Pictures and words by Stuart Fawcett (JackAllTog)

Fujifilm’s new 11,000 PrintLife printed photographs exhibition opens in the Truman Brewery from Thursday 24th to 27th October 2019, Stuart Fawcett went along for ePHOTOzine to the opening night to try and see as many of the images as he could. It’s actually one of the largest photo exhibitions in the UK.

One image can change us.

A picture, a moment can change the way we feel. Change how we see ourselves. Change our understanding and change the rules. Provoke and change history.

MPB puts photo and video kit into more hands, more sustainably. Every month, visual storytellers sell more than 20,000 cameras and lenses to MPB. Choose used and get affordable access to kit that doesn’t cost the earth. Sell the kit you’re not using to MPB. Trade in for the kit you need to create. Buy used, spend less and get more. Buy. Sell. Trade. Create.

The Truman brewery is a massive trendy assembly of buildings housing art, retail and food & drink places. It’s got a real bohemian feel to the area and has its own edgy vibe that draws lots of diverse visitors into its large rundown spaces. Fuji has hired a large collection of interconnected show areas over 3 floors So there is lots of space to see many many photos – more than you will ever have time to view. Here is perhaps a 10th of them to give you some idea of the scale.

I’m sure you will certainly find quite a few images you really like, and perhaps even a few you won’t, but there is joy and colour and excitement all over in this exhibition. Sharing a few of the images that caught my eye, from royalty and brightness to pictures of the homeless and by the homeless.

The evening was formally started with introductions by Gloria McCann, Marketing Manager for Photo Imaging at Fujifilm UK and Yoshi Nakamura MD of Fujifilm UK talking about how this exhibition has been going for 14 years but only recently is becoming a global phenomenon spreading across 10 countries and encompassing 110,000 images worldwide. Neill Harris, General Manager of Photo Imaging at Fujifilm UK went on to talk about the joys of the printed photo and how a photo’s value is so much more than when just viewed on a screen. The exhibition is being aimed at those under 25, though contributions and enjoyment span many ages. Also noted is that Fujifilm printers are widely available, such as in Jessops, and will shortly be in a dedicated Fujifilm store in Covent garden.

The final speaker was Zoe Bailie Director at The Mix Charity, a charity specifically aiming support for those under 25 with issues covering mental health, homelessness, jobs, breakups, bullying, self-harm and drugs. A short video showed two young people having issues and how the charity supports then through phone calls and chat sessions to help them find a way to manage and resolve difficult situations. They have helped 2.5 million people reaching out to them.

So with the exhibition now officially opened you only have until the weekend to see the photos; You will be overwhelmed with the photo ideas for the submission categories of ‘My Everyday’, ‘My Fun’, ‘My Tribe’, ‘My View’, ‘My Truth’ and ‘My Adventures’. Don’t forget to also go upstairs and see the global entries too. If you do see young people with issues – remember 100 of those people were also given a fuji film camera to record their images so you might find an unexpected kindred spirit, or even the next Nan Goldin.

For more info see:

• Fujifilm Printlife
• The Mix