Farewell, Focus On Imaging

This feels like a bit of a strange post for me to be writing – one which, if I’m honest, is just a little uncomfortable to be composing.

That said, I feel it needs to be written, even if many of you might wonder what all the fuss is about.

So…

It may have come to your attention that Focus On Imaging – Europe’s largest annual imaging show – has today announced that it will no longer be running any further events; 2013’s show back in March was, in fact, the last.

I won’t paraphrase the official Press announcement – you can check that out for yourself at the end of this post.

Here’s the thing…

There are several reasons why this news resonates so much with me, both on a professional and personal level. I’d like to start with the latter.

Way back when photography was simply a passionate hobby of mine, long before I even entertained the notion of earning my living from it, I was like a sponge – soaking up any form of photo reference or experience I could find.

For over ten years (mostly pre-internet!), I bought virtually every magazine going – whether it be weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, whatever. I pounced on any and every photography t.v. show that hit the airwaves. And so, when I heard about Focus On Imaging for the first time – well, it was a no-brainer. I was bound to go along!

From the very first time I attended, I was hooked and ended up going along as a punter every year thereafter. The expression kid in a sweet shop would be no exaggeration. I loved it.

Of course, as I got older, my priorities changed and I began to get a different experience out of each visit. All of a sudden, I was attending Focus with a more and more commercial head on my shoulders.

Fast forward to the past few years – and the creation of The Active Photographer (and, actually, the blog I ran before that). Now, I was able to negotiate with and influence key players in the industry. You only have to listen to the live recordings I made in recent years, to realise the sort of access I was being granted.

Here’s the thing, deep down: I’m actually quite sad at the thought that there will no longer be that yearly pilgrimage up-country, catching up with familiar faces and all the latest developments ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’, as it were.

So what of the future?

The final attendance figures for Focus On Imaging 2013 – the 24th expo in its history – showed 34,397 attendees. In an industry which has seen great change over the past few years in particular (let’s call it evolution, shall we?), I know that the event will be be sorely missed by many, many people.

For me, the decision to stop the show now leaves a gaping hole in the photo-expo calendar here in the UK. Ok, so there are other, smaller shows dotted throughout the year – but none on the scale of Focus. I would love to think that someone might develop a new show, something to really shake up the photo exhibition world and bring it bang up to date. A re-birth, if you like.

Will this happen by March 2014? Only time will tell; it’d be a huge undertaking. For the time being, you’ll have to consider making pilgrimages to either the US or Germany if you want to get a serious fix.

So there you have it – the end of an era, in all manner of ways.

On a personal note, I would like to once again thank Mary Walker and her team for all their hard work and dedication over the years. Seriously, you don’t know what a profound effect it has had on the lives of so many photographers – both professional and enthusiast, myself included.

To Mary herself, I will be forever grateful for the exclusive access that she granted me – and, by default, followers of The Active Photographer. Whether it be podcast interviews or the behind-the-scenes coverage of press advert photo shoots, I know that the content has always been extremely well received – and that has given me a great sense of pride and wellbeing.

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this announcement, as well as your experiences of the show over the years. So please do take a moment to leave a message in the comments – I know Mary would love to hear what you have to say, too.

 

Official Press announcement from Mary Walker Exhibitions: