LEARN MORE FROM THE NEW FUJIFILM ‘ORIGINAL’ PHOTO PAPERS WEBSITE ! ORIGINALPHOTOPAPER.COM
Michel Haddi’s exclusive photobook on David Bowie. ‘I believe that Fujifilm paper is simply the best in the world. My recent exhibition in Florence was printed on Fujifilm Original Photo Paper… the quality is simply outstanding.’
when he is in the UK he insists on using Cre8, an independent studio based in Newark, Nottinghamshire, that he has had strong connections with for years. ‘Cre8 is a very special studio for me,’ he says. ‘They just give me what I want. Always and without fail. In my experience, the smaller the organisation the harder it will work to give you the very best service possible, and go the extra mile when necessary. ‘The secret for me is to first know exactly what I want to achieve and then work with the lab to make sure it happens. I guess the analogy might be that sometimes you don’t need to spend £20,000 on a camera. Sometimes a far more cost-efficient £500 device will do the job.’ Michel has been working with Fujifilm for the past 35 years. ‘I used to work extensively with Fujiflex silver-halide papers – I must
have thousands of prints on that medium,’ he notes. ‘I believe that Fujifilm paper is simply the best in the world. My recent exhibition in Florence was printed on Fujifilm Original Photo Paper … the quality is simply outstanding.’
Small is beautiful Ask Cre8 owner/partner David Gates the secret to winning and keeping a major customer such as Michel Haddi and he confesses: ‘There is no doubt about it, we are control-freak perfectionists. I am sure that helps. ‘I worked in a large pro lab before coming to Newark 22 years ago and sometimes size and volume mean some work doesn’t get the attention it really should. Quality control can become an issue as you get bigger. ‘My partner Steve Watson and I will never allow any
product out of our studio unless we are 100 per cent happy with it.’ Cre8 has been in the Fujifilm camp for more than four years now. ‘The best move we ever made,’ he adds. ‘Fujifilm Original Photo Papers are simply the best on the market. Customers love the colours, the stability and the durability of the range … we never have any problems.’ The studio has been working with Michel Haddi for five years. Says David: ‘I remember getting a call from him asking about our service. He needed high-res scans and retouching capability. ‘He brought us a small batch of images which were going into a book he was producing. He loved the results we produced and he has been a regular customer ever since. He also has a lab he uses in Paris but he prefers to use us whenever he can.’ Cre8 recently printed, packaged and despatched more than 60 large-format exhibition images (output to Fujifilm Pro Gloss Paper) to Florence, where Michel was having an exhibition. The Cre8 Studios reception in Newark with print work on display, below
‘To be honest, the packaging, which took us hours, was more of a challenge than the printing,’ admits David. ‘One wrong move and we would have had to reprint. We were working to very tight deadlines.’ Working with world-class professionals enables small studios such as Cre8 to be flag bearers for small independents within the Fujifilm FDIS network. ‘I think it’s great for our industry generally that big names are prepared to work with smaller outfits where they know they can get exceptional and bespoke service,’ concludes David. And Cre8 can look forward to many more years working with Michel, as he has no plans to retire. Ever. A martial arts expert with more than 40 years’ experience (and a book dedicated to his kick-boxing son) he concludes: ‘I am a mercenary. I am always thinking about the next gig.’
For further information see michelhaddistudio.com cre8studios.co.uk originalphotopaper.com