a copy of everything (13 sessions), the price will be $95. Just email Barbara Bryan or call 02 9686 3188 if you want a copy of a session and we will get it to you. For a list of sessions please see attached.
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Photo Expos - Get Involved In 2015
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 There was a lot of interest from members present at the weekend's conference in regards to the Educational Photo Expos and we already have a number of expressions of interest from those present on the weekend as well as those who exhibited in August and September.
The success in 2014 in both Brisbane and Melbourne indicates clearly that consumer education is the key to success! We are planning to run four expos in 2015 in City or Regional areas where retailer support is the most prevalent.
Click here to see how you can get involved or ring Barbara Bryan for details.
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Another Challenge For Australian Bricks & Mortar Stores
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Australia Post has launched ShopMate, opening the door to US online stores for local shoppers ahead of the busy Christmas trading period.
ShopMate is a delivery service for Australian online shoppers, enabling them to buy from US retailers who do not ship to Australia. What next for our cash strapped retailers? |
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US Operator Patents Event Photography - Update
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 Covered by ProCounter in August this year a US operator had patented event photography. The crux of the story is that Photocrazy patented a system of retrieving photos of sports events. The patent was too ludicrous for words. In plain speak here it is "Take photos of a race, tag and sort by bib number and date, and search for photos based on that tag via the Internet." That is what the Patents Office in the US allowed Photocrazy to patent. It in no way promotes the progress of the sciences and the useful arts or enriches human life and is just a patent on numerical sorting and searching.
Any photographer using the same idea on their website was threatened with legal action unless they paid up. Litigation being so expensive in the US paying up was an easier road to take than a long drawn out court battle. Photocrazy was making a living out of threatening legal action. That is until Capstone Photography, a small photography business based in Connecticut, dug their heels in and said NO!
At first Capstone tried crowd funding to find the money to support their campaign against Photocrazy but when that did not work decided to go it alone even though it might have meant the end of their business.
On the 29th October 2014 the US Court granted Capstone's Motion for Judgment on the pleadings, finding that all claims were invalid for claiming unpatentable subject matter. One up for the good guys!
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Interested In Some Space Junk?
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 If you are interested in owning a piece of history then you may be interested in the auction of a Hasselblad camera supposedly the first one in space. The Hasselblad 500c camera was bought from a Houston shop, back when it was cool to purchase gear for space missions at local retailers. Astronaut Wally Schirra picked it up and helped to modify it for the mission. The camera was fitted with a 100-exposure film container and a side-mounted device for aiming the camera. The metal facing was painted black to reduce reflections. It also has t he first Zeiss lens in Space, flown by both Wally Schirra on Mercury-Atlas 8 and Gordon Cooper on Mercury-Atlas 9. Auction details here. |
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Get Onboard The Shop Small Campaign
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Shop Small 2014 is aiming to make November the biggest shopping month for small businesses following its official launch on Friday. Founded by American Express to assist small businesses across Australia, the one month campaign began on November 1.
The launch comes as new report, Australian Attitudes to Small Business, which was commissioned by American Express, found that while 99 per cent of Australians recognise that small businesses are important, only half shop there, more than once a week, causing 70 per cent of small business owners to feel forgotten.
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 DxO Labs say the new ClearView feature in its DxO OpticsPro 10 imaging software eliminates atmospheric haze "in a spectacular fashion."
The automatic ClearView "eliminates the phenomenon of atmospheric haze visible in many landscape photos," the company says, "as well as the smog often present in urban images." It analyses the colour components of each pixel and locally improves the image contrast, DxO adds. "Due to its physical nature, the phenomenon of haze increases with the distance between the camera and the subject. That's why DxO OpticsPro establishes a kind of depth map of the image scene, and removes the impression of grey veil only when necessary." Read the full story here.
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 Over the last few years, Showrooming has received a bad rap. This is the practice where a smartphone enabled shopper goes into a physical store to touch and feel the merchandise, gets expert advice, then compares prices on their device, and purchases online elsewhere.
The classic example is of a customer visiting a camera store, checking out the latest DSLR asking the sales person for their opinion and then buying it on Amazon. Now some retailers are hitting back with a new concept. If Showrooming is effecting your business then you may want to read this story here. |
 Can you imagine wanting to be a photographer but you are blind? Never really knowing what the photo looks like or how it is composed? Well, Touchable Memories is a project by Pirate 3D which creates 3D versions of photographs, allowing the blind to re-experience memories of photos they may have taken before they lost their sight.
Just as Braille unlocked the written word, 3D printing is now being used to unlock imagery for those unable to see. In this moving video clip, one lady describes memories for her as a blind person as being 'almost like dreams', or 'like a gust of wind'. Touching a 3D version of a photograph brings back long forgotten memories. This may be an opportunity for our retailers as an add on service. See the video here. |
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Can Old Fashioned Newspaper Advertising Still Work?
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 Sometimes newspaper ads work! Sounds almost heretical in this social media day and age. But MMIE Editor Emeritus Chris Lydle just proved newspaper advertising works. In this weeks MMIE we show that well constructed newspaper advertising can still be effective in this day of electronic media. Click here for the full story and samples of the ads. |
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Online Tax Threshhold Stays Unchanged
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 The Federal Government will not reduce or abolish the threshold for the goods and services tax (GST) on online transactions after a meeting of small business ministers this month. A meeting of state and territory ministers for small business earlier in October has agreed that the threshold for GST on online transactions should not be reduced or abolished, remaining at the previous level of $1000.
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 On a recent DIMAcast Brian Mundy interviews Mark Coleman VP of Paul's Photo and creative director of the Creative Photo Academy CPA.
Mark Comon shares with us a little bit about his trip to Cuba and the upcoming photo adventure to Cuba as well. Also some information about the upcoming new show "The Photo Guys". To listen to the DimaCast
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 All general retail shops in the Perth metropolitan area will be allowed to open as early as 7am on weekdays and Saturdays during the Christmas period. The extended trading hours, which begin on December 5, include an earlier 8am opening on Sundays and later 6pm closing on Saturdays and Sundays. Shopping hours for Boxing Day, New Year's Day, and Australia Day have also be extended from 8am to 6pm, but general retail shops will remain closed on Christmas Day. |
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Get The Power When You Need It
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 Camera accessory maker Atomos has just announced Power Station, its new piece of equipment that turns your extra batteries into a power pack that's capable of powering up to three devices while out in the field. It sits between your camera and your tripodand can be used to power LED lights, external monitors, recorders even your DSLR itself. It has two DC power outputs and two USB ports.
Utilising two interchangeable Lithium batteries as its power source. Independent 5-step battery level LEDs let you know how much charge you have left before needing to swap out your batteries. When you do need to change the batteries, the device allows you to hot swap any individual battery without temporarily cutting off power to the connected devices. More info. |
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First Year As Owners Of Lens & Shutter
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 What happens when a former business owner emigrates across the Atlantic and wants to open a business? What if they find a forty year old camera store that has recently filed bankruptcy? This is the story of Ron and Julia King, and you can listen in as they tell Bill McCurry about their first year as owners of Lens & Shutter, headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Learn why they now love to come to work and feel they are contributing to their community, with more left to give. Listen in and/or read the transcript in this week's PMA Podcast |
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Pro Photographer Takes Photos Using Paper Camera!
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Alex Ogle
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Given the task of taking pictures with a paper camera AFP Photo Journalist Alex Ogle, based in Hong Kong, was wary to start but the end results proves it is the subject matter that really counts when taking photos.
In the Cheap Camera Challenge, Alex Ogle's camera of choice for his work is a Nikon D810 with a Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G - but what happens when he has to take some photos using a cheap camera? To see the video.
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2014 Specialty Photo Industry Conference In Pictures
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PLEASE CIRCULATE TO OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR BUSINESS
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| Consumer confidence has stayed steady at relatively high levels, offering a good sign for retailers going into the Christmas period.
The ANZ/Roy Morgan consumer confidence index was unchanged last week, following a 2.7 per cent jump the previous week which brought the four week average to its highest level since just before the Federal Budget.
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The National Retail Association (NRA) will today lodge a bid with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission to reduce trading hours zones across south east Queensland.
The NRA will bid to unify 10 separate trading hours time zones between Noosa and Coolangatta and west to Ipswich. Trevor Evans, CEO of NRA, said the application would seek to create a single south east Queensland zone for trading hours, where stores would be able to open between 7am and 9pm on weekdays and Saturdays. |
Nestle, is planning to use 1000 humanoid robots as sales clerks to help sell its coffee makers at electronics stores across Japan
The first batch of the chatty humanoid called Pepper will report to work by the end of the year at outlets that sell coffee capsules and home espresso machines. The emotional robot understands 70 to 80 per cent of spontaneous conversations. Can you see this happening in Australia? |
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If you run a ecommerce website you may be plagued by those dreaded two words..."Cart Abandonment". That is the bain of most website administrators and could be anywhere up to 70% of drop-outs.
Most online retailers experience a high rate of cart abandonment and are searching for effective strategies to bring those shoppers back without annoying them.
Here is a Bronto Whitepaper that:-
- Explains why consumers are abandoning more frequently and how this could be an opportunity for marketers
- Analyses what the consumers want to happen when they abandon a cart and what will annoy them
- Examines key components of the shopping cart and email strategies
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PayPal has launched Working Capital, a new loan product designed to help Aussie small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) grow by giving them access to funds via their PayPal accounts.
PayPal Working Capital will be introduced to a limited number of PayPal merchant partners between now and the end of the year, followed by a broader rollout in 2015. PayPal merchants who have had an account for at least 12 months can log onto PayPal and determine if they are eligible for a loan. For more information Working Capital |
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Google fined for showing woman's cleavage on StreetView! Being in public view does not mean that it is public. That was the view of a Quebec court. Google's roving camera caught the woman sitting on the steps of her home in Montreal. She wasn't naked, nor even remotely unclothed. The judge held, however, that despite the fact that she was seated in public, her privacy had been disrespected by Google and that her "modesty and dignity" had been violated by having a picture taken of her.
Here is an interesting guide on where photos can be taken in Australia and what constitutes an offence.
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PMA Victoria are having a Christmas Party. If you want to join in this festive occasion, meet some old friends and make new ones click your invitation above then just email Nicki Rogers at Camera Clinic to RSVP
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PMA Tasmania
Christmas Function 2014
"Old Friends @ the New Sydney"
"New Sydney Hotel"
Bathurst Street Hobart
When: 2nd December
Time: After work - until late
Where: Meet in main bar
Light Refreshments @ 7pm
upstairs in "Chapel Room"
Pay as you go drinks
Cost: $15 members and staff, $20 guests & friends
Bookings essential for catering. RSVP John Mullavey by 24th Nov please
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| 7 tips for clicks - FREE webinar for all retailers across Australia!
Getting smart about retail digital marketing. With 2015 planning on the horizon, now is the time to step back and re-examine your digital marketing strategy. What's working? What's not? And if you're just getting started, where do you begin? 6 November, 2pm - 3pm FREE! Register here
Managing Your Retail workforce - critical employee relations and work safety briefing
If you manage a retail workforce and feel like 2014 has been a big year, well you better get ready for something bigger in 2015. This ARA member briefing will highlight key developments and legal issues which every manager of retail workers should know.
Melbourne 25 Nov 3:30pm - 4:30pm Small Business Information Centre, 113 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Sydney 26 Nov 4pm - 5pm Moore Park Golf Club Moore Park, Sydney
Brisbane 24 Nov 10am - 11am
The Brisbane briefing will be held as an exclusive webinar to QLD retailers. Please contact the ARA to receive the link to access the webinar. To register, please email
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Empower Yourself - ARA Victorian Tenancy Workshop
Following a successful pilot program in Victoria in 2013, Victorian retailers can now register their interest to attend in-depth workshops providing retailers with the knowledge and confidence to successfully negotiate retail leases. Attendees will learn more about the Retail Leases Act 2003 and their rights and responsibilities as well as the fundamentals on how to research and evaluate retail leases terms.
The Victorian Small Business Commissioner, Geoff Browne will be in attendance at each of these workshops and will explain in further detail how his Office can assist Victorian retailers.
Melbourne 25 Nov 10am - 2pm Maroondah City Council, 1 Civic Place, Ringwood $50 per person. Contact the events team on 1300 368 041 or email.
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50 Years Of Sofitel. A travelling photographic exhibition featuring the work of Australian Photographer Jon Rendell 8 Oct - 9 Nov Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach, 9 Dec - 30 Jan 2015 Sofitel Melbourne On Collins
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The 2015 Art & Frame Exhibition and Trade Show is to be held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney from 14-16 August, 2015 and will run in conjunction with the 2015 PPFA Conference. Block out your diary and we'll keep you informed! Art & Frame 2015 is a trade exhibition that will bring together the Art & Framing industry in an event that will encompass education seminars, a conference program and an industry trade fair. The trade fair will be an industry showcase attracting both local and international exhibitors, educators and visitors. EXPLORE the ideas, materials and technologies involved in the creation, presentation, framing and display of art and images. DISCOVER new approaches to design with a huge range of artworks, prints, framing, supplies and equipment on display and available to order at the event. PARTICIPATE in workshops, see demos and learn from industry experts. For more information about this Exhibition click here
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To register online for the any of the PMA Digital Imaging/Photography Conferences in January at 2015 CES click here
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CES at Las Vegas, USA
6-9 January 2015
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After you have been to PMA@CES in Las Vegas in January 2015 stay around for a while and visit the West Coast Art & Frame in Las Vegas...the largest trade show in the art and framing industry is showcasing new vendor products and services will also feature lectures and hands-on workshops for retailers led by leading experts.
This is a valuable networking and social event January 25-28, 2015 at The Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. More info
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The Photography Show 2015 brings together great brands such as Canon, Nikon and Hasselblad with exclusive show discounts from the UK's leading photographic equipment retailers.
Visitors will even be able to to exchange their old kit on site for something shiny and new - even more reason to bring your camera along! 21-24 March 2015 Birmingham England. More details
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