The fading of one-hour photo shops
The Times Argus has an interesting story on how digital photography is changing the way film developing shops operate. While film seems to be taking its last gasps, the shops are switching over to digital prints and finding a new way to make revenue.
You can usually find a one-hour shop in your local Walgreens, and it has the kind of convenience that originally revolutionized amateur photography. The thought that you could see your photos within an hour of taking them was once considered quite fast.
Otherwise you might find yourself struggling to find time in the darkroom or waiting for a week for photos from other photo shops.
With digital, most one-hour shops have now switched to digital services but still offer film developing as well.
Here’s what the Time Argus has to say…
Film developing and printing is still available at chains like Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Price Chopper. Those surviving locally owned photo stores adapted to the change, offering digital photo services.
David Werle of Lightening Photo in Middlebury said his business today is 75-25 percent, digital to film. Werle still does one-hour film developing but he says the days of film cameras for the hobbyist may be nearing an end.
“Canon USA is predicting that film will be very difficult to find on shelves in two years,” he said.
Werle, who has sold one film camera in four years, said companies have also scaled back production of film cameras.
At Bob’s Camera and Video in Barre, Bob Sager said he offers one-hour film developing, six days a week, though like other camera and photo shop owners interviewed said the film developing end of the business has dropped off.
Clicking the shutter on a digital camera offers instant gratification, with the image captured for immediate viewing. Hobbyists can then print their own digital photos at home or just store and view them on a computer.
And then the article discusses the possible downfall of digital taking over and the complete removal of film.
Sager said he’s concerned that the ease of digital photography may mean a loss of history.
“What I’m more concerned about is a lost history with this because with photographs there’s something there your children and grandchildren can go back and cherish,” he said. “With digital, is there going to be something to cherish in 40 or 50 years.”
He said not only is the durability and longevity of printing at home lacking but many amateur photographers don’t even bother to make hard copies but simply store images on their computer or on a CD.
Computer hard drives are known to crash with the loss of data. Wideawake said even CD’s can be a problem.
“The CDs that we use are rated for 100 years,” he said. “It’s susceptible to abuse and if damaged all that data will be lost.”
It’s a good read, The Times Argus looks at the advancement of one-hour photo shops and what the future may hold.
[...] the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority.http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/local/local_story_096155125.htmlThe fading of one-hour photo shopsThe Times Argus has an interesting story on how digital photography is changing the way film [...]
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