American Photo Marketing announces Mark Hommerding as new president News 

American Photo Marketing announces Mark Hommerding as new president

GaryPageau ,
Mark Hommerding, a longtime industry expert formerly with Lifetouch, has been named the president of American Photo Marketing (APM), Ypsilanti, MI. Hommerding will work closely with APM founder and business partner Skip Cerier to grow each of APM’s business units. Cerier will step away from the daily management of the operation and assume the position of CFO. Founded in 1978... Read More
Samsung debuts 108-MP sensor New Products 

Samsung debuts 108-MP sensor

GaryPageau
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. introduced its latest 108-megapixel mobile image sensor, Samsung ISOCELL HM3. With a wide spectrum of advanced sensor technologies, the HM3 can capture sharper and more vivid images in ultra-high resolution with faster auto-focus and extended dynamic range. “While a pixel is just a single dot of color, when in millions, these dots can be transformed into stunning... Read More
Smartphone photo book company Once Upon gets 10 million EUR investment from Verdane, Spintop News 

Smartphone photo book company Once Upon gets 10 million EUR investment from Verdane, Spintop

GaryPageau ,
Verdane, the Northern European specialist growth investor, has announced its investment in Once Upon Publishing AB, the Skellefteå, Sweden-based smartphone photobook app company. Once Upon operates across Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The company says it “will draw on Verdane’s digital consumer investment experience to support its international expansion and product development.” Once Upon reached a turnover of SEK75... Read More
Zenfolio’s BookMe experiencing rapid growth News Updates 

Zenfolio’s BookMe experiencing rapid growth

GaryPageau , ,
BookMe, the contactless booking and calendaring solution created by Zenfolio, has brought in nearly $1,000,000 in revenue for photographers since in launching in May, 2020, despite the pandemic. The company says photographers who have adopted this innovation have managed to triple their bookings and revenues at the height of the pandemic. According to data shared by Zenfolio, BookMe users show photographers... Read More
Fujifilm discontinues PRO 400H film due to lack of raw materials News Opinion 

Fujifilm discontinues PRO 400H film due to lack of raw materials

GaryPageau ,
Fujifilm North America announced the discontinuation of FUJIFILM PRO 400H film in both 35mm and 120 formats. The company said the film is a unique product that is coated with a fourth layer requiring specialized raw materials and chemicals. As the materials for that color layer become more difficult to obtain, the company decided to discontinue the product. Fujifilm anticipates allocating ... Read More
NRF says 2020 holiday sales grew 8.3 percent despite pandemic News 

NRF says 2020 holiday sales grew 8.3 percent despite pandemic

GaryPageau
Retail sales during 2020’s November-December holiday season grew an unexpectedly high 8.3 percent over the same period in 2019 to $789.4 billion, exceeding the National Retail Federation’s holiday forecast despite the economic challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, NRF said today. The numbers include online and other non-stores sales, which were up 23.9 percent at $209 billion. “Despite unprecedented challenges, consumers... Read More
Costco to close in-store photo labs by Valentine’s Day News 

Costco to close in-store photo labs by Valentine’s Day

GaryPageau , , ,
Costco Inc. has advised customers it is closing its 800 in-store photo labs, bringing to a close a long-standing brick-and-mortar retail player. The retailer will still continue to operate its Costco Photo Center website. Some services like ink refills, passport photos, photo restoration and YesVideo transfer services will be discontinued entirely. In an email to customers, Costco said: “Since the... Read More
Dead Pixels Society podcast: ImageQuix and Capturelife combine; what does it mean for school and event photography? Acquisitions News Podcasts 

Dead Pixels Society podcast: ImageQuix and Capturelife combine; what does it mean for school and event photography?

GaryPageau , ,
Gary Pageau of the Dead Pixels Society talks with Rich Scanlon, CEO of ImageQuix, and Scott DeFusco, founder and CEO of Capturelife, about the breaking news that ASG, the parent company of ImageQuix and Photolynx, has acquired Capturelife. We’ll talk about what the combination means to customers for both companies, where future growth opportunities are, and the changing volume photography landscape. Read More
Alpine Software Group acquires Capturelife Acquisitions News 

Alpine Software Group acquires Capturelife

GaryPageau , , ,
Alpine Software Group (ASG), the owner of volume-photography stalwarts ImageQuix and PhotoLynx, added a third volume-photography company to its portfolio with the acquisition of Capturelife. Terms weren’t disclosed. Scott DeFusco, co-founder of the company is staying on with other key staff. Jeff Eckerle, the other co-founder, will be leaving at a later date to pursue another opportunity. This is the... Read More
Industry Notes for the week of Jan. 10 News People on the Move Updates 

Industry Notes for the week of Jan. 10

GaryPageau
Framen acquired by Axel Springer Visual 1st reports German digital frame startup Framen has been acquired by multimedia giant Axel Springer. Hans Hartman shares how the company, led by CEO Dimitri Gärtner, pivoted from a digital frames/photo viewing business to an online advertising platform. Former Ritz Camera headquarters building sells for $15.685 million Commercial real-estate firm Edge Tuesday announced it brokered the sale of 12200... Read More
Printful announces free online conference for Jan. 21 Events 

Printful announces free online conference for Jan. 21

GaryPageau
On-demand printing and warehousing company Printful is hosting its third Printful Threads online conference Jan. 21., 6–8 p.m. (PST). The theme of the conference is “How to Start Your Print-On-Demand Business.” The event is open to new eCommerce store owners as well as those with experience who want to brush up on​ the basics. Attendees will hear from successful business... Read More
Nikon discontinues international warranty for lenses, accessories News 

Nikon discontinues international warranty for lenses, accessories

GaryPageau
Nikon Inc. announced it will no longer offer an international warranty for its interchangeable lenses, including both F-mount and Z-mount lenses, and accessories, including mount adapters, speedlights, and other Nikon accessories. Here is the text of Nikon’s statement: Notice regarding transition from international warranties for interchangeable lenses and accessories Thank you for choosing Nikon for your photographic needs. Nikon will... Read More