One thing that cannot be ignored is how changes in the photographic market have effected traditional photo retail with this weeks announced closure of Jessop's of Leicester who have branches here in North Staffordshire and also in Wolverhampton that I regularly visit ever since first getting into photography all those years ago.
The thing is a combination of many people using smartphones as cameras and the ascendancy of digital photography has cut the repeat custom as today a person can get a phone or even a digital camera and apart from maybe getting another lens, that is it.
In the past of course we came in week after week to buy film, hand films for processing, get enlargements done and while doing that we saw things that may expand on what we were taking.
You developed a relationship with the staff who tended to be experienced amateur photographers too so they were able to advise you on problems or where an idea may not work so well.
In Jessop's case they even run photo courses for people who wished to up their photography featuring many experts.
R.I.P Jessops
