Ilford Photo Press Release

Many months in the making, but well worth the wait, ILFORD Photo’s new website has gone live and is proving a magnet for everyone with an interest in black-and-white photography.

“Spreading the word” is one thing, but the new website launched by ILFORD Photo (www.ilfordphoto.com ) is something else. A virtual encyclopaedia of all you wanted to know about black-and-white photography but didn’t know where to go, the site provides a vast resource of information about black-and-white photography in general, and ILFORD Photo in particular. Reaching out to everyone interested or involved in pure photography, the site carries separate ‘Home’ pages for students, educators, professionals and enthusiast photographers. Each of these contains information and links of particular interest to the visitor, and invites visitors to register with information about themselves to create a forum for interactive communications, and to set the basis for future events, promotions and content which will be geared to visitors’ interests and requirements.

Not surprisingly for the world’s leading black-and-white photography manufacturer, the site is heavily populated with new black-and-white images throughout all the main menu pages. The different sections, sub-sites and special pages are fully detailed and easy to locate.

The ‘Products’ section is crammed with detailed information about all ILFORD Photo products, including applications and directions for use. It provides a wealth of background to the wide range of film, paper, chemistry, accessories and services which the company markets.

More than this, the ‘Catalogue’ link allows visitors to search for film or paper products to suit their type of photography, and details the availability of individual items in specific regions.

There is a host of individual product ‘Fact Sheets’ which can be downloaded, along with a listing of competitor equivalents to allow visitors to check the ILFORD Photo replacement for Agfa or Kodak products. The specialist field of scientific products has its own area, while product and environmental ‘Health & Safety’ data is an essential aspect of serious photography.

Natural extensions of the ‘Products’ sector include details of special promotions which highlights any regional offers supported by ILFORD Photo or its distributors, while the ‘Where to buy’ section enables easy location of dealers in all regions which stock ILFORD Photo products, or which offer internet ordering facilities, as well as photo labs providing black-and-white processing services.

Heralding a new concept in online learning, ILFORD Photo’s ‘Applications’ pages have been created to aid users wishing to learn more about photography, either as complete beginners, or as existing users and enthusiasts wishing to improve their techniques. There are dozens of topics in this area, which will be further expanded in due course.

For those wishing to take their photographic education to a more formal basis, the ‘Photo Study’ section of the site includes a listing of colleges and courses offering tuition in photography at all levels, from the very basics through to more advanced standards for those wishing to pursue photography to the achievement of recognised certification. There is also a listing of suitable books and publications to extend knowledge and awareness of the photographic world.

Another new idea is the development of an interactive ‘Photo Community’ section intended as an area where visitors can find out about events taking place in their regions. It includes various forums where views and opinions on any aspects of photography can be shared, and special galleries to allow users to submit their own work to share with others viewing the website. In fact, there are four separate galleries - Student, Enthusiast, Fine Art and Professional.

Other aspects of the ‘Photo Community’ section include directories for locating darkroom hire and studios, as well as professional and trade associations, and photography-related features and articles from around the world are being posted - site visitors are invited to contribute to these areas to make it as wide reaching and up-to-date as possible. Competitions and results will be announced here, with winning entries exhibited.

Keeping visitors to the website fully informed of the latest news from ILFORD Photo is the Press Room which includes information on the company’s people, products, activities and events.

Currently in English, the website will be available in French, German, Italian, and Spanish by the middle of 2006.

For further details on the company, and to check this unrivalled repository of photo knowledge and information, visit www.ilfordphoto.com