National Photography Month goes live

The UK’s first ever National Photography Month (NPM) – a nationwide initiative that celebrates the importance of photography in our daily lives – launched over the Junilee weekend, and will run for the rest of the month.

The campaign, based around the theme ‘Capture and Keep’, will provide a range of workshops, tools and ideas that will help the nation create and safeguard better pictures that people are proud to share with future generations.

The campaign is supported by an number of organisations as well as photography brand and retailer Snappy Snaps.

The campaign has been born out of research that shows that, while we’re taking more pictures than ever before, the throwaway nature of digital photography means we are printing fewer photographs and are in danger of losing images that are special to us.

In response to these findings The Photo Imaging Council and The Photo Marketing Association have come together with over fourteen other organisations including National Geographic, The London Festival of Photography and The Royal Photographic Society to create National Photography Month as a celebration of the importance of photography in our daily lives and all that photography can do.

New findings revealed for the first time:

• Photography is one of our most powerful connections to our shared memories, emotions and self-expression: 83% of us use photos to connect with past memories

• Our nation now takes more photographs than ever through mobile phones and affordable digital cameras but 64% of us do not print out and keep hard copies of our photographs

• The family album is in decline, as the survey revealed 77% of people now don’t make albums because they think it would be too time consuming, complicated or are ashamed of the quality of their pictures

• The survey also demonstrated that and 37% of us have lost important images that are special to us

• This figure is worse for younger photographers; almost 70% of the age group 16 – 24 have lost treasured pictures due to their reliance on modern digital technology

Tony Hadley, ex-Spandau Ballet front man and keen photographer and collector, has joined the campaign to encourage families across Britain to learn how to look after their treasured memories and to take photographs that they are proud to pass on to future generations. He says:

“Some of my most treasured possessions are photographs: of friends and family –much like this picture with me and three of my children on holiday or me conquering the peaks of Machu Picchu – and of course those which captured some amazing times on tour. I would be heartbroken to lose them! As well as encouraging us all to take more and better photographs National Photography Month has such a positive message about the value of the photograph and encourage everyone to be involved.”

Snappy Snaps – Snap With The Queen

In celebration of the launch of National Photography Month and to coincide with the Diamond Jubilee, Photo & Digital Specialists Snappy Snaps are inviting the public to take a ‘Snap with the Queen’ (#snapwiththequeen). The Snappy Snaps photo advisors hit the streets of London at 30 of the most photographed sights in and around the capital, where they will be on hand to give photography tips and take photos of the public with a range of props including a life-size cardboard cut-out of the Queen, creating fun and memorable photographs. The team hand out branded ‘Snap’ cards featuring a QR code link to a uploaded these pictures to Snappy Snaps social media and give participants a chance to win prizes incorporating their photos.

Nigel McNaught, UK Director of the Photo Marketing Association says: ‘From mobile phones to digital cameras, we’ve never taken more pictures at any other time in history. But, ironically, we print far fewer, meaning that we’re in danger of losing a whole era of photographic records. The aim of National Photography Month is to reverse this trend so that traditions such as family photo-albums continue in their role recording vital personal histories – rather than becoming a thing of the past.’