20 | Smart Photography | September 2019
BUSINESS NEWS
http://www.smartphotography.inS
ony Electronics has opened contest
applications for the second edition of
its Alpha Female Creators-in-residence
programme.Launched in summer 2018, Alpha Female
is a programme that provides extensive
resources and opportunities to advance
the careers of female photographers and
filmmakers. In 2019, Sony is renewing
its continuing commitment to promoting
diversity and fostering the growth of all
voices in the photography, videography
and filmmaking industries.In the successful inaugural year of the
Alpha Female programme, five women
were selected from more than 6,000
contest applications to participate in the
creators-in-residence programme, each
receiving a prize package that included
financial support for personal projects,
along with an assortment of Sony camera
gear and a mentorship with one of Sony’s
female Artisans of Imagery.“This program inspired me to push myself
further than ever before, while also
opening so many doors for my career,” said
2018 Creator-in-residence winner and
award-winning wedding photographer
Megan Allen. “My work is light-years
ahead of where it was seven months
ago, and my clients are thrilled with the
results.”This year’s Alpha Female contest will
recognise a total of six award winners:
four in the category of Photography and
Videography, and two in the category
of Filmmaking/Cinematography. In
addition to project funding and Sony gear,
each winner will receive educationalopportunities and invitations to specially
organised networking events throughout
the programme.“Alpha Female is a way for us to bring
talented female creators out of the
shadows and into the foreground in an
industry where they are too commonly
underrepresented,” said Neal Manowitz,
deputy president of Imaging Products
and Solutions at Sony Electronics. “We are
continually inspired by their work and are
proud to offer this programme to support
this group of creators.”Winners of the Sony Alpha Female award
programme will receive USD 21,000 and
up to USD 5,000 in Sony equipment to
help fulfil their creative projects, as well as
access to additional loaner equipment to
help bring their artistic vision to life.Each winner will be paired with a
successful Alpha Female Artisan
photographer or filmmaker —women who
have all been paving the way for the next
generation of women creators. The Alpha
Female mentors are among the most
talented photographers and filmmakers
in the industry. Supporting mentors of
the Alpha Female programme include
Amber Baird, Brooke Shaden, Caroline
Jensen, Cristina Mittermeier, Jean Fruth,
Katrin Eismann, Marvi Lacar, Me Ra Koh,
Nancy Borowick, Sara France, Taylor Rees
and Zabrina Deng. Final mentors will be
matched according to each winner’s needs
and creative style.Contest applications and official contest
rules for the Alpha Female Creator-in-
residence Program are available at http://www.
alphauniverse.com/alpha-female.Sony’s Second Alpha
Female Programme
N
ikon Corporation has
announced its financial results
for the first quarter of the year
ending March 2020.Revenue and operating profit
dropped 24.0 billion yen and
9.7 billion yen, respectively, YoY,
due to sales volume reduction in
entry/mid D-SLR cameras and
FPD lithography systems, etc. The
company recorded 142.9 billion yen
in revenue, 14 percent down year-
on-year. Q1 operating profit was 9.3
billion yen, 51 percent down YoY,
yet proceeding accordingly to the
full-year forecast.In the Imaging Products Business,
despite steady sales of full-frame
mirrorless cameras and their
interchangeable lenses, unit
sales of both the digital camera-
interchangeable lens type and
compact digital cameras fell amidst
the shrinking market. In addition,
initial costs for the interchangeable
lenses for mirrorless cameras also
led to the decline in revenue and
profits.Regarding the business
environment for the fiscal year
ending March 31, 2020, in the
Imaging Products Business, both
the digital camera-interchangeable
lens type market and the compact
digital camera market are forecast
to continue to shrink.Nikon Corp.
Revenue
Down 14% in
Q1 FY19-20