Be Inspired

A collection of inspirational blog posts that will give you some great new ideas and cause you to pick up your camera and go out shooting

Women4Women 8: empowering women in print

by mariiabezpala May 29, 2024 Comments0

When women deal with machines and technology, magic is made. Throughout history, they were at the forefront of innovation, bringing unique perspectives, and creative problem-solving approaches to the table. They brought empathy and ingenuity to the world of machines, thinking not only how they work but also how they can improve lives. Every day, women in tech around the world are making incredible strides, developing software, designing hardware, managing IT systems, and driving innovation, and still, their contributions often go unnoticed.

In our latest, 8th issue of the Women4Women magazine, we want to change the narrative and honor women who are shaping the printing and graphic arts industry. Offering a fresh perspective and a completely new look and feel, this issue is aptly titled “Women and the Machine”. From the UK to Australia, we’ve collected over 20 stories of women from all across the globe, who bring change to the world of tech. They tell about their ups and downs, motivation and learning curves, how they challenged outdated stereotypes in the male-dominated field and what drives them to move on. On this inspiring journey, you’ll be accompanied also by evocative photographs taken in Italian factories in the 1980s by Turin-based photographer Paola Agosti.

“The stories we have collected in this new issue are all about a challenge. A challenge that has been quietly but not yet fully recognised, one that sees women and machines progressing and evolving together, demonstrating that technology, in this case applied to the printing industry, is not a men-only activity. These magnificent women tell us how they are able to create empathy with these mechanical ‘hearts’ and thanks to the strong ‘bond’ that is created, it has been possible to achieve results that we can describe as artistic. Business aptitude is not enough to do this,” – says Luana Porfido, European Head of Corporate Communication and ESG Management, FUJIFILM Europe GmbH.

The magazine features insights from the souls of Fujifilm, including Makiko Numata, Mihoko Endo and Isabelle Katrina Morales, who highlight the importance of innovation, perseverance and breaking down long-established barriers. At the same time, there are stories of external contributors, such as Lisa Farinati, Head of Business Administration of Faservice Srl, and Chiara Bezzi, Editorial Manager of Innovative Press, who discuss the transformative power of female leadership and the importance of sustainability and inclusion in the industry. Zhu Min, Vice President of C&C Joint Printing Co. Ltd, also shares her journey and achievements, including winning the prestigious “Bi Sheng Printing Outstanding Achievement” award.

“Our goal is to bring together diverse ideas, unique skills and extraordinary people to change the world. Women4Women is a concrete example that testifies to the path we have taken towards Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” – Yoshiki Kimura, President, FUJIFILM Europe GmbH.

Find all stories in digital here.

Filed under Be Inspired Blog Spotlight

How to plan your Japan Day in Düsseldorf?

by M. Köster May 27, 2024 Comments0

On June 1, Düsseldorf will once again be host to one of Europe’s largest Japanese cultural festivals, Japan-Tag. This annual event, now in its 21st year, transforms the city into a vibrant hub of Japanese culture, art, and culinary delights.

Known throughout Germany and beyond as a festival of cultural exchange, Japan Day promotes a spirit of openness and curiosity towards other cultures. With around 90 stalls and a colourful stage programme, you can immerse yourself in the rich and diverse world of Japan.

From traditional performances to modern art, culinary experiences to interactive workshops, Japan Day has something for everyone. You can try yourself at calligraphy, tea ceremonies, martial arts demonstrations, and much more.

The highlight of the day is the spectacular Japanese fireworks display over the Rhine river, a tradition that leaves visitors in awe year after year. This breathtaking finale is a symbol of the close ties between Japan and Düsseldorf, celebrating the friendship and cultural exchange between the two communities.

Places to visit

Burgplatz square

It’s the place to see the official part of the event. Enjoy performances on the main stage and a selection of Japanese cuisine.

Reuter Kaserne

Here, with all the elaborate bento boxes, detailed figurines, and handmade drawings, you can dive into the world of manga and anime.

Rhine promenade

Along the river, you can try on a real kimono, fold origami, or practice the floral art of ikebana to experience authentic Japanese culture. Take part in drawing and language courses and find out special tips about travelling to Japan. Here, you will also find stalls with Japanese accessories and art items.

Johannes Rau Platz

Explore the demonstration and sales stalls, the Japanese cuisine, and the pop culture zones. Here, you can also find the cosplay and karaoke competitions.

Untere Rheinwerft

Visit the food courts for sushi, tempura, and a sake tasting session. Apart of that, you can enjoy here Germany’s best ninjas competing in parcour, or even take part in the competition yourself.

Lawn in front of the Landtag

You can take part in a variety of activities in this special action area, including the samurai and archery camp, and the sports stage showing off the best of jūdō, jiu-jitsu, kendō, karate, and more!

Marktplatz

Here is a family area with various activities for children in the marketplace, such as mask making, puppet and picture book theater, singing, etc.

Our TOP tips for the perfect Japan Day

Plan ahead

Start by downloading or printing out the event map. This will help you identify key locations like food stalls, stages, restrooms, and activity zones. Mark the spots you absolutely don’t want to miss and plan your time accordingly. Include some buffer time for exploring and spontaneous activities. Also, consider that the number of people is going to be pretty high, so if you want to secure a good place to watch the fireworks, it’s better to plan your time the way that you’re on the spot before 22:00.

Use public transport

Driving to the Rhine on this day may be more of a hussle due to traffic and the limited parking area. So, we would advise looking up the best public transport options to get to the event. Trains, buses, and trams are usually well-connected and can drop you off close to the place. Don’t forget to check the schedules for the last train or bus back home if you’re staying until the fireworks. If public transport is too crowded, consider using bikes or scooters if available.

Try the cuisine

One of the best parts of Japan Day is the chance to try authentic Japanese food and take part in engaging cultural activities. From sushi and ramen to takoyaki and mochi, make it a point to try a little bit of everything. Japanese cuisine is diverse and delicious, and the food stalls are a great way to experience it in a whole variety.

Get there early

To make the most of Japan Day and secure a prime spot for fireworks, it’s better to arrive earlier. This will help you avoid the largest crowds and have a more relaxed experience. This also gives you a chance to experience the activities until it gets too busy. So, use these early hours to wander around and get a feel for the event.

Find out more about Japan Day 2024 here.

Filed under Be Inspired Blog

Exploring the skies with Tania Malkin: the GFX100S II x aerial photography

by M. Köster May 24, 2024 Comments0

Tania Malkin, a renowned aerial photographer based in Australia, has always had a profound love for landscapes. From the serene beauty of bushlands to the awe-inspiring vistas of Shark Bay, her passion for capturing the natural world is undeniable. Recently, Tania had an opportunity to use the new GFX100S II camera on one of her projects in Western Australia, and her experience has been nothing short of transformative.

Shark Bay, with its diverse landscapes and stunning contrasts where the desert meets the ocean, has always been her favorite spot. And the GFX100S II has proven to be an exceptional tool to capture this from the air.

“I normally take one camera and one lens. Because size is important and I don’t want to be mucking around with equipment. And I like to be able to firstly trust the equipment that I have, and secondly, it needs to be small and compact and not heavy and not impact. I’m holding it solid shooting for 2.5 to 3 hours and I don’t put it down.”

It will be the latest addition to the GFX Series of mirrorless digital cameras incorporating the large-format image sensor approximately 1.7 times larger than a 35mm full-frame sensor. The camera is equipped with the newly developed 102MP sensor, GFX 102MP CMOS II, and our cutting-edge image processor, X-Processor 5. While having these powerful elements, it is still quite compact, weighing approximately 883g. This makes it the lightest among the 102MP large-format cameras in the line-up and allows for effortless handheld shooting, with minimised camera shake.

With the 102 megapixels, there’s no more need to stitch panoramas to create large artworks and prints. The detail and clarity are mind-blowing. The camera is also equipped with a powerful image stabilizer and a high-speed AF function for enhanced user experience and unparalleled image quality.

“The 8.0 stops IBIS is fantastic because I don’t have to worry that even though I have the amazing autofocus, that the image is still potentially and not going to be sharp. But with the IBIS on the GFX 100S II, I was very confident that the images were going to be sharp, even with the wind resistance and the vibrations from the aircraft.”

“The camera captures the colours and the details of that particular area so beautifully. The sharpness, because of the IBIS, and then the 102MP with the incredible details of the sands and the ocean and the wildlife, the dynamic range that I was getting with the whitecaps on the water, and then the turquoise blue of the ocean with the rich red colours that would normally be out of gamut. It reads everything beautifully. Nothing was blown out. It was just incredible.”

Curious to know more features of the GFX100S II? Check here.

Filed under Be Inspired Blog Consumer Photography

INSTAX Undisputed breaking competition at Playin’Paris festival

by mariiabezpala May 23, 2024 Comments0

Paris is getting all set to host the anticipated Fujifilm INSTAX Undisputed breaking event as a part of the Playin’Paris festival. On May 24, Forum Les Halles will turn into the international stage for the top breakers. Competitors from different corners of the world, including Bboy Victor from the US, Ana Furia from Spain, and Raygun from Australia, will show their extraordinary talents and compete for top honours. The event will feature competitions in both male and female solo categories, as well as crew battles.

The Undisputed connects the most prestigious breaking competitions into a world series with respective winners competing at a Masters championship. Started back in 2013, they held competitions in London, Amsterdam, and Los Angeles. After a brief pause due to the pandemic, Undisputed Masters is now back, and we are proud to remain their headline partner.

“As breakers once revolutionised the dance scene in the 80s, they stand poised to ignite a new era for breakdancing. The FUJIFILM INSTAX brand is proud to continue to partner with Undisputed Masters as breaking grows in stature and popularity. Together, we celebrate the bold spirit of these athletes who defy limits, push boundaries, and put on incredible shows,”

– Shin Udono, Senior Vice President, Imaging Solutions, FUJIFILM Europe.

INSTAX Undisputed Recap | London, 2022

“Paris is the perfect backdrop for our event, with its vibrant culture and rich history in the arts. We’re bringing together the world’s top breakers to showcase their incredible skills and creativity, and I can’t wait for audiences to witness the magic first-hand. It’s an electrifying moment for the global breaking community,”

– Tyrone Van der Meer, Undisputed Masters Creator.

Filed under Be Inspired Blog Sport

#OneYearOneCamera: a camera on a mission

by Guest Blogger April 30, 2024 Comments0

As the saying goes, joy shared is joy doubled. So what could be better than sharing it? My name is Lennart Speer, I’m a professional photographer from Essen, and this January, my camera went on a mission.

A few weeks ago, I rediscovered my twelve-year-old Fujifilm FinePix X10. Fujifilm cameras seem to never get out of fashion, and it was truly a pleasure to photograph with the X10 again. I wanted to share my joy of photography with others, to get them to love it as much as I do. That’s how the #OneYearOneCamera project started. Now, over the course of 12 months, my camera travels to 12 different individuals capturing their unique stories and perspectives through one lens.

The journey began in January with Milena Gaede in Oxford, England. Next the camera will travel to Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, Indonesia and the Netherlands. For me photos unfold their full potential when they are printed. Especially then, I believe they can have a long lasting effect on people. So, at the end of the year, there will be an exhibition and a calendar for 2025, featuring one photo for every month.

January with Milena Gaede
January with Milena Gaede
January with Milena Gaede
January with Milena Gaede
January with Milena Gaede
January with Milena Gaede
January with Milena Gaede
January with Milena Gaede
January with Milena Gaede
January with Milena Gaede

Shortly after the call on Instagram in January, a wide variety of people came forward to take part in the #OneYearOneCamera project. Including for example a student, a radio presenter, a business consultant, a musician, a camerawoman, a firefighter, a bar owner or a pharmacist. They show that anyone is an artist. So far, 400-700 pictures have been taken each month. In collaboration with the photographers, I make a selection and take care of the post-processing. The first three months are already online.

February with Gavin Karlmeier
February with Gavin Karlmeier
February with Gavin Karlmeier
February with Gavin Karlmeier
February with Gavin Karlmeier
February with Gavin Karlmeier
February with Gavin Karlmeier
February with Gavin Karlmeier

A camera with a story

The X10 was the perfect camera for the job: it is small, well-built, has a wide-aperture zoom lens and overall good image quality. Launched in 2011 and in 2024, it is still a great camera for every day: it is light and compact. It has different film simulations and can output raw-data. The 2/3-inch CMOS sensor has 12 megapixels and the built-in zoom lens has an aperture of f/2.0- f/2.8 with an equivalent focal length range of 28-112mm. Perfect for street and travel photography and all in a beautiful vintage charm housing.

Back in 2012, I bought the X10 to document one of the world’s most dangerous school routes in Nepal for the German/French TV channel ARTE. Every morning, the schoolchildren had to cross a river on a tightrope to get to school on the other side.

At certain times of the year, the river is particularly wild and the children are afraid of falling in. Falling into the raging waters is fatal for non-swimmers. But to get to school, there is no way around it. Only a rusty and untrustworthy wire rope with a basket leads across the other side of the river, which is almost 60 meters wide.

“One year, one camera, one incredible adventure for everybody! Connecting people through the art of photography, unveiling their unique perspectives and experiences – what can better reflect the essence of what we’re doing. And we are happy to see it works!“ – Fujifilm Europe GmbH.

March with Philipp Werth
March with Philipp Werth
March with Philipp Werth
March with Philipp Werth
March with Philipp Werth
March with Philipp Werth
March with Philipp Werth
March with Philipp Werth
March with Philipp Werth
March with Philipp Werth

Lennart Speer

A photographer from Essen, Germany, specializing in art, band, and TV productions photography. In addition to photography, also works as a teacher. The current project can be found at: www.oneyearonecamera.com

Filed under Be Inspired Blog Consumer Photography

Dream Gap: Girls’ Day 2024 at Fujifilm HQ

by mariiabezpala April 26, 2024 Comments0

Can you separate dreams…by gender? In childhood, we see the world is literally ours for taking. We dream of being presidents, scientists, astronauts, and see no boundaries to make it happen. Everything’s possible. Until someone makes us think it isn’t. All of a sudden, a strange, huge gap appears, diving jobs into stereotypically girls’ and boys’ “proper choices”. So, at which point does everything change?

A mind-blowing study, published in Science, showed that by age 6, girls were already less likely than boys to believe that members of their gender are “really, really smart”, lumping more boys into this category. Exposed to gender-related bias early in development, girls start believing that they may work hard but are not naturally really smart. Add to this the fact that girls are three times less likely to be given a science-related toy, or that parents are twice as likely to google “is my son gifted?” than “is my daughter gifted?”.

These stereotypes discourage girls, making them opt out of majors like physics or programming, despite having high grades. They stop pursuing academic paths and thinking of a scientific career in technology, engineering, math, or hinder their success in the field. Despite the progress made in recent years, still less than 30% of researchers globally are women.

To close the gap, we need to empower girls from an early age, making them believe again that everything is possible, showing them female leadership in STEM fields and the story behind it, introducing them to innovative technologies and exciting possibilities they open. It’s also about creating opportunities and supporting dedicated initiatives.

Girls’ Day is a nationwide orientation day in Germany for young girls, which helps them get to know various career and study opportunities in fields such as IT, crafts, natural sciences, and technology, where the proportion of women is less than 40%. It’s also a great opportunity for them to meet female role models in leadership positions.

On April 25^th, for the second time, we welcomed 12 girls, aged between 11 and 16 at our Fujifilm Europe HQ in Ratingen. Committed to women’s empowerment, we were happy to introduce to them the extensive range of our cutting-edge technologies, showing how our photography and film technologies found their way into other industries and how exciting it can be to be a part of the healthcare and science industries. Our guests also got a chance to see what’s possible with our X-Ray machines and see firsthand how it works. Armed with our INSTAX cameras, all girls could capture their experiences and create lasting memories getting shots to remember.

At Fujifilm, we are committed to fostering diversity and inclusivity, and events like Girls’ Day are just one way we strive to inspire the next generation of women in these fields. Can’t wait to welcome a new group of talented girls next year, so we are already looking forward to the next Girls’ Day!