Context In
Târgu Mureș (formerly known by its
Hungarian name, Marosvásárhely) there has been a tradition in the field of photography since the 19th century, in 1865 Péter Ciehulszki taking and processing a series of photographs in his own studio. In the following period, other workshops and studios were opened, which led to the creation in 1905 of Amatőr Fényképészek Egyesületének (
Amateur Photographers Association). On October 8, 1933, the largest photographic exhibition organized by (
Transylvanian Carpathian Society) took place in Târgu Mureș, where 205 photographs were included in the following groups: landscapes, portraits, specifics, specials and beginners. The president of the exhibition, Gábor Szijgyártó, stated that "the competitors gathered showed such a great sense in the art of photography, vision and perfect technical training that we rarely find anything like this at similar exhibitions in Western cosmopolitan cities.") offered several local amateur photographers the opportunity to send their photos to exhibitions in the country and abroad, founding in 1953 the Photo Club (), as one of the artistic circles of the
Palace of Culture from Târgu Mureș.
Photo paper factory After
World War II, professional and amateur photographers resumed their work, but those who used to use the products of the German photographic industry (
Kodak,
Agfa) faced a significant shortage of film and photo paper. with the help of a sister of theirs and the brother-in-law who both had a photo studio, set up a laboratory in a garage on Baross Gábor Street (now Horea) for production of photographic paper called
IMAGO, In 1951, According to journalist Zoltán Bakó from , Imre Horváth had 50 inventions between 1947 and 1972, but not patented. the factory of photosensitive materials within the
Târgu-Mureș Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant was put into operation, the section building being designed by the Japanese company
Fujitsu to withstand an earthquake of maximum 9.4 degrees on the
Richter scale. Construction began in 1974. The technology and products of the factory were licensed in Japan The plant has been noted as the only Romanian producer of films and photo products At the 15th edition of the Bucharest International Fair, organized in the Exhibition Complex in Piața Scînteii on October 14, 1989, there was also a stand for Azomureș photosensitive materials, where the products were presented: AZO-X orthochromatic medical radiographic film, industrial radiographic film for nuclear use Gamagraf NG1, NG2, NG 3, negative color film Azocolor 100.
Bankruptcy '' in 1981 According to a communiqué from
Azomureș sent to the
Bucharest Stock Exchange, the General Meeting of Shareholders of the company convened at the end of April 2003, decided, following the analysis of the activity of some subunits, to close the photosensitive materials plant. One reason for the closure was the competition with large companies in the field that developed local distribution systems after 1989 on the Romanian market. In the late 1990s, companies disputed the market at the beginning of each summer, during the holidays and vacations. According to an estimate from that time, approximately 60% of film sales, regardless of the producer, were concentrated in June, July and August, with the most used film being the one with sensitivity of 100 ASA and 36 frames. With declining demand for photographic materials, high costs, and payment problems, there have been annual losses of about $500,000 a year in the factory's last five years. A digital archive of photographs taken in the country was created in January 2019, following the model of the
Fortepan archive in
Hungary. File:Ambalaje filme foto.jpg|Packaging of black and white panchromatic negative films (cardboard and plastic boxes), Azopan PS-18 and PS-21 with 36 frames File:Hârtia fotografică.jpg|Azo 9x14 black and white photo paper box with 100 pieces File:Azomures, Arfo, Fohar, ORWO photo paper.jpg|AZOMUREȘ photographic paper top (at the base). There are also an
ARFO box, also produced in Târgu Mureș, Fohar (manufactured in
People's Republic of Bulgaria) and
ORWO (manufactured in
German Democratic Republic) File:La pas prin Cluj (3).jpg|Black and white film photography taken in 1989 with Azopan PS 21, the subject is
Academic College (Cluj-Napoca) Products == References ==