BARCELONA, SPAIN.- The photographic industry is meeting up in Fira de Barcelona from the 1st to the 5th October. From the 1st to the 5th October, halls 1 and 8 of Fira de Barcelona’s Montjuïc exhibition centre will set the stage for the seventh Sonimagfoto. Some 300 brands linked to the photography sector will exhibit the newest products and services at 160 stands. A total of 30,000m2 gross exhibition space for professionals and hobbyists to discover the best from the imaging world.

The sectors which will be present at Sonimagfoto are: Consumer photography and video; professional photo and imaging; photo finishing; audio-visual industry and services; digital imaging; digital photography and services; ancillary photographic industry; laboratory machinery and services; services; teaching courses and professional training; technical publications and others.

This year Sonimagfoto will show the definitive consolidation of digital photography. This technology, which is becoming more and more affordable and has improved features, is widely used among professionals and the general public. In fact, according to the economic report compiled for the trade show, 305,900 digital cameras were sold in Spain last year, three times the number purchased the previous year and sales continue to go up. In addition to the latest digital cameras with more megapixels, more compact and lighter, visitors will be able to see image treatment, storage and transmission systems, as well as equipment for printing and producing domestic and laboratory copies. Traditional photography users will also find new products in analogical cameras; reflex; APS; and films, as well as accessories, albums, lenses, etc.

There will be international exhibitors participating in the exhibition from Italy, China, Germany and Taiwan.

Retail photography - One of the main aims of this Sonimagfoto is to dedicate greater attention and support is retail photography, a segment awaiting the digital transformation of the sector. According to the president of the Organising Committee, Enric Galve, this edition of the show will serve to clear up many doubts and to show the new tools able to generate business in photographic establishments.

At the exhibition organised by Fira de Barcelona, specialised establishments will be able to see the latest in digital cameras, equipment and consumables, as well as procedures for obtaining copies, the installation of digital kiosks and the opportunities offered by Internet. Nonetheless, Galve points out that “although the coexistence of digital and analogical photography is guaranteed to last in time, the trade must start to take advantage of the new options in the imaging world. Retailers have to be aware that they are a key element in educating clients on new technologies”.

In the light of this need for information, Sonimagfoto has organised a technical conference, in room 5 of the Palacio de Congresos, entitled “The hour of photo-digital trade. Retail photography on the crossroads of the digital society”, which, on the 2nd and 3rd October, will analyse the range of possibilities available to photographic establishments. The exhibition has made a big effort to promote the event by inviting laboratories and outlets from all over Spain to attend this conference and visit the show.

Adobe Digital classroom - In order to familiarise the general public with the enormous possibilities of digital photography and image treatment, Sonimagfoto is once again opening the Digital Classroom, sponsored by Adobe. The Centre de la Imatge i Tecnologia Multimèdia (CITM) dependent on the UPC will coordinate different practical sessions at set times on subjects such as: the concept of the digital camera: the CCD; Functioning of Photoshop; Sizes and resolutions; Optimisation of images; Digital Black and White; Colour management; Touching up in the advertising world; Photography and internet; Virtual gallery; On-line shop; Infography and 3D; Digital production and post-production; Photography and video games, among others.

Sonimagfoto is also providing visitors with the continuous Digital Ante Room, manned by last year students at CITM, who will personally resolve the public’s issues on treatment, touching up and handling of digital cameras in a practical manner.

Photographic sets - After the excellent reception given by visitors at previous editions, Sonimagfoto has programmed a series of practical workshops in which various renowned professionals will give their personal criteria and show the techniques most used in taking photographs in fields such as advertising and fashion, among others. Every day during the exhibition, various sessions will take place on a specially equipped, large photography set in hall 8. Photographs linked to the Asociación de Fotógrafos Profesionales de España (AFP); el Taller Escuela de Fotografía de Joaquim Montaner; el Institut d’Estudis Fotogràfics de Catalunya and the IDEP training centre will be participating. Some companies members of the Asociación de Importadores de Material Fotográfico (IMPORFOT) will also be collaborating.

The Sonimagfoto sets will show how digital techniques have become incorporated in the daily work of photography professionals both in image capture and treatment. Important issues, such as lighting and stage design applied to taking instant photos for advertising, fashion or product will also be discussed and advice will be given on how to take good portrait, still life or scenic pictures.

Olympus Visual Art Gallery - This year, Sonimagfoto has created the space “Visual Art Gallery”, which will provide the setting for top quality photographic exhibitions, never seen before in Spain, exclusively during the trade show.

This is the case of the exhibition “Passion, justice, freedom. Photography from Sicily”, by the Italian photographer, Letizia Battaglia, who is exhibiting for the first time in Spain. Battaglia’s photography stands out for its social condemnation. Her pictures contrast fresh visions of joy, vitality and daily suffering with images that illustrate the devastating effects of the mafia, which has controlled the political and economic life of the island. Battaglia will take advantage of her visit to Sonimagfoto to give a conference on the sense of her work. The conference, taking place on the 1st October at 5 p.m. in the press room of hall 8, will be presented by Alberto Anaut, director of PhotoEspaña.

La Fabrica / PHotoEspaña are bringing the latest works of the Cantabrian photographer Ciuco Gutiérrez to Sonimagfoto 2003. Colours hyperboles, humour, and above all, ability to build new realities are some of the constants of this artist which can be seen in the show.

The Consorci Català de Promoció Exterior de la Cultura, COPEC, in collaboration with Sonimagfoto, is presenting the exhibition “Dalí y el retrato cómplice” (Dali and the accomplice portrait), a show-homage consisting of pictures of this brilliant artist taken by Catalan photographers such as Català-Roca, Miserachs and Toni Catany, among others. This exhibition is making its debut at the trade fair since, during the celebration of the International Dalí Year in 2004, it will travel to various international cities with the aim of revealing the personality of Dalí and his particular vision of photography as an artistic medium.

Another first is the Centre de Fotografia Documental de Barcelona’s “LafotoBcn project”: a cycle of projected photographs on city life, taken by recognised photographers from various written press media. The aim is to show the public the contrasts, variety and new forms of life and living in Barcelona, as well as the historic, social and urban evolution of the city from fifty years ago to today.

The latest proposal of the “Olympus Visual Art Gallery” is “50 years of playboy pictures”, a selection of the best pictures of big stars and famous personalities published during the last five decades in this popular magazine, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2003.

Exhibitions – Other Spheres - Spread over two halls, Sonimagfoto is also presenting another fifteen exhibitions, promoted by exhibitors or sector associations, which aim to show the public the artistic and expressive possibilities of photography.

Visitors to the trade show will also be able to see exhibitions related to the written press, such as “25 years of photography in El Periódico”; the winning pictures if the “European Fujifilm Photojournalism prizes”; or the “10 years of L’Agenda de la Imatge”, which is published by the Unió de Professionals de la Imatge i la Fotografia de Catalunya (UPIFC).

Another exhibition, “Joan Colom’s street” proposed by the Agrupació Fotogràfica de Catalunya, is personal look at Barcelona’s Ramblas through the camera of this renowned National Photography Prize winner in 2002; two shows presented by the Institut d’Estudis Fotogràfics de Catalunya “The trains of our grandparents”, with works by Roisin and Thomas on the world of railways in Spain in the first third of the 20th century, and “Landscape, rural, urban…” with works by young photographers trained in this institute.

Sonimagfoto will also provide the showcase for photographs entered in renowned contests such as: “Lux National Photography Prizes”, held by the Asociación de Fotógrafos Profesionales de España (AFP); “Railroads”, from the Fundación de Ferrocarriles Españoles; “Aqüeducte, International Photography Biennial” from the Federació Catalana de Fotografia and AFOCER; the winning works of the 6th qualifying event of the Federación Española de Profesionales de la Fotografía y de la Imagen: (FEPFI); the “12th Nikon-Agfa Photographic Sunday”; and the del Canon Digital Creators Contest 2003.

This space will also feature “Barcelona sampling games” a selection of lomographs taken by enthusiasts; Juan Carlos Martín Martín’s digital pictures taken with a CASIO camera; and “Large format emotions” an exhibition the works by ten photographers who have accepted the challenge of experimenting with large format Hp printing materials.

Prize Giving Ceremony - A highlight of the show’s activities programme will be the prize giving ceremony of the 10th National Lux Professional Photography Awards held every year by the AFP, taking place on the 2nd October at 8.30 p.m., in the Palacio de Congresos. These prizes – which are given in the following categories: Advertising, fashion, Still Life and Food, Industrial, Portrait and Architecture and Interior Design, social reporting, theme reporting and junior are an excellent instrument for the promotion and recognition of the level of quality provided by Spanish photography professionals in various communication spheres.

On the 3rd October, the same venue will also set the stage for the awards ceremony of the Oscar Photo Prizes, organised by the publishing company Fopren.

Conferences - Sonimagfoto will provide the setting for a complete programme of conferences and seminars of interest to professionals and enthusiasts of the imaging world.

Via Carla Networks has prepared two digital seminars to take place on the 1st October entitled “Workflow digital, kiosks and Internet services, multimedia mobile telephony. New business opportunities” and “Visión 2004 – Mobiles with a digital camera: a threat or an opportunity? open to the participation of retailers.

The AFP will review the issue of photographic copyright, while the FEPFI will give a present and future look at professional photographers in Spain. The professionals J. Criss; KAKE; Jordi Morgadas and Carlos Yebra will talk about their experiences working in studio, social, lingerie and fashion photography using the new SLR Digital Professional Olympus e-system; Casanova Profesional is organising various seminars; Index Book will speak about the new visual languages in print, digital and motion graphics; the 1st Professional Image Documentation Conference (DOCUIMAG) will set the scene for sharing experiences and solutions about the file management of photographs; and the consultancy company GfK will present the report “the image market in Europe 2002. Latest trends”.

Enthusiasts will be able to take part in the seminar “All Digital: the new way of taking photographs!”, organised by the magazine Pc Foto; learn to read a photograph, thanks to the advice of the lecturer on photography and director of the magazine Foto, Manuel López; get to know the evolution of graphic imaging in the press and, more specifically, in El Periódico de Cataluña over the last 25 years, from Xavier Jubierre and Agustí Carbonell; and find out all the details of how Spencer Tunick does his installations from explanations by the commissar of his exhibitions, Segismundo De Vajay.

Leisure activities - In order to encourage the public to take an active part, Sonimagfoto has prepared two interesting activities. In one of them, “FotoImagina Canon” will allow visitors to participate in a fun photomontage and take away a printed copy of the instant picture as a souvenir. The other one, “Photograph your iris”, carried out in collaboration with the CITEM, using modern techniques, will capture a detailed picture of this part of the eye of visitors who fancy it. The photo will be emailed to them.

Sonimagfoto grant - In its commitment to training, this Fira de Barcelona trade show is once again announcing the Sonimagfoto grant for a postgraduate photo journalism course at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Those interested can leave a copy of their CV and a sample of their work (a photographic feature consisting of 20 black and white or colour slides, presented on a file page with a theme and explanatory text) at the UAB stand in Sonimagfoto.

The photography fiesta - Coinciding with Sonimagfoto, Fira de Barcelona wishes to involve other city and cultural spheres in the major photography fiesta, outside the exhibition centre. To this end, different agreements have been reached with various institutions. Caixa Forum has programmed the conference “Cartier Bresson, suspended time”, by the lecturer on Aesthetics at the Universitat de Girona, Xavier Antich, on the 1st October, at 7.30 p.m. Entrance is free of charge for visitors to Sonimagfoto. The FNAC is holding various debate forums on photographic imaging, in its centres in Barcelona; and the MNAC will allow visitors to the trade show free access.

Sonimagfoto is an exhibition of Fira de Barcelona, leading organiser of industrial and professional events in Spain and one of the first four in Europe in number of trade shows.