More Ilford Gloom!

All of this is of course speculation which, while personally therapeutic, solves nothing. However, if Receivership in Britain is anything like Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the USA, it provides protection from creditors while reorganizing. In other words, suppliers of raw materials to Ilford need not be paid. I suspect, therefore, that the fundamental reason product is not being shipped is that no one is willing sell Ilford the raw materials to manufacture it.

John Cook said:

I suspect, therefore, that the fundamental reason product is not being shipped is that no one is willing sell Ilford the raw materials to manufacture it.

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Not so, I spoke to Ilford on Monday of this week and was reliably informaed that the plant is running as normal and I did report this in APUG

Peter Hogan said:

Yep, people are buying Ilford products...and they are now difficult to find. I 'phoned Ilford the day I heard about the receiver, and they told me that they 'are taking orders, but not sending out any deliveries'....read into that what you will.

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That's one of the standard "Suit" strategies here in the USA when the Suits are looking to unload a company.

Although Ilford say they are still producing, local photo shops can't get hold of it. They don't know whether this is because of people stocking up on it or because production is down. My local Jessops told me that an Ilford rep told the last year that they were going to stop doing chemistry 'as there was too much competition in a small market'. I suppose the probable demise of Ilford will be better news for smaller manufacturors. They'll have a long way to go to match Ilford for consistency, though!

Rob

Analog photography should remain a hobby for years to come, but I sure don't want to have to make a living off it.

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Actually, I do make a living off analog photography, and I do well because I'm a film shooter. That's very important to my clientele, who love the fact that the images are hand-developed and -printed.

Cheryl Jacobs said:

Actually, I do make a living off analog photography, and I do well because I'm a film shooter. That's very important to my clientele, who love the fact that the images are hand-developed and -printed.

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Yep, and your work is beautiful. Don't get me wrong, I admire anyone who CAN make a living doing this, I have many friends who do. It's just not for me. I put my photography where I need it to be, in the realm of what keeps me interested.


tim in san jose

Cheryl Jacobs said:

Actually, I do make a living off analog photography, and I do well because I'm a film shooter. That's very important to my clientele, who love the fact that the images are hand-developed and -printed.

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Cheryl,

Absolutely and you are not alone. I am (attempting) to go full-time pro and intend to aim myself at this market too (usual commercial array incl weddings etc). Analogue is definitely still there as a (small) commercial viabilty and often sought after as digital has 'taken over'. I am confident that there will be no end to analogue availability. Even if Eastern European manufacturers are never as consistent (Forte etc) the products are very good value and have qualities that I seek out (Forte Fortezo G3 is a must, as if Efke100). It was interesting to watch those looking at my work alongside that of a digitographer at a recent exhibition. Some totally ignored mine and went for the digital, generally because they wanted the latest 'tip' on papers or printers or to be able to go home and produce what they had just seen (without having to actually take a decent picture). Most bored the poor exhibitor (who was a good photographer) to tears with their digital trainspotting knowledge. Those who liked mine, liked it for what they saw. They had genuine appreciation for what a genuine fine (un digitinkered) print is, and commented repeatedly that there is so little around.

It may be a case of those left standing.....GET IT ALLLL!!!!!

Tom Stanworth said:

Absolutely and you are not alone. I am (attempting) to go full-time pro and intend to aim myself at this market too (usual commercial array incl weddings etc). Analogue is definitely still there as a (small) commercial viabilty and often sought after as digital has 'taken over'.

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One quick thought. It seems that if we continue to use analog methods, then we need to accept both its strenghts and its limitations. You can't complete with digital for turn-around time, so we need to emphasis quality first.

You can't complete with digital for turn-around time, so we need to emphasis quality first.

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Absolutely true. My clients know that they will not be receiving instant proofs, and I can't produce prints with the punch of a button. It takes time.

That said, some are better at containing their enthusiasm than others.

Cheryl Jacobs said:

Absolutely true. My clients know that they will not be receiving instant proofs, and I can't produce prints with the punch of a button. It takes time.

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There are still a lot of people that are more interested in quality than in time (at least I hope ). But, there is a lot of pressure. I made a concious decision to not sell photos unframed. I'm sure that it will cut down on the number of people willing to buy them, but, from my point of view I look at the unframed prints in the local galleries and they are all ink-jet prints, complete with blown highlights, etc. I'd rather sell nothing than sell junk. Just my 2c worth.