Unlocking Your Digital Potential

At 21-years-old, Photolabs has the key to the door.

From left to right: Joe Mac Donagh - Production Director LSL Photolabs / Brian O'Kane - Technical Service Manager Fuji Photo film Ireland / Michael Elliott - Managing Director LSL Photolabs / Declan O'Callaghan - Manager Professional Products Fuji Photo Film Ireland Jim Cranley - Technical Director LSL Photolabs

Irish eyes are smiling at Photolabs in Dublin. The professional lab is celebrating its 21st birthday this year and has never been more successful. As Managing Director Michael Elliott explains, Photolabs is at the forefront of digital imaging in Ireland.

"It's essential to move with the times if you want to keep ahead in the photographic industry," said Michael. "Our pro-active approach has recently led to the purchase of two more Fujifilm Frontier 355 digital minilabs; replacing the old optical machines. This, coupled with our existing Frontier and LED digital printer, allows us to offer a complete digital and traditional printing service to our customers, with print sizes up to 32"x20".

"While the popularity of digital photography is increasing, we've found that film is still strong, especially among wedding photographers. So, when we selected the new equipment, a key consideration was flexibility - and, since, the Frontiers can handle both film and digital media, they were top of the list."

Michael and his team spent 18 months in search of the perfect digital lab - they needed to find equipment that was geared towards the professional market, and offer a comprehensive technical support package.

"We decided on Fujifilm Frontiers because of the advanced technology and Fujifilm Professional software which means we can scan negatives and transparencies faster as well. The new Fujifilm Frontier 355 also utilises technology that automatically eliminates dust and scratches from the image before printing, which saves us time.

"The Frontier has allowed us to cut down on waste by 20%. A well-calibrated system and well-trained staff mean that there is now very little need to reprint work, because we get it right first time! When we used the optical equipment, we would often have to reprint so much that we ended up throwing away about 25% of the paper. And during the busy Communion and Confirmation season, that could prove expensive!"

As Michael explained, Ireland sees a rush of photographic activity surrounding key events in the calendar year. The first of these peak periods is in May and June when photographers are booked to record first Holy Communion and Confirmation services for children throughout the country. The wedding season peaks in September, when Photolabs receives hundreds of films and digital files to print for happy couples across Ireland. Identifying this rush has brought new opportunities for the lab: a dedicated website for professional photographers and Spicer Hallfield's wedding album software, Montage.

Spicer Hallfield's montage software saves on time and money for Photolab and their customers

"Digital photography is based on the proposition of time-saving," said Michael. "We are in the process of finalising our FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site which enables photographers to upload all their images into a named folder. Previously, photographers emailed us the images they needed printing, and the size of the files meant they could only attach one to six images per email! By using the website, they can save all their images together in their own folder at the same time as downloading them from their digital cameras.

"This saves time for our customers because, once we're given the instructions, we can access a folder-full of work at once, which cuts out the tedious email-ordering process for photographers.

"The new Montage software from Spicer Hallfield takes this process one step further. Photographers can drop images into electronic templates which encompass many different sizes per page. We then print the album, page-by-page, which saves the photographer time compiling the album from prints."

Looking back over his years in the photographic industry, Michael has identified a very different approach emerging among newcomers to photography.

"Young photographers and printers have a remarkable technical grasp of the industry. They graduate from colleges armed with an invaluable knowledge of all things digital, and also an awareness of how to market themselves. People are now choosing photography as a career for life, rather than falling into it by accident or simply following in their families' footsteps. This is already impacting on the quality of images we see in today's newspapers, magazines and galleries and serves to raise the profile of the entire photographic industry."

Contact Michael Elliott at Photolabs on 00 353 1478 1078.