UK Photographic magazines fast closing down - Not many left

[IPDOUGLAS]

I read this morning in Digital SLR Photography that sadly this is the last issue.   UK Photographic magazines (of which we had quite a few with slightly different audiences) are fast closing.  Practical Photography has ended as well as others.  NPhoto and Photoplus (dedicated to single brands Nikon and Canon respectively) still survive but for how long.  Digital camera (World) is going strong and still appears healthy but a lack of a letters page is sad.

My prediction is Digital Photography will be next.  It has clearly aimed at a budding professional market but I see little for most enthusiast, hobby or established professional in its content?  I did contact the editor with criticisms and suggested constructive changes but she did not even acknowledge much less engage regarding my contact.

Is this trend happening/continuing in other parts of the world?   One of issues for me was of comparative tests of lenses and cameras.  Firstly (and this is NOT limited to paper but also prevalent on the internet) independence and brand loyalty/lack of bias has completely disappeared!  Secondly lens reviews seem to be copied (syndicated) from one magazine to the next?  This was compounded firstly by the bias and secondly by gross observable errors and total ignoring of self-supplied measurements (mtf charts and such like)!  Now before you rush in to point out that mtf charts are not the start and end of lens testing I would be the first to agree.  Handling, speed of focussing, focus accuracy, weatherproofing etc all play their part.

Photographic journalism has taken a nosedive not recently but at least 10 or 15 years ago presumably when accountants and profitline considerations cut costs?  Either that or the (younger?) journalists felt honesty, integrity and a degree of confrontation (of manufacturers (who are also paying magazines for adverts and promotions etc)) was not part of their remit OR controlling interests (employers) forbade them to act so?  So sad the loss of a magazine with its unique style.

On a positive note the RPS (Royal Photographic Society (of Great Britain)) has made 165 years of its Journal free online.  I believe it covers up to 2018.  Should be a great source of knowledge for those interested in vintage and antique cameras as well as chemical techniques in photography.  This is a very positive move so well done RPS!

 

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

What about the Digital Photographer magazine?

Typing their previous web address (www.dphotographer.co.uk) redirects to the Digital Camera World magazine?

[Rhossydd]

The internet is killing off specialist magazines. Not much of a surprise really.

[RSL]

Most photo magazines in the US are gone. Shutterbug was the last one on my own subscription list to go. The other thing that's happened is that there now are almost no photo shops outside large metropolitan areas. With the web and rapid delivery B&H, Adorama, and a couple other online outfits have wiped out their competitors. One way a mag like Shutterbug might have been able to stay in business would have been to switch to concentrating on good photography, as mags like US Camera once did. A magazine can't survive without advertising, unless it's something like LensWork, aimed at a very specialized market.

[IPDOUGLAS]

Digital Photographer magazine is in the same family group as Digital Camera hence the Digital Camera (world) link leads to them but caters to a different (according to their articles) audience perhaps of wannabe newish pros or college photography students? 

What I was suggesting was that Digital Photographer magazine will be the next to fold.  It is still running but I know no one who buys it or subscribes (even me and I used to subscribe to both).  I think cover prices have rocketed while content quality and feel editorial independence has diminished?  We will see.

[IPDOUGLAS]

Yes we have the same or similar situation with specialist photographic shops with only one left in my city (about 280,000).  At least the one remaining has staff that know photography and are real helpful.  Also while they are unable to drop prices (manufacturer pressure?) they can often do a deal and add extras and not just anything i.e. a 128gb XQD card and reader which was £300 at the time.  I always research the internet then see what they can do.  At least they get the chance to do a deal.

[IPDOUGLAS]

The UK photographic press seemed to revolve around a smallish group of the same photographers with a token guest article if someone did well.  I cannot number the times I have seen the same stock images (mainly wildlife/macro and landscape) from the same photographers.  I guess they pay once and use free or cheaper after that?  Not sure how it works. 

One famous very long running weekly photo magazine is strongly dipped in nostalgia and had a very loyal (elderly and I am a pensioner myself) readership but even they are dropping it now.

Those that make/made their living writing magazine articles illustrated with their images and giving presentations/talks will be having a hard time.  Most presentations were paid for physical attendances in the UK but now they are often taking place through Zoom or similar at a fraction of the cost.  My own club has recently had to reject Zoom presentations that were over-priced (in the current market) but we have had fabulous talks from speakers for free from further afield which we would otherwise been unable to enjoy or afford.  There is currently a trend to join (cheaply or free) other clubs on Zoom.  This is having a fantastic effect of bringing us all together and best of all exposing us to some great images.  The magazines would not be able to compete to be honest.

[Chairman Bill]

Who remembers the heady days of Camera? Black & White Photography & British Journal of Photography seem to be the only UK magazines really focussed on good quality imagery today

[RSL]

I'm still subscribed to "Black and White," Bill, though I'm going to let my subscription lapse.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Digital Photographer magazine is in the same family group as Digital Camera hence the Digital Camera (world) link leads to them...

Back in the day when the Digital Photographer had my photo on its cover, they had their own web site, their own readers' forum and galleries, and... they paid for it. I stopped visiting their site when they switched to no-compensation crowdsourcing.

[John Camp]

Most photo magazines in the US are gone. Shutterbug was the last one on my own subscription list to go. The other thing that's happened is that there now are almost no photo shops outside large metropolitan areas. With the web and rapid delivery B&H, Adorama, and a couple other online outfits have wiped out their competitors. One way a mag like Shutterbug might have been able to stay in business would have been to switch to concentrating on good photography, as mags like US Camera once did. A magazine can't survive without advertising, unless it's something like LensWork, aimed at a very specialized market.

The individual states are beginning to find ways to tax Internet purchases, but when I was living in California a decade ago, people would go to Samys and shop for cameras, and then order them from B&H in New York. People in New York would shop B&H, then order from Samys. In each case, they'd save some fairly large amount of sales tax. I don't think it's quite as simple now, but it once was, and the lack of sales tax did a huge amount to destroy local stores and shift everything to the net.

[RSL]

That's called "progress," John. Same kind of thing that got people off horses and into Fords.

[IPDOUGLAS]

Yes RSL but at least horses started on a cold morning, did not go rusty, pollute our air and to be honest a by-product was great for the garden and at end of life the dog did well!  Lol

[RSL]

Yes, and a heavy load of poop on the streets: more than was needed for gardens. 

[IPDOUGLAS]

Lol, not where I lived!  I remember keen gardeners well armed with bucket and trowel waiting for the rag and bone man to go by with his pony and cart laden with all sorts and attending such produced heaps with great glee and extreme competitiveness! 

[RSL]

Yeah, well I remember the equivalent of the rag and bone guy, IP. I'm 91 years old, and I remember riding with the milkman sometimes in the morning before I was in kindergarten. His wagon was hauled by a single horse, as was your rag and bone enterprise. For a real picture of what was underfoot, check cities like NYC or London when transportation was by horse. Fortunately, horses don't eat meat, so the stink wasn't as bad as it could have been.