A self-proclaimed Long Island thrift shop connoisseur, I revel in everything and anything discounted. Just mention the “f” word, that is, mention that something is “free” and I am there, sporting my Vintage Jimmy Choo sandals which I found in a Hampton’s thrift for $120.00—yes, I’m THAT good. And like my Jimmy Choos, which will never go out of style, a new trend seems to be refashioning our own industry these days, which merges my love of finding a sale with my love of photography: free web-based versions of popular software applications like Photoshop.

Yesterday, Adobe released a beta version of Photoshop Express, a free web-based version of its image editing application. Users can now enjoy 2GB of storage space and editing tools like black-and-white conversion, cropping, blemish and red eye removal, along with special effects like Sketch, Distort, and Pop Color without having to tap into their own wallet. Instead, users just have to tap their mouse a couple of times and they’re storing, sorting, and sharing their digital images with an online community.

And if you’re a Gen-Yer like myself, then you can add a third love to this Adobe experience: Facebook… Photoshop Express links to other social networking applications like Facebook, allowing users to share their edited images on digital Guestbooks and Albums in a variety of social venues.

Adobe is not the only one offering free web-based applications, Google’s Picasa is another online editing tool which allows users to locate and organize digital images, create albums and rate pictures. Microsoft too is offering a free online extension of Office on their website, enabling users to save over 1000 documents and access them from virtually anywhere. In light of all this freedom from the sometimes binding influence of the dollar, which in recent months has been flailing, the Web has become an industry stalwart, an unavoidable resource for photographers and retailers alike, but one question still stands on the tip of my tongue somewhat leery of the answer I will receive: Is all this freedom healthy?

This morning, while reading the New York Times and sipping on the first of my four-cup coffee ritual, I stumbled on a line discussing the economic downturn that I felt had some resonance within our own industry: “It is difficult to protect individuals without protecting the markets, and the markets will remain fragile if individuals suffer huge declines in their personal wealth.” Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times. I’m all about maintaining my personal wealth, and I’ve always celebrated a sale, but given the instability of the markets today, is it a fitting time for companies to jump on the “free” bandwagon? From iTunes offering free singles to free image editing applications offered online, when does the cost of freedom become taxing—and are we at all afraid of creating an industry standard that places the individual over the market, which in turn hurts the individual in the end???

As a born-and-bred New Yorker, I love going to local festivals. I can’t wait to gorge on the sausage-and-pepper heroes and zeppoles at the annual San Gennaro festival, suck down a few lagers at the Brooklyn Brewery bash, or throw back some littlenecks at the yearly Oyster Festival here on Long Island.

Yes, I admit – most of the festivals I get excited about involve food, drink, or, ideally, both. But there’s a new fest about to debut in the tri-state area that’s got me rethinking my reliance on fattening fare to have a good time. The New York Photo Festival (www.newyorkphotofestival.com) is coming to the Dumbo section of Brooklyn May 14–18, and it’s being touted by festival organizers as the “first international photo festival in the United States.”

I’m not sure how accurate that statement is—there’s an internationally billed festival in San Antonio that’s been in full swing for a few years now (www.safotofestival.com), and there may be others that a quick Google search could turn up. But I really don’t care, because a) they’re probably not of this scope, and b) I don’t have plans to head off to Texas or anywhere else in the country anytime soon—this inaugural fest is right here on my home turf, and I’m excited to see what talent is exhibited from around the world.

The promo they’ve got circulating on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRPAq_-AN1M) is pretty cool, showcasing some of square footage where the artists’ work will be on display. And they’ve got some well-known names associated with the event, including the four main curators overlooking the photography pavilions: Magnum photographer Martin Parr, New York Times magazine picture editor Kathy Ryan, Lesley A. Martin of the Aperture Foundation, and Tiny Vices’ Tim Barber.
At any rate, with nearly 100,000 visitors anticipated, I guess I’d better get my tickets now. I’m not too worried about the crowds, though—if I can handle San Gennaro’s 1-million-plus attendees, I can elbow my way to the front to catch a glimpse of the Microsoft-sponsored New York Photo Awards at the festival.

For the specialty photo store or minilab owner, there’s always a reason to celebrate photography and promote it in your store or lab. Photography even has its own month-long holiday. May is National Photography Month. I know I’m a bit early, spring hasn’t even arrived yet, but by thinking about it this early, you’ll have no excuses for not planning special sales or programs around the holiday.
Any and every holiday—for that matter—could be the impetus for a special sale: Mother’s day, Father’s day, Grandparent’s day, Independence day, Arbor day, Thanksgiving, and on and on… These are the times that your customers will probably be taking more photographs than usual, so its only natural that you offer creative promotions to get them into your store to order prints and other photo gifts. And if you decorate your store for each of these holidays, it gives the perception of change, so you may find your customers spending more time browsing because they think there are new items on your shelves. Don’t forget to change the displays in your front window either. There’s nothing worse than faded displays of old products sitting in your front window to insure passersby will pass your store by and shop elsewhere.
Another great opportunity for you to create special promotions is on the anniversary of your store or lab’s opening. You can use that as a year-long reason for celebrations, sales, promotions, and more!

Best,
Diane Berkenfeld
Editor