The following was pusblished in the Feb/Mar 2002 issue of LEICA Fotografie Intl.

" WHERE HAVE ALL THE ENTHUSIASTS GONE?

Bateman's Bay is a small fishing port on the east coast of Astralia....not the sort of place you would nowadays edxpect to see a nice Leica IIIa for sale in the window of a camera shop.... I noticed a small "[business]for sale" sign in the corner of the window. The owner was probably retireing. A new owner would almost definitely not operate the same style of shop because the specialist camera shops of Australia are very much a dying breed....Many have changed into fast processing shops selling frames....enlargers, printing paper,...and specialist knowledge have all gone and now even these shops are finding thier market shrinking due to digital photography.

Of course many specialist shops do remain....However even the big city shops are under threat as photographic tastes change. The influence of digital photography is profound. The demand for processiong and the supporting chemicals and papers is declining rapidly. Now non-photographic outlets such as COMPUTERS STORES are making major inroads into the digital camera market. Unfortunately, I can see the time in the not too distant future when there will only be a very limited number of real enthusiast's camera stores in the whole of Australia." BY: John Shingleton

What are your thoughts on this? I have to tell you...I HATE THE THOUGHT THAT COMPUTER COMPANIES AND COMPUTER STORES WILL TAKE OVER PHOTOGRAPHY. It just seems to me that the art of photography will be REDUCED to pixels and binary numbers. I have been a photography enthusiasts for over twenty years. This makes me feel ILL!

Concerns about film photography? Thoughts on photography going the way of the computer?

-- Rob Schopke (schopke@attbi.com), February 16, 2002

Answers

This is not a recent phenonmenum here in the US. Most "Enthusiast serving" small camera stores died off back in the mid 1980's when the first auto load, Auto focus, P&S 35mm cameras flooded the market. People started purchasing their auto everything cameras from "Best" and other showroom discount houses, and that's also about the time 1 hour labs started cropping up all over, so you didn't need to buy a camera or get film developed at a camera store anymore. Before that time, you needed to have a basic understanding of photographic principals in order to even operate a quality 35mm camera, and the better processing was only available at camera stores. Things change!

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), February 16, 2002.

A similar thing transpired throughout the entire retail industry since the early 1960's when super-markets and other chain stores appeared. But the small retailers did not die, they simply moved up- scale and the "niche market" was born. Never underestimate the power of the profit motive and tne entrepreneurial spirit. If there is a market for film, even a small one, it will continue to be produced and processed. It will cost a bundle but it will be there. The Leica itself is a testiment to this phenomenon--people happy to shell out $2000 for a 1950's-technology camera. And if film does ever completely disappear, some enterprising cottage-industrialist, perhaps a dedicated Japanese Leica-lover/collector, perhaps a former Leica repair technician, *maybe* even Leica themselves, will most certainly set up shop gutting Leicas and converting them into digital.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), February 16, 2002.

I live in Melbourne and agree 100%. I am so sick of tradtional photography and internet sales. Even though ebay is great for getting stuff, we Australian's have to look on the internet and pay US$ because there is othing decent being traded to stores here. Even then the only store In Australia that offers customers decent trade-in/consignment prices is James Place (see Tom) in Adelaide. I don't like where photogrpaahic sales is headed. I also don't like where photography is headed.

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), February 17, 2002.

Photography is the work of photographers. I've seen some great new photography in the last few years. Computer companies and computer stores aren't taking over photography.

I'm sorry, but what you write has nothing to do with photography. It's like being an architect and worrying about Home Depot. It's a "does not compute."

The biggest problem I see with photography is the decline of publishers for art books. Try and shop a book concept, it's amazing how few "fine art" publishers are left. And the galleries that deal with non-famous artists are drying up due to the economic climate. These are the problems facing photography.

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), February 17, 2002.

Hello Rob. I'm sure that many "craft" photographers share your concerns however as is patently obvious, the spirit of the LEICA photographer is not yet buried.This is evidenced by the involvement worldwide in this great LEICA forum.

Leica is well aware of current trends towards digital photography but you cannot deny the importance say of a young mother being able to capture with relative ease those first images of her firstborn with her simple to operate digital camera.(I know they still manage to muck up some of the shots.)

Leica is a more conservative company and slow to bring out new models however we may be soon seeing their foray into digital using "proper" Leica lenses and if so it may be because they have to.However,while there is still light there will be photography and LEICA will still be hanging in there still trying to get the highest image quality from their lens designs even if the bodies are made to evolve in a direction we are not all happy with. Regards.

-- Sheridan Zantis (albada60@hotmail.com), February 17, 2002.

I agree fullheartedly, I mean just look at my profession. After the death of Gianni Versace and the retirement of Yves Laurent there has been a serious shortage of new blood. The guilded era of male couturier is long dead. Especially ones who are willing to work with exotic leathers

-- Jame Gumb (jamegumb@hotmail.com), February 17, 2002.

I disagree with Phil. It is all about Photographs, but it is also about craft.and sharing ideas. The serious camera stores were places you could share ideas and gain technical knowledge by people who knew somthing about photography. I go to a camera store in Vermont where photographers bring in their work and share their ideas. You can borrow a camera or lens for a couple of days to see if it meets your needs. Try doing that a Chain stote. This store stays in business because it is supported by photographers who value this type of store. I make sure I make my equipment and supply purchases there rather than a discount house. I don't mind paying a little more for the great service and advice I get there.

Steve

-- Steve Belden (otterpond@adelphia.net), February 17, 2002.

About the decline of Leica retailers in Australia - I am based just outside Sydney in the Blue Mountains. Over the last 5 years, the number of retailers in Sydney who stock more than a single M camera body has reduced to basically just one dealer, Mainline Photographics in Crows Nest.

Pretty amazing for a supposedly international city with a population of over 3 million!

Whenever I look for Leica gear now, I hit the phone to ring a couple of Melbourne dealers and if these haven't got what I want (90% of the time), then it's NYC via email.

Part of the problem is sky-high prices for Leica gear - think $AUD 3.8- 4K just for an M body. Used M4-Ps run to @ $AUD 2K. For 20yr old cameras! Way too high. Cannot wholely blame merchants for this however - years ago Leicas were rip-off overpriced due to a 20-30% luxury tax. Then, about the time the tax was dropped, the $AUD value collapsed and has been worth @ 1/2 the $US.

Being a Leica User in Australia is Not Easy. :?(

-- Andrew Nemeth (azn@nemeng.com), February 17, 2002.

I disagree with Jeff's comments above (the Home Depot part), in that the better camera stores used to be a place where people learned about photography as well as equipment. The place I worked at years ago taught basic courses in lighting, composition, and darkroom, and most of us who worked there were experienced shooters and were willing to help people new to photgraphy develope there skills and eye. There are a few stores like this still around, but they are not common at all anymore even here in the SF Bay Area. Mostly what I hear on the rare occasion I visit "a real camea store" is nearly all equipment related with very little emphasis on photography other than "buy this new camera/lens/ digital camera and your photos will improve". OOPs, that sounds a bit like this forum.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), February 17, 2002.

I too must disagree with Jeff (not something I usually do). I'm the industrial manager of one of old style shops in question. We are situated in a medium size city (750000) and are really the only shop of our type. We have a number of the large electonic and computer chains, as well as the drug superstores that handle cameras up to the F100/EOS 3. We do get most of the pro and serious amatuer buyers and one of the reasons that they state is that they can always come in for a cup of coffee and get a bit of advice (my dept of two has a total of 50 years experience in the photographic field). We are competitive in pricing and will price match within reason, but often can't when it is something one of the 'box' stores has purchased a gazzillion of. Not surprisingly (in my mind) most people will still buy from me, even if the price is a little more because they know that tomorrow they can drop in, get an hours worth of advice, and not be under pressure to buy anything. For all of this we have had double digit sales increases every year since 1993. Now maybe it's changed but I also have experience doing takeoff from blueprints for housing. For two years in the late 70's I worked in exactly the same kind of operation I now work in, only selling lumber to, among others, architects. Again not surprisingly, was I ever worried about the Totems or Eagles. My clients knew they could always get a coffee, maybe a donut and shoot the s**t. But if you want these types of stores around, the best advice I can give is to support them. Buying at the big box down the corner to save $10, then hanging out at the local camera shop to get advice on how to run your purchase is the best way to ensure they won't be around when you really need them.

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), February 18, 2002.