Today, technology delivers different options to those who love to take pictures. Digital photography, in particular, allows consumers more choices about what they can do with their photos. Rather than leave them on their device or a memory card, they can ask a professional photo lab to develop them and transform them into any of several diverse possibilities. In Maine, the opportunities give people the chance to make something of those special scenes or moments they have captured.
The Choices Given by Technology
Whether it is digital or traditional, a photo now has the capability of appearing in any of several formats. Digital printers can take almost any photo and adapt it to newer purposes. Among the many choices a consumer now has are the following:
- Photo cards
- Enlargements
- Framed photos
- Collages
- Photobooks
- Calendars
- Canvas prints
- Metal prints
All these possibilities are open to those who decide a simple print from a photograph is not sufficient. Technology drives this movement towards a diverse application of the photo. While some choose to manufacture these specialty items on their own, others turn to a professional photo lab. These have the expertise to adapt their equipment to meet the growing demands for these diverse products.
The Professional Photo Lab and Specialty Items
In states as different as Maine and California, professional photo labs are realizing the shift in the market. They are addressing the latest desire to print off photos from digital and other cameras in a manner that diverges from the traditional. In fact, some consumer and industry researchers suggest that the technology of the digital camera has opened up this field, creating new markets. Retailers, and professional imaging and printing services, need to recognize the benefits from embracing technological changes as it affects their marketplace. The new markets may be considered a fad, but such specialty products, and variations thereof, are estimated to grow in demand at a rate over 20% for the next few decades.
The Professional Photo Lab: Adapting to Change
The story of film and printing is one of change. If the industry in states such as California, Maine and Wisconsin is to continue to be successful, to embrace the digital generation while not neglecting the need to create printed memories, it must employ technology to its advantage. By recognizing the ongoing shift towards some specialized items, the professional photo lab will not fade away but shift and move with the new technological and digital times.
