JaincoTech & APA Partner

So, in anticipation of going to the APA's DC presentation of Paul Aresu, tomorrow evening, I was browsing through my APA e-mail folder and in pops an announcement that APA and JaincoTech are partnering for member savings.

I didn't think much of this, really, since I have sent to them work to be done domestically in Ohio as well as in their overseas offices, my 120mm analog files as well as select 35mm files for both keywording as well as scanning. I did the math, and a scan and keyworded file ready to move from my useless lateral file cabinet to my online solutions (Digital Railroad and PhotoShelter) was more effectively done by them, rather than doing it myself, with the resulting delays because I am busy shooting.

Shortly after I got that e-mail, I got an inquiry from a colleague, questioning this course of action by APA, somehow suggesting that it's detrimental to photographers. I hadn't, nor do I, see it that way. If that were the case, we could argue that the film labs took away from our craftsmanship in the darkroom when done ourselves, or from Duggal/et al in NYC taking away from us our retouching as well.

(Continued - including a video - after the Jump)

What APA has done, as I see it, is negotiate, on behalf of it's members, discounts on the service beyond what you can get on your own. I consider that a benefit, and, had I know about it before I sent out 1,500 images for keywording, I probably would have saved a few dollars. However, with another 3,000 images that I opted to scan myself (35mm in-house is viable if you're committed, 120mm is insane to do in-house) and apply my caption data to, I know that the APA discount will save me more than my membership fees alone in the coming months/years, just through these cost savings alone, and my experience with the quality of the work is top notch.

Moreover, as JaincoTech is both a US and Asian company, you, as the consumer can choose to have the work done domestically or overseas - you're call, your choice on price.

I did a segment with Gautam of JaincoTech at PhotoPlus -- here's just that segment:
Feel free to opt for their domestic service, or their international, your choice. When you do the math on the cost of shipping a 5lb drive via FedEx overseas, and back again, the cost savings of using overseas solutions - especially for keywording only, can diminish, making the use of their US operations potentially more appealing anyway.

The most important thing to do is - get your analog image scanned, and out making you money.

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