Fact: There isn’t a single career-long photographer that has successfully made a living yet off of social media. Those who started in it have more or less faded away. We don’t hear all that much about Peter Hurley, Jasmine Star, Lisa Bettany, or Chase Jarvis anymore — do we? Most of these people haven’t had major print sales that you’d see in exhibits, galleries, or even museums. Their work isn’t studied in scholarly settings, and this could perhaps be more of an issue having to do with the education system. But photography, in its intellectual side, is something you’re supposed to ponder. It’s not about double-tapping and moving on. If there were any company that could secure this, it’s Fujifilm.
The Print
If we look at camera brands, the only ones that really also emphasize the idea of printing are Canon and Fujifilm. Canon makes their own printers, and we use them. They also pretty much give them away every holiday season to photographers who don’t understand how to use them. But their cameras can integrate with and connect to their printers to spit out images directly if they so wish. It’s a fantastic feature for wedding photographers and event photographers.
On the other side is Fujifilm — which arguably might be considered the largest camera manufacturer in the world if you also include the Instax division. The X series and GF series of cameras have embedded into the menus integrations to print photos to Instax cameras. However, they don’t work. Why? We’ve been wondering the same thing for several years. After some time, Fujifilm’s digital division stopped working cohesively with Instax. It’s a shame, as there are people interested in doing this.
“…the print has to do with self-worth — not the worth you can make for another company hiring you.”
To hit this statement home to you, you can’t print directly from the Fujifilm camera to newer Fujifilm Instax printers anymore. However, the feature is still within the camera.
Why not?
How can one division of the company value the print so much while the other division makes videos about apologizing to photographers for forgetting about them? Perhaps the truth is that the Imaging division might be the near equivalent to a hobby project for Fujifilm as most of the company’s money comes from other things instead.
Don’t Tell Me They Don’t Exist
The photographers who want to print exist. Lots of photographers still aspire to get their work in galleries and exhibits. But there are so many odd things happening with it. People don’t know how to price themselves, for example. Photographers don’t know anything about the in-person experience as that’s only now becoming an important part of it again.
So why is print still important in a world where many photographers and brands value social media instead? Well, the print has to do with self-worth — not the worth you can make for another company hiring you. Buying a print from Annie Leibovitz is far different from buying a magazine where she shot the cover photo. Even buying a book of hers is different from interacting with a paid collaboration she might do on social media. One act is much more about buying into a brand, while the other is about buying into a photographer. These days, photographers are much more about enriching a social media platform that ultimately doesn’t fully benefit them.
Instax’s integration with cameras continues that proliferation of the idea of holding a photo and not just swiping on it.
And today, the print is the ultimate slap in the face to that idea.