Its a sad day here today....

[g0tr00t]

I found out last night that my only supplier of film products is going to close their doors. I have been trying to call them to see if this rumor is true.

This store has been in business here since 1975. It was a mom and pop shop passed down to the son. He would great you at the door and show you whatever you needed.

I remember coming down here from Chicago on vacation as a kid and my uncle taking me to the camera store to see what they had on sale or consignment.

It was a real treat to go in there, sit on the carpet and stare at the book shelves with volumes of information. The store seemed so magical when I was younger...

It was a big deal to the pro photographers in the area. Sadly those days have passed and everytime I go in there, nothing in the film area has changed much. Same supplies and more and more digital items.

Update:
The building was sold out from underneath them and now they are selling their entire inventory. No plans to move the shop.

I am not blaming digital for this. I know it was a slew of items that caused this to the store...Heck I bought my D100 from them.

Bottom line though is that its sad to see them go. I had just built this great film relationship with them over the past year and have been trading some really good stories. Now to see them close.

Yeah, its sad and I am sad. Thanks for listening....🙁

 

[back alley]

bummer!

 

[FrankS]

It's the fault of all those people buying digital cameras! 😉

 

[Designer]

And the rapid depreciation of memory cards!😉

 

[George S.]

It's no ones' or anthing's "fault". And it's not necessarily a "shame". Time marches on. It was probably sad 80 to 100 years ago when the traveling photographers in the covered wagons who would travel the country making photographs started going out of business, but why did that happen? Because photography became availble to the masses directly, and they could now mail their camera away with the exposed film inside and receive their prints directly. That was and is looked upon as a good thing, no?

I may not be plunging headlong into the digital world and abandoning film but I also don't feel it's a "shame" that most people are. As long as I still have a film camera and a choice, I don't care what the rest of the folks do.

 

[George S.]

P.S.- The above post was just my opinion, and I don't want to seem like I was "lecturing" anyone who posted previously....

 

[g0tr00t]

Nah, no offense taken. I know that its part of evolution. I was just hoping this place would stick around. Heck I shoot both digital and film. I guess I hate change when I just started to get back into film and had a nice local place to go and get my stuff...I hate waiting for boxes in the mail.

I feel both have their place in the market at least for me. I shoot with a Canon 1D and just bought a Canon 1Ds. I have clients that need 24 hour turn arounds. I can't do that with film while working a full time job.

I am working on a creating a gallery of film prints and digital prints and working with a friend of mind about putting my photos on display at a local gallery. We'll see what happens... 🙂

 

[FrankS]

I was just trying to give Joe a hard time about his new digicam but he didn't bite.

 

[ddimaria]

The role of the image and it's relationship to mankind is constantly evolving with us. hmmm.....

 

[back alley]

just remember i bought a USED digital. i'm not really contributing to the GROWTH of digital or the demise of film. i think...

joe

 

[g0tr00t]

I wonder if they are researching eye tumors and the digital camera. How many years have they been blaming cell phones and brain tumors now???

I like the growth and it will be interesting to see when we hit the plateau of digital. Next they need a bluetooth transmitter and a hard drive on that you can wear, shoot and store at the same time. No more memory cards.... 😉

 

[Doug]

David, a sad situation for sure; you had established a pleasant relationship with them, and their closure upsets that. But while they close out their inventory, it seems to me this would be an excellent opportunity for you to document the process. You'll enjoy the photos later, and perhaps they would as well.

 

[g0tr00t]

If anyone cares to read this, it was in the paper yesterday.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes...CAMERA+EXCHANGE+CLOSING+//+Out+of+the+picture

I know I shouldn't let these writers get to me.....but....THIS really makes me angry!

"With the dawn of the digital age, people have a decreasing need to accessorize their cameras. Camera filters, photo paper, developer and even film are inching toward extinction."

Extinction???? Can you imagine if all the painters went to camera's when they were invented???? Or all of the B&W photog's went to color as soon as THAT was invented!

Grrrr.....

 

[thmk]

Hm... the last words make me think. "But today, nobody wants a film camera." Looking at my equipment I can only find one "old" digital Canon S30 but a lot of film cameras with several of them even bought new. So I am nobody 🙁 Maybe the problem is that probably nobody wants a new film camera every year how it often turns out with these automatic-everything-megapixel plastic gadgets where production cyclus is not really counted in whole years.

 

[RML]

David, you're right they're not extinct, and probably never will, but it's all sure getting decimated. I have to agree that this kind of propaganda is giving a plainly wrong view of the current situation, but that's what news is all about: they need to quickquick hurryhurry grab your attention and can't sit down to research the field and record the nuances. Even quality newspapers nowadays are not nearly as investigative as they used to be. But, as long as the rest of the world keeps buying digital cameras more fine RF cameras will be available for us. 😛