Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:06] Speaker B: Hello and good morning for the second time today, I'm saying welcome to the Camera Life podcast brought to you by Lucky Straps out of Bendigo, Victoria.
If you're paying attention, this is our second live show for the day. We've gone full pro, which is full time podcasting. Breaking under five. Yeah. This is a special edition of the Camera Life podcast. If you caught us this morning, we apologies if you missed the start. We started at 8am Australian Eastern Daylight Time here and we had Ben Lawrence, who is a filmmaker but also a photographer at heart, a street photographer at heart, join us for an interesting chat. But that's not why we're back. We're here today and we're joined by alumni of the show and Fujifilm Australia's national training and event specialist and my good friend, Charlie Blevins. Welcome, Charlie.
[00:01:02] Speaker A: Thank you. So good to be back. Good to see you. Greg and Justin.
[00:01:06] Speaker B: Hey, Charlie, how you doing, mate?
Now I'm trying to work out is your top black or is it Fujifilm green? Colors a bit off, I don't know.
[00:01:18] Speaker A: It'S like the gold dress or the blue dress, right? It could be one or the other.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: Yeah. Gonna break the Internet.
Break the Internet.
But look, thank you for joining us today. Now, today we thought we'd get you on the show and you're gonna have your own show, Charlie. This is the Charlie Levins Fujifilm Australia episode to talk about an upcoming event. And anyone that's keen eyed watching along, you will notice our current background is. Is stolen freshly from the Fujifilm Australia Creator Summit website. Charlie, you're here to talk about the Creator Summit. Can you just give us in a nutshell what it is first and then we'll break it down in a little bit more detail, hands down.
[00:02:00] Speaker A: So the summit is really all about, you know, creators everywhere. It's for the photographers, it's for the videographers, it's for those who are interested to find your voice.
Sorry, is it just me or do you guys hear a bit of feedback?
[00:02:18] Speaker B: No, the.
[00:02:19] Speaker C: Yeah, the audio is a. It's a little strange, but I can. We can hear you pretty well.
[00:02:23] Speaker A: Yeah, okay, sorry, just bear with me one second. I just want to make sure I don't have any other open.
[00:02:33] Speaker B: If you go into Settings audio, you can hit echo cancellation.
[00:02:38] Speaker A: There we go. Okay, I got it. Sorry about that.
[00:02:41] Speaker B: Should make a difference.
[00:02:42] Speaker A: Yeah. Cool. Yeah. So Creator Summit is really for the photographers, for the videographers, for those who are trying to find their voice.
And it's quite exciting because I remember just the formation of this event in itself, that it's the first time that we've ever done anything like this. And you know, as you guys know that, you know, I've been following the brand, been part of the brand, and just seeing the progress over the years of just us going from strength to strength.
[00:03:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:07] Speaker A: And so for this to take place, like we really want to have that impact that goes beyond just about, you know, it's about Fujifilm. That's not the case. This is literally just about for anybody and everybody who wants to find a family of creatives to come together, which I'll expound on just even more so when as show progresses.
[00:03:27] Speaker B: Very cool. Now, Charlie, you and I have been longtime Fujifilm followers even before you got yourself a, a green polo shirt with the brand on it. Even before you started working at Fujifilm. You and I would go to different events where Fujifilm Australia would participate, support people with cameras. In the early days was one of them that was a bit more of a kind of a small scale trade show. But there was also some, obviously some fun and activities to be had. Tell us what people, how do people get involved with the Creator Summit and what can they look forward to? What are some of the highlight events that are happening?
[00:04:09] Speaker A: Yeah, good question. So what is. So the location itself will be at Luna park.
And you know, we wanted to go for the iconic location where, you know, when we think of Luna park, it's a memorable place, especially for those who grew up in Sydney and whatnot.
[00:04:24] Speaker B: Luna Park, Sydney, guys, not Melbourne. Luna Park, Sydney. That's right, Sydney City.
[00:04:29] Speaker A: And, and definitely like with each collaborator and each guest that we have that's coming along, we were quite intentional with each person coming on board. And so of course for our headliners we have Jimmy Reese and Brittany Saunders. And for those who don't know Jimmy Reese, he's a comedian and former children entertainer.
[00:04:47] Speaker B: And Jimmy Giggle.
[00:04:49] Speaker A: Yes, Jimmy Giggle. That is him.
[00:04:52] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: And yes, he'll be speaking on his career and just, you know, how he integrated his sense of humor into his, the concept that he does and of course with the comedy that he does as well. And Brittany Saunders, like, you know, the topic that she'll be speaking on is the power of social media and building an authentic brand. And she's also the CEO of Fate, the label. And on top of that, we have a lot of strong partners involved too. Just to name drop the key ones, which is Michael Coyne, who is our legendary ex photographer. He is a photojournalist and he's quite Been instrumental with our brand for so many years. We have Dan and Zora who is part of our GFX102 launch. They're award winning creatives who have launched their own TV series called the Travel Shooters. We have Leslie Liu x106Ambassador Street Photographer, fashion, pretty darn amazing. Les Smith who is our videographer who does a lot of great filmmaking. He'll be teaching a lot of video workshops. And we have Louis Lee who's based in South Australia, Food photographer, great friends, pretty darn good at what he does. Taylor Riley, Thomas Sharp, really big on social media and you know, with Taylor he has one of the biggest, fastest growing agencies here in Australia.
And then of course it'll be myself running one or two workshops there as well which is like one of them will be about landscape photography on a Ferris wheel which is quite unique.
Yeah. Because I don't think, you know, many of the attendees coming, they've never done anything like that. So we're quite excited.
[00:06:26] Speaker B: From up on the Ferris wheel.
[00:06:29] Speaker A: That's correct. So I'll be strapped to a balloon and I'll be just floating on the side while people are riding on the Ferris wheel.
[00:06:36] Speaker B: Yeah, that's commitment. Don't tell. Oh and s I love brands so.
[00:06:41] Speaker A: You know, we're definitely keeping this out of this.
[00:06:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:44] Speaker A: So we'll have like headphones plugged in for every person going in with the camera and then they'll hear my voice of just kind of explaining the ideal settings and how to you know, compose different shots at different vantage points on the first wheel and the last two is we have Chloe Du, who's quite young, who's an entrepreneur and she's a social media personality. And lastly, you know Greg, you know photo walks is quite dear to our heart because that's what our group was all about of just bringing together.
And it's interesting like since the group started in 2014 there's been many like community groups forming over the years and more. So now of just doing these photo walks and getting people together. One I want to highlight is the acc, which is the Australian creative collective and they will be running a photo walk before the actual event with model and you know, pretty much just sharing some tips and tricks of just how to photograph models but also do some landscape leading up to the big event. So you can kind of see, you know, we were quite intentional with those who are going to add value to attendees. But on top of that, this is what's quite unique about the event is the partners that we have that Got quite involved with this too. And so Greg, you brought up, you know, a pack of gear like that's something that you started get to get familiar with. We have something there called the Fuji Green Partner hub and each partner is actually coming from their countries. As an example, we have Capture one coming from Sweden to be a part of this event. We have Alpacu here coming from Melbourne. We, we have Small Rig coming from China, we have Olight, we have Atomos coming down from Melbourne. We have rode mics coming along too. And of course Nanlite will be involved too. And so with all these different brands, I could attest that each collaborator involved and each creative that's involved, we're all in the same mindset that we want to give back to the community.
We want to be able to empower the creatives. And I know that the brands that are on board, they feel exactly the same and they cannot wait to, to meet with the other creatives and to invest in them in 2025.
[00:08:54] Speaker B: Yep, it sounds amazing.
[00:08:57] Speaker C: It's huge. Absolutely huge. So many different aspects. And so just to get this clear, there's, there's going to be a lot for both photographers and like video content, content creators. There's, there's both of those aspects mixed into the one day.
[00:09:13] Speaker A: That's correct.
[00:09:14] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:15] Speaker B: So, yeah.
[00:09:16] Speaker C: What about.
Couple of questions. What about those of us that don't shoot with Fujifilm yet? Are we allowed in or do we get stopped at the door because our cameras aren't Fujifilm? What will happen?
[00:09:29] Speaker A: Yeah, what will happen is that we won't let you in.
[00:09:32] Speaker C: Okay, fair enough.
[00:09:34] Speaker A: Very exclusive, as I said before. Yes. You'll notice that the headline literally is Creator Summit powered by Fujifilm. We were quite intentional with that because we don't want it to be a massive Fujifilm event. So regardless of brand, whether you're using your phone, the workshops that are taking place is applicable for those who are straight up beginners who had thought of getting into photography. And so, you know, we love to use that language of just come as you are. Like whether it's a phone or even if you don't have anything, just come out. Because there will be gear that will be present for you to come and check out. For some of the workshops. We will provide gear for hands on experience too. There will be a networking aspect over coffee where you will meet with other beginners and other folks who are quite experienced and you. So you could actually meet others who are in the same season as you are to get.
[00:10:28] Speaker B: Very cool.
[00:10:29] Speaker C: Okay, my other question is how much does it cost? I assume you have to buy tickets to this thing.
[00:10:36] Speaker A: Yep, that's correct. So the tickets itself, I believe it's $49.
[00:10:41] Speaker B: Just bring that up now.
[00:10:43] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:10:46] Speaker B: Sorry, Charlie, go.
[00:10:47] Speaker A: Yep. And then. But I've actually had a chat with the inner team right before coming on, so it's quite fresh. But we're actually working on a special promotional code just for the podcast and the podcast listeners. So even though it does say $49, we're working on a special deal to help promote it as well. So we're more than happy to share that with you pretty darn soon.
[00:11:07] Speaker C: Okay, cool. So we can. How we get that out to the people. We'll be able to put that in the description or something like that.
Check back here, I guess. Yeah, yeah, that's it.
[00:11:17] Speaker A: So whether you have show notes or, you know, we're happy to share it with you and you can share it on socials as well. Very cool. Yeah. So wherever, whatever mediums that you have like, we definitely want to help push it out and just get as many folks together.
[00:11:29] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:11:30] Speaker C: That's a one one day ticket or two day ticket or how does that work?
[00:11:34] Speaker A: Great question. So the, the promotion we're working on will. Will only be applicable to the Saturday, but you'll see from the caption there is that it's a two day event. So it is Saturday and Sunday.
To be really clear. It's not like two different activities are happening on two different days.
It's exactly the same from day one to day two.
[00:11:56] Speaker B: Okay, so the $49 ticket, that's the current price for the regular folk out there, that covers both days.
[00:12:04] Speaker A: The one ticket, we'll just cover the one day.
[00:12:07] Speaker B: Right, okay, sorry.
[00:12:08] Speaker C: So you buy, you buy your ticket for either Saturday or Sunday, but when we get the code, the code will only be useful on the Saturday and it'll be.
[00:12:17] Speaker A: Yeah. And there will be a special promotion.
[00:12:20] Speaker C: Perfect. Okay, that makes sense. And this and both days. It doesn't matter which day you choose, both days got the same lineup, the same events, same speakers and all that kind of stuff.
[00:12:28] Speaker A: Exactly right.
[00:12:29] Speaker C: Awesome.
[00:12:29] Speaker B: Very cool. Very cool. I see on the website there's. It's. For those of you watching along or listening along at home, make sure you check it out sooner rather than later. There's a lot of information on the Fujifilm HouseofPhotography.com website, which we'll put in the. In the description. Yep. Oh, Jay, Dog's all over it. All over.
I. I will actually just boast On a couple of little points here, there's a whole bunch of different workshops. I noticed this one here with Laz, who, I know Laz. There's a shot there of you, Charlie, with Laz at the Capcata Hidden Ex Fujifilm event.
I took that photo. You sure did, yeah. And this one too.
[00:13:12] Speaker A: Which one?
[00:13:14] Speaker B: This one below it. Oh yeah, he worked with Les that night.
[00:13:18] Speaker A: It's in the very small camp, but does save photo by grade. You just have to look into his black shirt.
[00:13:22] Speaker B: Yeah, whatever, whatever.
There's a lot going on here and you've got a pop up store for Fujifilm House of Photography. Just quickly, can you just tell us quickly what house of photography is for those that aren't aware.
[00:13:37] Speaker A: Yeah, that's it. So Fujifilm House of Photography is. It's a home for Fujifilm products and it's an experience. And so if you visited our location here in Sydney that you'll notice that from the displays from our X series cameras to our GFX and even for insects, we have the full range there. And I know for a lot of folks it's like they would actually want to see everything in the flesh. One you can actually experience our products hands on. Second is our specialists in the store too who are quite familiar with all of our products. So it's a really cool kind of place to come and get special insights on the products and the why behind the what. And in the very back, even with that picture on the left side, we have a dedicated studio that we would often run our Fujifilm hazard photography workshops that take place about twice a month. And on top of that, that studio is also out for hire as well.
[00:14:31] Speaker B: Very cool. Oh, and Michael Coyne is going to be there?
[00:14:35] Speaker A: Yep, that's correct. So he will be there. He'll be talking about his, his work and I'm sure he'll talk about his experience of using the Fujifilm cameras and how it actually impacted.
[00:14:46] Speaker B: I remember, I remember seeing him talk at, I think it was the X Pro 3 launch in Sydney.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: That's correct.
[00:14:53] Speaker B: Actually I met you there for coffee before we went.
[00:14:56] Speaker A: We did.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: Oh no, we went, we went for dinner. That's right. Gosh, it's all coming back.
Sorry Justin, just leave us to ourselves here.
[00:15:03] Speaker C: I'll get reminiscent one day. One day I'll be able to come to all these fun things reminiscing over.
[00:15:08] Speaker B: The good old days. Oh wonderful. Very, very cool. So when you buy a ticket you will also not only we get access to all of his content and all of these Guests and speakers and presenters and opportunity. There's also a goodie bag, some bits and pieces. This is made by Alpaca, which is a Melbourne company. Is that correct?
[00:15:32] Speaker A: Yep, that's correct. And speaking on the goodie bag, because, you know, the value of the ticket itself is 49, but the goodie bag is, I believe it's about $270. And so everything that is within the bag has been contributed by our partners, such as Alpaca Capture One Small rig. Olite.
Yes. And I think there's like bits and pieces in there as well. So Alpaca has kindly provided the bags and then everything, everything. The content inside is from our partners. So it is about adding value to each attendee.
[00:16:06] Speaker B: Very cool, very cool. And of course you'll be there. You said you're running some workshops. What, what were your workshops again?
[00:16:12] Speaker A: That's correct. So one is me, you know, in the sky with the balloon, with the Ferris wheel.
[00:16:17] Speaker B: Oh, the balloon shot.
[00:16:18] Speaker A: Yep, that's correct. That's correct. And the second one is that we'll be partnering with Capture One and we'll be talking about portraiture of just the workflow of using the Capture One software and talk about streamlining the whole process. And so I will be switching between X series and GFX and kind of talk about the different handlings and different projects for each product. And at the same time, I cannot recall the name, but Capture One has also got another photographer presentation, will have a model there too. So there will be hands on experiences too. So I will personally be sharing my own personal approach of just, you know, what to look for when taking someone's portraiture.
[00:16:59] Speaker B: Yeah, very cool. It's interesting, Charlie. And purely by chance, in our earlier podcast this morning we were catching up with Ben Lawrence and talking about how the bigger camera brands seem to be about pushing specs at you to dazzle you into buying. Not into buying, but to dazzle you with what their cameras are capable of. But one of the things that I pointed out was that, you know, going to workshops and being at the Bright Festival of Photography recently, who I know, Fujifilm had big presence there.
How many people just didn't understand how to deal with the basics? They'd had these big expensive cameras, you know, worth well over $10,000 for a camera and a lens combo. And they were asking what ISO they should be setting their camera at. And I think it's these sort of events are really important. Like when we used to have people with cameras and we used to do our street walks where you People have the opportunity to ask those questions and learn a bit more about some of the basics, not necessarily the fanciest. You know, we don't need to know the. The scientific equations that went into making a GFX lens, but maybe we do need to know about exposure triangle and, you know, reading the light and creating composition. I think these sort of events are great for that because it's not just the instructors that do that, but you learn off your peers as well as a participant.
[00:18:27] Speaker A: Yep, that's correct. Yeah. And I always like to give the illustration that I strongly believe there is a place for both. That one is, it's so important to know the exposure triangle and to know the ins and outs of your camera. And then on the other hand, there's that spark of joy of just. I just want to go out and shoot and not think about it. And especially with technology, you know, it's so advanced that, you know, you can't shoot an automatic or you can do a priority mode, and it does a lot of the job for you. And so the illustration I like to connect it to is someone who is like, when it comes to training classically, like on the piano, and someone who go by ear, that there's a quote that I love is that the quote is like, you know, when you are becoming more fun for camera, you actually change from taking photos to making photos or photography becomes more about feeling. And I love that because just how when you hit a note on the guitar, like, I actually felt that note.
That same feeling is how, you know, for us as a brand and personally is to feel that we want people to feel their images. And I understand that when you do shoot in automatic, you are trusting the camera to do everything. But there will be points where you do want to be able to adjust the camera or even phones or whatnot, to be able to find your creative expression in that. And so, yeah, so that's what the, you know, the event is as a whole. And I think when it comes to creatives in general who go on photo walks and want to socialize, that, yes, the cameras is what got you there. But connecting with others and who are passionate about it is what helps you to kind of push through and want to be committed to the journey.
[00:20:04] Speaker B: Yeah. Yep. Most definitely. Because photography can be a lone enterprise. And sometimes if you don't know, you don't ask, you don't know what to ask. But also, you know, there's a. There's a embarrassment factor that, oh, maybe I should know this. I won't say Anything. But I think community is a good way to overcome some of those hurdles in learning something, which is part, you know, a big part of why Justin and I do what we do here, and Jim and Yelena and now editor Seb, is that we want to support community in every aspect of the craft.
[00:20:34] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: Not just talking about the latest, you know, 102 megapixel camera, but also just talking about our own challenges with photography and the realities of. Of. Of creative image making. You know, I think it's a big part of what we do and I think from my experience, Fujifilm have always embraced that. Like I said, from the early days with Fujifilm Australia, before yourself were working there, running, like supporting us with events for our group or even just giving us merch and maybe a prize here and there. Like, there was always that sense of giving back to the community and being available, which I don't see as much in other brands. And obviously it keeps you very busy in your job as the national training and events specialist. I mean, every time I message you, even socially, you're in a different state, you know, so the brand is obviously keeping you busy connecting with people, and I think that's really important.
[00:21:34] Speaker A: That's true. Yep, yep. Absolutely. And as a brand, there's always a lot of vision. You know, every single year we're thinking about how we could actually push the boundaries. And I suppose not just with my travels, but even just as a business, as we hear the feedback from those in different states that there is a hunger for people wanting to get familiar with their cameras. There's a hunger for creatives wanting to do unique events and want to see unique partnerships, want to have opportunities to test out their cameras and push those boundaries, to see what they can create. And so it is simply me going around and us as a brand going around. It's simply a response to where the creative industry is.
[00:22:14] Speaker B: Yep, most definitely.
Very, very interesting.
[00:22:19] Speaker C: Are there any other sort of aspects to this event that we haven't touched on yet? Anything special or unique or anything that excites you personally? That's going to be coming up.
[00:22:34] Speaker A: I've said it before, but I cannot express how valuable and how great it is to have our partners evolved?
Because I remember like before I was even further in the photography industry, I was like, man, it would be a dream to actually catch up with Capture One. It would be a dream to actually catch up and to hear from Smallrig, because these folks are in far places and often the farther they are, the harder in my Personal experience is that it could be quite challenging to build a relationship with the folks as well. So I look at this as the birthday party of just all. All these special people coming to one place. And I think I'm really, really excited to just see when passion meets passion. So that's probably the most excitement that I have. And I think, like, to highlight is what I said before, is Luna park is a creative space.
We have allocated spots to run our talks, to run our workshops, to run our keynote speakers. So it's definitely a place to kind of come hungry and to actually absorb as much as we can.
[00:23:41] Speaker C: And so just on the nuts and bolts of how the day will run, the. The partner area, with these brands that'll be open all day, people can come and go and see any of their setups or their booths and talk to their people in between the sessions that they're going to do.
And then the second thing I was going to check on is, are all the sessions available to everyone, or do some of them have limited spots? And. And do you need to book in? Does that work?
[00:24:13] Speaker A: Yeah, great question. So in terms of the actual timetable, I believe that should be released quite soon.
But in terms of, like, sessions, like, unfortunately, everyone can't go to every single session because there may be some overlap or time will be quite tight.
But we're definitely.
The approach is that we want it to be more of a choose your own adventure. And so a lot of folks will be coming for different purposes. And so we have a field photographer only wanting to go, you know, maybe to the video workshops, because to them they're like, that's the area I need to grow the most.
The opposite is true. And we have, you know, the beginners who are just starting their businesses. So maybe that's one thing I didn't really highlight is a number of our workshops is really catered for those who want to push their social medias, businesses, personal brands, and they really want to kind of learn the ins and outs of how they can actually use social media to actually help promote themselves in the same way.
So there are enough workshops out there to meet the needs of photographers, videographers, content creators, beginners and seasoned photographers.
But I believe that you cannot attend every single one because I don't believe every single workshop is going to be applicable to each person.
[00:25:27] Speaker C: Yeah, I really like the angle that you took there as well, where it's like, hey, if you're a photographer, don't necessarily come along and only look at what photography workshops are running. You probably should be Looking at what video and content creator workshops running, you can use those elements to help grow, whether you're trying to grow a business, grow a presence, learn new skills and vice versa. Yeah. Don't necessarily just stay in the lane that you're already in, I think. Yeah. Social, Social media and content creation could be so useful to a ton of photographers if they haven't really dug into that yet. And you've got experts there, so.
[00:26:08] Speaker A: That's exactly right. And you may have noticed, I mean, especially with the folks you've been interviewing and being in the industry in recent years, content creation is the buzzword. Like, it's a lot about videography, it's all about reels. And you'll even see, not just with Fujifilm, but for many brands, even the products are reflecting that as well.
[00:26:28] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:26:29] Speaker A: And so I think, like, when it comes to the summit, I remember just sitting in the room with the key team and we're thinking about, like, what should the name be? And we're thinking of, of like, how we could actually position it from a place of like, what's going to be most beneficial for the creative industry. And so that's exactly why we would call it the Creator Summit is because we do want to actually focus on those who are curious or those who are already in that creator aspect.
[00:26:57] Speaker B: Nice, Charlie. What about other logistics around the event? So it's held at Luna Park. Obviously it's on a weekend. So is the park exclusively there for the Creator Summit, or is it just elements of the park and the general public will have admission to other areas. You know, what else has got. Can participants enjoy some rides while they're there? Will there be shitty hot dogs and chips?
[00:27:22] Speaker A: Yeah, good question. I would say that. So with the Critter Summit itself, we've actually blocked out parts of Luna park where there will be other parts of the park that will just be open as usual. So I would just encourage you that it would be best to attend a workshop and, you know, immerse yourself in that and roller coasters and all that. Just go the following weekend because this is a unique experience that you do not want to miss.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: So I didn't mean to dilute while you're offering. I just thought there might be some attractive elements there for some thrill seekers, all those that like dodgy, dodgy hot dogs.
Okay, well, that's good. That's interesting.
And I think, you know, for some people, being there in that sort of environment, like you said, it is a creative space in itself. It's, it's, it's a crazy. For those of you that are listening to us from perhaps abroad or you've never been or seen Luna park, have a look at it. Google it. There's one in Melbourne and there's one in Sydney, Australia and they, yeah, they're basically. They're not really a theme park as such. How would you describe them?
Are they theme? But you know, they have rides, they have arcades, they have skill games.
[00:28:31] Speaker C: It's like nostalgic theme park. I didn't even know. Yeah, it's, it's a theme park entertainment.
[00:28:38] Speaker A: Hub because they do have like some speaking engagement spaces as well.
[00:28:41] Speaker B: Yeah, well they've. Yeah, that's more, that's more. In recent years they've expanded and they often do corporate events at the one in Melbourne too.
But yeah, basically it's a, it's a. Like an old school fairground.
Maybe more. Yeah, that might, that might jealous some people in our. In the northern climbs and the, the facade of, of Luna park in both Melbourne and Sydney is a giant clown face and you walk through the mouth of the clown face and typically Luna park is surrounded by like a, like a, an old school roller coaster.
At least the one in Melbourne is. So it's, there's, there's a lot to see and, and even more to photograph, which is wonderful. I've actually shot around the St Kildle Luna Park a few times just because it's such an interesting dynamic street.
Very cool. And so Fujifilm, obviously you've got all your partners are going to be there, your brands and Fujifilm Australia, they're going to have their own squad of elites employees on hand, not just all on you.
Yeah.
[00:29:53] Speaker A: So for the Fujifilm team, like it's all hands on deck. So we're all going to be involved in different parts of the event.
You know, notably, as we said before, there will be that Fujifilm House of Photography, like on the go, like location that's there. And so I know a number of our teams will just be there to kind of help facilitate that and to answer questions. We also have our general manager, Sean Mall, who is also part of the talking engagement of how to go viral with two other content creators as well. So yes, it is all hands on deck and we're all involved in different parts to just help to make sure that this event goes smoothly.
[00:30:29] Speaker B: Yeah. And are there any events or events involving Instax specifically? Because I know that you guys just released the new wide, the new Insects wide, Evo or Evo wide.
Will there be, will any of the events Sort of be, you know, Instax specific.
[00:30:48] Speaker A: I don't believe insects will be involved for the Luna park event.
[00:30:52] Speaker B: Oh, okay.
[00:30:53] Speaker A: In any capacity. However, I know that insects, they work quite closely for house photography and they do like, scrapbooking events. And I know, like, with the release of that insects, was it evo wide. It's a really, really strong product and I would not be surprised if they start doing a lot more events to help to kind of show how great that product is.
[00:31:16] Speaker B: Yeah, very cool. Yeah, I don't mind the insects at all. I've had one forever and have used my printer. 1. I've got three printer Instax. I don't have any. No, no. I gave my camera to my daughter, but I've got three of the printers and yeah, they're fun. And my partner Sash is looking at getting an Instax because she's just started getting into scrapbooking and wonderful collage and things like that. So, yeah, that's image.
[00:31:46] Speaker A: Yeah, I suppose. Like. Like, one of the things about Instax that I really, really value is, of course, you know, it goes without saying, the printing aspect. And I just love the joy of being able to take a photograph and print right away. Whereas I know a lot of folks with cameras, like, the biggest Achilles is like, we have all this amazing work, but we actually don't print it. And so I think, like, whenever I look at insects, I'm like, that's actually a really good reminder that it is quite important to print out our work, especially for creators as a whole. Like, it's definitely a good practice to have.
[00:32:19] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. And Steph Lewis just jumped on and said, the new Instax looks awesome. It does look awesome.
Some interesting design choices, but, yeah, they're fun. They're fun. I've shot events with them and had one because the Fujifilm X series cameras pair instantly with the Instax cameras of the Instax printer. Sorry. There's a natural pairing with the app.
I've shot events and just had the printer sitting over next to a photo book and people can print out, write a message, stick it in the book, say happy Birthday or congratulations or whatever. It just adds a different element. You're right. It's that instant gratification. But also there's more memory making in the handing someone a physical print.
[00:33:07] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:33:08] Speaker B: Especially at an event where there's a group photo and they all gather around to look at their photo and they're like, oh, can I have a copy? Can I have a copy? And all of a Sudden the. The. The experience isn't just that someone took their photo. The experiences that they got together and experienced this. This moment of receiving a photo. It's. It's. It's a whole new level to what we do and love.
Yeah.
[00:33:30] Speaker C: Justin, did you make a GFX Instax that prints out like an A2 or something? Just instantly, you know, boom. And it just slides out.
[00:33:41] Speaker A: 102 megapixels. Glory. Just straight out.
[00:33:44] Speaker C: Yeah, just off a rock and it just comes out. It's just like. Like a giant check that you hand to somebody, you know, novelty check.
[00:33:53] Speaker B: What I think is that would be. Yeah, you could do selfies and frame them straight away.
What I think what I love most about. I know we're going off topic slightly, but I just want to say what I love about Instax as well is that it's using this technology that they've been using for decades, and they're still selling product, obviously enough to keep going, you know, And I think that's when you consider what the process is, that it's a little bit of unicorn magic inside a little box that squeezes the processing chemicals across a piece of photosensitive paper while it's in the camera. Like, it's just phenomenal technology that's still being harnessed today. And I like the hybrid mix. I think that's good. Anyway, I digress. Sorry.
[00:34:37] Speaker A: You're okay. And I suppose, like, one point I want to make is, you know, especially with the rise in just the popularity of film, like film photography as well, that you'll notice that, you know, a. With our Fujifilm products, like, for the film simulation aspect, that's a big reason why a lot of folks are just loving to use our products because, like, it reminds them of film and.
[00:34:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:34:58] Speaker A: Goes in and, you know, talking about Instax again is what I really appreciate what they're doing is, you know, as one example, to have like a likely feature on that.
[00:35:06] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:35:07] Speaker A: Light. You turn it there, and not only do you see the light leak, but you turn like, you know, where the. Where the manual focus ring would be on their lens. You could actually adjust the light leak to where you want it to be. In some ways.
[00:35:18] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:35:19] Speaker B: It's a really cool look.
It's a. And I love it. And that new. That Evo wide, It's got like 100 film looks and 100.
Not filters, but kind of alterations, and you can control the sensitivity of each. So you've got like hundreds of thousands of possible combinations of how you can make a Single image look before you even print. Like, you know, so it's great.
[00:35:45] Speaker A: That's what's great about technology. And kind of going back to suppose like with Fujifilm cameras and in general is that like, at the end of the day it's, it's a creative expression. And you know, I'm a big believer that, you know, yes, the best camera for you is the one that you're willing to pick up and to use. And for me, the Fujifilm camera was that case because when I picked up my first XT1, it reminded me of film and reminded me of just like all these memories I've had. And like I have to invest myself in this product. And so for the Creator Summit, that's exactly what it's about, is whether it's your phone, a Fujifilm camera, another brand, whatever it is we encourage and phone users is that whatever it may be, bring it. Enjoy the sessions. And I know like, our goal is to help bring the right tools so we're able to express ourselves for this upcoming year and so much more.
[00:36:38] Speaker B: Very cool. Super cool indeed.
[00:36:41] Speaker C: Let's see, let's see if my memory is good enough to do a, to do a little recap. So create a summit. Brought to you by Fujifilm February 22nd and 23rd, Luna Park, Sydney. So that's just a few weeks away. Tickets, $49.
But there will be potentially a sneaky little deal for the Saturday for the.
[00:37:03] Speaker B: Camera Life podcast for the camera listeners.
[00:37:06] Speaker C: So stay, keep an eye out in the description or I'll throw it in the comments of this. This. Or we'll also put it on our Instagram cabalife podcast on Instagram.
We'll, we'll put that code out, but that code will only be applicable for the Saturday. So if you want to go on the Sunday, you'll have to pay the $49 schedules coming soon and you'll be able to plan your day, pick your sessions, make sure you weave yourself a nice little day of different activities, different sessions. And then in between all of those sessions, you can pop in and see all the partners that will be set up all day, like Alpaca Gear and Capture One and Nanlite and all the ones that I've already forgotten. Small rig. There's a ton of them. All of that, all of that info is on the Fujifilm House of Photography website, which is linked below. Or if you just Google Fujifilm Creator Summit. I'm pretty sure it comes up. I checked that.
[00:37:59] Speaker B: Yes, it does.
[00:38:00] Speaker C: What else? What else have I forgotten? Anything else? Charlie?
[00:38:04] Speaker A: I feel like you pretty much nailed it. We have a lot of strong guest speakers, a lot of guest partners and if I could express again, we're all really excited to meet each and every attendee that is able to come one.
[00:38:15] Speaker B: Yeah. And having been to a number of Fujifilm of any camera, having been to a number of Fujifilm events in my time, you know, they really do make an effort to connect with people which, you know, a genuine effort. It's not just to. Have you considered this lens? Like it's great. It's not a sales pitch, it's a, it is a give back to the community and it's a partnership. And for those of you wondering about the, the $49 price tag, I will remind you that you have, you know, you have a number of options for workshops to see talks, you know, to catch up with like minded creators. To attend a single workshop on any other weekend is going to cost you anywhere in four to eight times that amount of money.
[00:39:02] Speaker A: And you're getting a $270 gift bag on top of that.
[00:39:06] Speaker C: The goodie bag. That's what I forgot. The goodie bag.
[00:39:08] Speaker B: I have to get the goodie bag by Alpaca. It's a, it's a special.
Obviously Alpaca is a Melbourne brand. They've, they've been in operation for a few years now but they've just opened their first concept store at Docklands. I've got, I just got myself an alpaca wallet. Awesome gear. I think that'll last pretty much forever.
But yeah, great to see that there's a custom alpaca sling, not sling tote full of goodies. So be keen to see what's in one of those bags. But we won't spoil any surprises because that is for you folks that are attending. But maybe at some stage down the track, Charlie will jump, jump back on and, and let us know how the event went. We'd love to hear back from you Charlie, after the fact and talk about what you learned personally, your highlights and what Fujifilm Australia took away from it.
Because I think that that's obviously the true test of a brand making compute, attempting community engagement is to actually learn from the opportunities and continue to offer back to the community. So sounds like a wonderful event all round. Do you want to jump to some comments, Justin?
[00:40:15] Speaker C: Yeah, Paul Henderson says any deals on any airfares? Well Paul, as you know, you live in Bendigo, you can fly directly from Bendigo to Sydney. We can't get you a deal on that airfare, but it's so convenient. Why wouldn't you?
[00:40:26] Speaker B: From Bendigo, straight in.
[00:40:27] Speaker C: From Bendigo to Sydney. It's amazing. And our little Dash 8 Qantas Dache and our tiny little airport is so good. You just rock up and they're like morning. And then you walk through, you do your bags and stuff, you walk through and you get a coffee and then like the, the nine people that are on the plane just get on and it's. And the service is amazing. It's great. It's a little expensive. It's a little, A little more expensive than flying out of Melbourne, but it is one of the coolest experiences. So Paul, just, just do that.
[00:40:57] Speaker B: Yeah, that's it.
[00:40:58] Speaker A: And Paul, I would, I would personally pay for your lunch if you're able to come.
[00:41:02] Speaker C: Oh, there we go. See?
[00:41:05] Speaker B: Bloody offer me lunch.
[00:41:07] Speaker C: Get some Luna park chippies or something.
[00:41:10] Speaker B: Yeah, get a stale hot dog. Hey.
[00:41:17] Speaker C: Olight Australia says can't wait. And I can't pronounce this.
[00:41:21] Speaker B: Olight is one of the partners too.
[00:41:22] Speaker C: Guys, how do we pronounce this? Is this Lee?
[00:41:29] Speaker B: Yeah. Uft.
[00:41:31] Speaker C: Can't forget the goodie bag. No, we won't forget the goodie bag.
[00:41:35] Speaker A: Is that who he is going to be running our. A food photography workshop as well.
[00:41:40] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:41:41] Speaker A: And so. Yeah, so he's, he's pretty pumped.
[00:41:43] Speaker B: He's doing food photography, how to dress a style hot dog. Nice.
[00:41:50] Speaker C: No.
[00:41:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:41:54] Speaker A: How to upgrade the hot dog at Luna Park.
[00:41:56] Speaker C: Oh, so cool.
[00:41:57] Speaker B: Oh, maybe you can come on the.
[00:41:59] Speaker C: Podcast sometime and tell us all about food photography.
[00:42:01] Speaker B: Yeah, please.
And Olite Australia and that's a big deal. Luna park burgers ain't cheap.
[00:42:07] Speaker C: No, they're probably not. But that's all right. They're worth it.
[00:42:11] Speaker A: Yeah, that's right. So Paul, I hope to see you there.
[00:42:14] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:42:14] Speaker C: Book your flights, Paul.
[00:42:16] Speaker B: Yeah, Very cool. Well, awesome. I think we've covered it. Was there anything else you wanted to cover off while you've got us, Charlie? Any Fujifilm news, any personal photography adventures you're planning in the coming months? Or is it just work? Is. I, I see you are doing some photos here and there on your Instagram and. But I'm sure work is keeping you very busy.
[00:42:38] Speaker A: Yeah, like we're all really excited and working hard to make sure that the, the creator summit is at its best, you know, potential and we just want the best experience as a whole. So that's definitely where our headspace is. And I think the last thing is we cannot wait to see folks there. And after the event we'll Definitely love to come back on and, you know, share all the great stories that are going to come because we know that it's going to be really meaningful, not just for the attendees, but as a creative industry as a whole.
[00:43:05] Speaker B: Very cool. And if there's anyone you want to bring along with you next time you jump on from Fujifilm or even if from one of your partners, not your partner, but from one of the summit partners, the brands that are supporting the summit.
Yeah, if you guys want to come back in the, in the near future after the summit's done and dusted and you've had time to evaluate and learn from your experiences and. Yeah, come on and tell us all about it. We would love to hear it. I'm sure folks would too.
[00:43:31] Speaker A: Suggestion. We'll definitely bring someone on board. Yeah, maybe, maybe Neil. Yes.
[00:43:36] Speaker B: Well, yes. Neil is a, almost a cult like figure amongst Fujifilm Australia. It's been there for quite. He's been there longer than you.
[00:43:45] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:43:47] Speaker B: And Neil's one of the most delightful people in the world to deal with. I've been on a street walk with Neil. I've worked with him on a bunch of different Fiji initiatives and yeah, he's a delight. We'd love to get Neil on, get him talking about cats and you won't. He won't stop either.
[00:44:02] Speaker A: It's true.
Yeah.
[00:44:05] Speaker C: And it looks like we've got, we've got another guest down. Sign me up. Yeah, we'll be in touch.
Yeah, it's very crazy. Neil has lovely cats. Yeah, okay.
[00:44:16] Speaker A: He does.
[00:44:18] Speaker B: This is great.
[00:44:20] Speaker C: Very cool.
[00:44:22] Speaker B: Well, look, I think on that note, we'll wrap today's extra special podcast. For those of you watching along live or watching along later or listening along later on one of our audio podcast channels, you've been listening to the Camera Life, watching the camera life episode 48. We are calling it episode 48. It's long enough to be an episode. I'll have to go back and renumber everything else that I've planned for the rest of the month, but. Rest of the year. But yeah, thanks for the heads up, boss.
[00:44:49] Speaker C: Sorry.
[00:44:50] Speaker B: But obviously we'd like to thank Charlie Blevins from Fujifilm Australia for joining us yet again.
He is an alumni of the show. He's not just here to plug the Fujifilm creator summit, but we thought it was a, an opportunity in an event that was worth sharing with everyone. We think that as we talked about this morning, that this sort of thing is important for camera brands to recognize the part they play in the education of visual Creatives, you can't just hand someone a brand new, even if it's a thousand dollar camera, ten thousand dollar gfx, whatever it may be and expect them to just, you know, go with it. There is an element of that, the self, you know, there's a bit of self discovery around photography but I think like what Fujifilm are doing, brands have maybe not a responsibility but an opportunity, let's say to do more for community. And I think Charlie, thank you for coming on, sharing what Fujifilm Australia are doing.
[00:45:50] Speaker A: Thank you and yeah, thank you Greg. Thank you Justin for having me on to be able to share this exciting event and. Exactly. Nailed it. We definitely want to see a lot of folks come and we just want to have the best time together.
[00:46:02] Speaker B: Sounds good, it sounds good. Maybe next year we'll do a live podcast from the event.
You will have to pay for our flights from Melbourne and Bendigo.
[00:46:18] Speaker A: What about a hamburger instead?
[00:46:20] Speaker B: Yeah, okay, well, yeah, well I'll take lunch. We'll get ourselves there.
[00:46:22] Speaker C: We'll take what we can get.
[00:46:24] Speaker B: Justin's got a van. We can, we can get there. Yeah, we'll drive, we'll drive.
But look Charlie, wishing you all the, and the team at Fujifilm Australia and your partners and all the creators who are presenting and part of this amazing event, we wish you all the best for. What are the dates again, Justin? One more time.
[00:46:41] Speaker C: 22Nd, 23rd of Feb, Luna Park, Sydney. Links in the description below. Stay tuned for a discount code for the Saturday and get there if you're anywhere, anywhere within like public transport or driving distance. You'd be crazy not to to get there. But if you're not, make a weekend out of it, go to Sydney, have a good time and learn something. Meet some other creators.
[00:47:01] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Well, look, on that note, thank you once again, Charlie.
And we'll have you back on in the near future to hear how everything went and to hear about the next Fujifilm initiative that's coming up.
Always welcome back. And for any of you watching or listening at home, if you are a brand or you're a brand ambassador and you want to talk about your craft and how your brand, you know, works with community, we'd love to hear your story. We can't guarantee a spot on the show but you know.
[00:47:34] Speaker C: Well, no, very hard to get on. It's very busy.
[00:47:38] Speaker B: It is, it is getting busier.
Yeah. And this is going to be our year. But anyway, enough about that. This is Charlie's moment. We'll let him shine.
Give us a smile, Charlie. And we'll say goodbye. And everyone listening along or watching along. Get out and hunt the light and be safe. Thanks for watching.
[00:47:57] Speaker C: Catch you next week.
[00:47:59] Speaker B: Bye.
