There is a milestone in growing up where we develop leadership skills and understand the conception of giving back to the tribe. Fujifilm’s global approach as a corporate group, is to contribute to society via education and advanced technologies. They developed and opened their first Fujifilm House of Photography in the southern hemisphere in Sydney’s CBD – a home for photography enthusiasts of all levels where they could come together, share ideas and their passion for imaging.
Now FUJIFILM Australia have taken things up a notch and launched the first free photography workshop in a series of free and chargeable workshops and masterclasses at the Fujifilm House of Photography.
Ryuichi Matoba, CEO of FUJIFILM Australia, explained, “We decided to open the first Fujifilm House of Photography in the southern hemisphere in Sydney following the success of the northern hemisphere’s Fujifilm House of Photography in London. The Fujifilm House of Photography in Sydney showcases a wide range of products and services, from photo taking to photo making. It also pays homage to our heritage and the history of photography itself. Every single masterclass and workshop is custom-tailored to helping the Australian public. The first free workshop, Discover Fujifilm, helped photographers of all levels learn more about the technology and features that makes Fujifilm X Series, GFX System and FUJINON lenses unique. It also taught techniques on how Fujifilm gear can help develop your photographic and videographic style. There is also a wider goal in play as the masterclasses and workshops help to educate, invigorate and nurture Australia’s well documented passion for photography.”
As Matoba explained, Discover Fujifilm, presented by Experience Centre Specialist, Stephen Pierce, helped educate attendees as to the scope of the Fujifilm ecosystem, the capability of their cameras’ X-Trans sensor and the overall benefits of Fujifilm solutions, including image and lens quality, portability, suitability and film simulations.
Pierce added, “The content of the workshop centred around delivering value and benefits, including technical information, to the attendees and end users. We also covered objection handling and the best way to use the Fujifilm House of Photography as a one stop shop for your photography journey.”
Pierce presented the content, the workshop and held a Q&A session after the presentation for attendees, who included everyone from the most amateur of photographers through to enthusiasts and professionals.
Pierce continued, “It was a very interactive workshop with many questions asked around Fujifilm, our multiple X-H Series vs X-T product lines, hybrid and purely photographic solutions. A particularly popular topic centred around why we are creating many products with the same sensor size. To this I explained how each of the tiers of cameras provide a range of capabilities and portability. Our sensor range is two-tiered, X and GFX, with sensor size selected based on the best performance for the task, size and budget. As further added value, we also explained and covered film simulations, something that many of the attendees had heard about but not experienced. To do this, we harnessed the different solutions we had for our camera line up and helped educate the class about the higher specification cameras that are required and why.”
According to Pierce, the feedback at and from the workshop was extremely positive.
He added, “All of the attendees were very engaged with our content, and many were interested in attending the next free workshop on High Speed photography and the Fujifilm X-H2S high speed camera offering, including the latest firmware update V3.00.”
FUJIFILM Australia’s new masterclasses and workshops provide unique Fujifilm-only events and experiences to end-users in Australia. They also add value to those who have purchased or are considering purchasing Fujifilm cameras and FUJINON lenses. Future masterclasses and workshops will feature collaborations with well-known Fujifilm X-Photographers and third-party partners who manufacture all manner of photographic accessories.
Matoba continued, “The masterclasses and workshops are about FUJIFILM Australia giving back to the community and adding value for consumers. They provide existing Fujifilm users a home where they can learn more about their cameras and how to enhance their kit. For those new to Fujifilm cameras and lenses it’s a chance to explore and learn about our full range. Then, for those who are new to photography altogether, we will provide a rich environment where they can come and learn about cameras from the ground up and begin their photography journey in the most exciting way possible.”
The photographic market in Australia is evolving fast and over the past three years, Fujifilm has grown their Electronic Imaging business with the continued success of their Fujifilm X Series and GFX System. They have also broadened the appeal of the Fujifilm brand in the Australian market as a result.
Matoba continued, “The first Discover Fujifilm workshop provided dedicated Fujifilm content enabling customers to maximise the performance of their camera, tailor their methods to extract the best results and explore how to expand their photography skills by capitalising on the latest technology. Then, the upcoming masterclasses and workshops will cover a wide range of topics including different types of photography, high speed shooting, technical approaches and photographic experiences. They will also provide a learning opportunity no matter what your photographic area of interest or level of technical understanding. In short, the aim of the masterclasses and workshops is to provide attendees with a learning experience, led by professional photography educators and photographers that provides simple to apply insights and techniques for maximising the results of your camera.”
FUJIFILM Australia chose central Sydney CBD for the Fujifilm House of Photography as they wanted a standout location with high traffic which would attract lots of visitors. The location would have to also be able to showcase products, services and solutions and also host the new masterclasses and workshops, so they also included a designated studio which has been professionally set up with lights, product display stands and tripods.
In truth, the Fujifilm House of Photography is actually more of a ‘home’ than a house, where dedicated experts (or “X-Perts” as FUJIFILM Australia calls them) provide advice to photography enthusiasts of all levels on how to best express oneself through photography. There are also several interactive play tables with the very latest photographic technology and lenses for real hands-on experiences too.
FUJIFILM Australia’s GM of their Electronic Imaging & Optical Devices Division, Shaun Mah, added, “Photography is a much-loved hobby which encourages creativity and self-expression. With the new masterclasses and workshops in the Fujifilm House of Photography we are demonstrating how photography is a real alternative and much healthier option to playing video games or sitting down and being glued to your smartphone. We also hope to help upskill photographers and create a wider sense of community.”
The Fujifilm House of Photography and its masterclasses and workshops have been greatly received by photographers of all ages, from all walks of life and have already generated robust conversations about the future of photography across the country.
Ryuichi Matoba concluded, “The Fujifilm House of Photography in Sydney is the first Fujifilm House of Photography in the southern hemisphere. We now also have these unique, masterclasses and workshops and a wide range of products and creative solutions available for photographers of all levels to touch, try, explore and learn with. We also offer sit down, one-on-one personalised consultations and have a printing and personalisation station where visitors can create a multitude of products from their favourite images. As a result, we believe the Fujifilm House of Photography and our masterclasses and workshops help deepen Australians’ love of photography and will help introduce photography as a new, healthy hobby for younger generations as well.”
