Sad to see but it's the reality

Mainecoonmaniac · Jan 28, 2013

Labs are dropping like flys.

http://www.petapixel.com/2013/01/28...k-of-capitol-hill-60-minute-photo-in-seattle/

Pioneer · Jan 28, 2013

A sad story but interesting reading none-the-less. Thanks. Change is inexorable and it will happen whether or not we are willing to accept it. I do not believe that film will ever actually disappear, but it will certainly look a lot different.

thegman · Jan 28, 2013

I guess some will go away, but I can only say that in the past year, two new labs have opened in the UK that I know of. I've used them both, and one (AG Photo Lab) has become my regular.

Companies which adapt to change can thrive, those who stick to the old ways will perish. In London, you see little record shops all over the place, but HMV and Virgin Megastore are gone (or almost gone).

Film is of course now a niche, but so are vinyl EPs and mechanical watches, but each survive as they have adapted to their new market, and not attempted to compete against commodity markets.

Mainecoonmaniac · Jan 28, 2013

Now that sounds hopeful. Personally, there will always be film.

Ken Nadvornick · Jan 28, 2013

Pioneer said:
Change is inexorable and it will happen whether or not we are willing to accept it.

Not so, no. Change is driven. By individuals or altered conditions. It's never inexorable. Only the passage of time is inexorable.

Ken

PKM-25 · Jan 28, 2013

Not all doom and gloom, my friend works at this Denver based store and says their lab is doing really good numbers:

http://englewoodcamera.com/

Remember folks, quality, not quantity...

ParkerSmithPhoto · Jan 28, 2013

Sad story, but that tired photo essay was even sadder, driven as it was by the current philosophy of "photograph everything and say nothing." Without the words you would have absolutely no reason to look at those photographs.

ntenny · Jan 28, 2013

ParkerSmithPhoto said:
Sad story, but that tired photo essay was even sadder, driven as it was by the current philosophy of "photograph everything and say nothing." Without the words you would have absolutely no reason to look at those photographs.

I didn't think it was so bad. Some images better than others, much less interesting without the words, but I thought it was OK.

It sounds as though they were getting along until circumstances would have forced them to move. I'm just guessing, but that might be the situation of a lot of labs---enough business to sustain themselves, but not enough money in hand to cushion them in case of crisis.

-NT

pbromaghin · Jan 28, 2013

PKM-25 said:
Not all doom and gloom, my friend works at this Denver based store and says their lab is doing really good numbers:

http://englewoodcamera.com/

Remember folks, quality, not quantity...

A few weeks ago they told me that, too. I also hear pretty good news on increased film sales and processing business from the people at Denver ProPhoto.

Jeff Kubach · Jan 28, 2013

Sorry to hear. In my area one lab closes but another one opens up.

Jeff

lxdude · Jan 28, 2013

ParkerSmithPhoto said:
Sad story, but that tired photo essay was even sadder, driven as it was by the current philosophy of "photograph everything and say nothing." Without the words you would have absolutely no reason to look at those photographs.

I have no problem with the photographs. They were meant to illustrate the story. They showed looks of resignation, dismantled equipment, a key in a lock... they brought out the sadness, I thought.

marenmcgowan · Jan 28, 2013

I have two labs I use that are thriving...they get orders from all over the world. One supports this forum (Blue Moon). I think both are successful because they do excellent work, but they also really take care of their customers. Customer service is huge. I also think that as any kind of business owner, you do have to pay attention to what is happening around you and adapt. Sorry to hear about labs closing, but I wonder if it has anything to do with how much people shoot film... We are the people that keep film alive!

I guess I forgot to comment on the article...that's what the post is about (oops)... It is sad for her to close her lab, but I think the end of the era is truly the end of her era, not the end for all of us. Digital has brought about huge changes, but not the end. I may be Pollyanna on this, but I truly believe we are in control of keeping film alive. And, I know we (those of us shooting film) are not the "standard" or "average" for what is happening in the photo industry, but we are artists living the dream in my opinion because film is truly beautiful.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Jan 28, 2013

I bought and sell 6 Leicas when I was at 20s. Whenever I bought one , I had had no money for film. I have still a Leica and film money but now there is no lab around or cheap quality and expensive. I am taking my last color pictures. I will switch to entire BW , Kodak + HC110 B and FP4 + Pyrocat. This solution is even more expensive but I will get real negs. May be , for 120 and Velvia 50 , Byzantine Mosaic Series , I will send the slides to Germany.

My other exit strategy is using a Bolex and slide film and tiny neg size , shot one by one.
This is the best option. May be I can use a tele , shot a series horizontal , overlap each other and stitch at computer. I want elegantly saturated pictures. May be I can do BW Street also.

If the film chemical prices increases and selection drops ,and no more cheap processing and scan with HQ , I believe 16 or 8 mm cameras will be seen more. At least cinema people have more optiions with ICCs.

Umut

vpwphoto · Jan 28, 2013

I have a couple Minolta 16's and enough film in the fridge to expose a roll a week for 2 years. The 16's are fun.

jbrubaker · Jan 28, 2013

vpwphoto said:
I have a couple Minolta 16's and enough film in the fridge to expose a roll a week for 2 years. The 16's are fun.

Do you have any idea where I can get single perf BW negative film? I have Minolta, Mamiya, and Rollei 16's. The Rollei requires the edge perforation. thanks ---john.

AgX · Jan 28, 2013

A well worded intro, and photographs showing morsels of the gone.
Thanks.

Patrick Robert James · Jan 28, 2013

It seems a lot of these places are succumbing to the huge increase in real estate values over the last decade or two. When their leases expire, or their owners figure out how much the land is worth, they are gone. There is a lot more money to be made in selling a bunch of condos than processing a bunch of film. Sad to say.

nickrapak · Jan 29, 2013

jbrubaker said:
Do you have any idea where I can get single perf BW negative film? I have Minolta, Mamiya, and Rollei 16's. The Rollei requires the edge perforation. thanks ---john.

In the US, call up Kodak: 1-800-621-3456. Ask for CAT# 8569421. It's 100 ft of single-perf 16mm Double-X negative. It's ISO 250 Daylight, and has cubic grain, much like Tri-X. It only costs about $25 plus shipping.

Brian C. Miller · Jan 30, 2013

I've never been to Capitol Hill Photo. I've used Moon Photo and Panda, and other than that I've either been processing my film myself or sending it out of state. There simply is no color LF processing in Washington state.

From reading the article, the lab was hanging on by its fingernails for quite some time. It was getting by without having to pay rent, and that's pretty significant. The manager tried to adjust by adding a scanner, but that wasn't enough and the margins were too thin. Now the building is being demolished, and there's nowhere for the business or the machines to go.

vpwphoto · Jan 31, 2013

jbrubaker said:
Do you have any idea where I can get single perf BW negative film? I have Minolta, Mamiya, and Rollei 16's. The Rollei requires the edge perforation. thanks ---john.

I get it from this vendor on e-bay.
jmp61

Sad to see but it's the reality

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