Last Good Friday (2005), we were really forced to change our business
Since it is Good Friday and since the I only have the link to my portrait studio up so far, I think I’ll describe how my business in photography had changed. I’ll also talk a bit about the changes in photography in general a bit. Back in 1984, my father opened a 1hr film processing lab as a family business. He had seen a newspaper add about the business. It was just a small local business in a very tiny shop located on the main street in Cudahy, WI.
Photography was very different then
When we opened we really had no competition in the area. At the time, the nearest 1hr processor was at a mall about 15-20 minutes away. Drug stores took over a week for film, as did the camera stores. It seemed like a great business to start, and besides, I had kinda always wanted to be in photography too.
In order to increase the profits, we added framing, enlargements, and a portrait studio
By the beginning of the 1990′s business was actually pretty good. There was lots of film to develop. The portrait studio, while we were not able to do everything a full studio could, was very successful.
By the end of the 1990′s things were starting to change
I think the first change was the failed attempt in the industry to introduce the APS film format. It really was a bad idea. Small labs like us had to decide if it was worth upgrading to handle the format, as much as $30,000. In truth, APS really was close to the old 110 format in quality (little better but not much). We did not and it was a good choice since there never was much demand.
Soon the industry started to talk about digital
The first digital cameras were really bad. I know many people that purchased early digital cameras and were very disappointed with them. I think companies were overly optimistic about the quality. Also, the industry had not really thought out what anyone would do with the photos they got.
Then came the drug stores
Soon, every drug store in the area started to do 1 hr. film. They even built new drug stores. Discount stores also added labs. These companies sell processing at cost to bring business into their stores. Its hard to compete on a service you rely on for income when your competition is not even trying to make money on it. Our better quality kept many of our customers but our volume started to drop.
Since we saw the film processing business eventually ending, I started trying to improve the studio
We knew eventually we would end the 1 hr. business. But last Good Friday (2005) we finally had no choice.
On Good Friday 2005 our lab (the main printing machine) went up in smoke – literally.
We were told it was not repairable (after they charged us $1000 in attempting to). New machines would have cost $100,000 to $250,000. With the cost of digital prints falling (even then only $.25) we decided new equipment would never pay for itself with the volume we could see us doing. How many $.18 prints would you have to do to pay for a machine that cost that much? We knew the end had been coming. I just wish we had a little warning.
Since then, we have really only been doing portraits and framing
I am glad we had been planning to turn to something else. It has been a bit of a struggle to redesign the entire business plan. We are still working on the change. I have seen many other labs go completely out of business. In our area, there are only two independent labs left. The drug and discount stores have taken too much of the market by competing for the lowest price. That, combined with the huge changes in technology, has changed the entire photography business.
Even the big companies are having problems
Within the last year, Agfa and Konica-Minolta, both equipment makers and paper-chemical suppliers, have gotten out of the market. Agfa went bust. Konica-Minolta just decided to leave that end of the business. There are so many changes happening that trade magazines are usually announcing new products from companies that are no longer in the market.
With all this, I am more excited about photography than I was 10 years ago
I am more confident and excited about my portrait photography than ever before. I am hoping that these changes in my work will actually be for the better in the long run.
How about you?
Have you had a huge change in your business? Has technology changed your industry in a short period of time. Have you had a catastrophic change in your business and been able to overcome it?
I’d like to hear about it. Or, share with us how photography has changed to you.
Before i was really dissapointed when i took pictures and when i have it develop, the pic is exposed or not so good so it gets me dissapointed. Now when i take pictures, i see it rightaway and have it retouched if there’s flaws.
Paulette – Yep, it is nice to know if your pictures are turning out instead of waiting to develop them.
Obviously, the main change for commercial photographers is the advent of quality digital photography. Also, the issue of offering a CD with the images on as opposed to offering reprints has to be balanced.
James- not only that, Im very much amazed what technology can do for enhancement. Putting ones face to a beautiful figure is very artistic and brilliant.
I think you made the right choice even if it was not your first choice. I think framing and portaits have a better profit and to pay for machines would have lowered your profits for years to come. Reminds me of auto repair and computers. People paid thousands of dollars and had to upgrade machines. They found out it cost more to keep up with new computers for cars than they where making. Printer ink refills are going same way drug stores are taking over.
Well, in a way. I switched from being a programmer to a photographer.
I think your right Leon, us photographers have become more and more like programmers now, but so much of everyones jobs have gone this same way.
Before the advent of digital photography, I would never photograph weddings because a lab could always ruin your film during processing and there was never any way of preventing this from happening, I considered it too much of a risk. But now most of my work is as a wedding photographer and I only have to trust my self to ensure that all the shots are kept in good and safe order.
I do seem to spend too much time on my PC though!
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These days, everything seems to be online and digital. One big example is a video rental service, i.e. Netflix outclass Blockbuster. Netflix offers more convenient and cheaper to customers so why use Blockbuster.
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Hi,
I think you lost your interest in photography.Because photography is business which only success when people have interest in that
Thanks for the sharing your experience.
It is amazing how quickly technology has taken over. It is exciting. With the ability to share photos over the internet and almost everyone carrying around a camera on a phone, we now capture almost every moment. With programs like photoshop you can never believe what you see though. Changing or editing photos is so easy, in the old days it was left to those in the labs, but now it can be done by anyone with a computer!
Very interesting artcile. I bought my first digital camera yesterday and I’m starting to learn how to use it;)
Gry, the nice thing about digital cameras is that it is free to practice all you want. Back in the day, it would cost you $6 – $20 to find out if you were even getting your exposure right. I probably shot tens of thousands of frames without film in the camera just to develop my focusing technique (a technique that still works better than any autofocus in some situations-but needs a bit brushing up). Now I could actually see if the shots would have been in focus. Enjoy your camera.
Photography is amazing now, the things you can do on a computer with such programs as paint shop pro, photoshop, Even mobile phones have camera’s build into them. Now days most people have a camera either a digital camera, a mobile phone with a built in camera. it’s just great.
Technology is slowly changing each and every Industry and change is the essence of nature. If our business always remain in a static environment, there’ll be no fun in running it. The best way to stay ahead of your competitors is to keep educating yourself each and every day about what’s happening in your Industry, how new devices can help you in your business. There are many people who simply refuse to change, then we see that they don’t remain in the market anymore.
Business vary only when one is interested in any field, and get success only when you are interested. Like you, you are interested in photography.
To achieve success in any field one has to create interest in that field, without interest you can’t achieve success. Same with photography, if you want to be the best then the focus and tricks you need to learn first. Now a days photography business is too much changed..
The digital camera industry is in serious trouble, with smart phones and tablets getting better and better at camera quality and resolution. I can see a time soon when camera demand for casual/recreational photographers drops significantly. High end cameras will be a niche in the future, with 5-10 MP models commonplace in personal portable “smart” devices.
Yea, 100% agree with you. As a professional photographer, I could feel the resolution and clarity in nowadays digital cameras. For those who even experiences photography as their past time could feel that. Is it not? It has been proven from your post that how photography changed your life style and helped upgrading your financial status. Thanks to the digital cameras and photographers!
Photography is a work of art. One look and it catches all of your attention, showing the true passion and meaning of photography.
photography is really fun for business in era technology digital
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