The future's bright ..

You can do it when you B and Q it, except we can't and we're turning away from 'doing it ourselves', to the detriment of the profits of the hardware giant. Of course, the company blames the bad weather for their drop in takings but, according to Sunday's Observer, it seems people are finally realising they can't do it themselves, and are returning to booking the professionals to sort out their plumbing and their parquet flooring. I just hope the same mind-set starts to apply to the world of photography! Will we ever again see the day when people realise they can't take photographs like the pros, or are we stuck forever with the ethos of "The photograph's come out and it didn't cost me anything"? Sadly, I think it's the latter. My pal told me yesterday he's flogged off all his Leica lenses as clients "don't care about image quality anymore" and I've recently passed not one, but two photography studios in Altrincham that have shut down. Hell, I was told yesterday of an aquaintance of mine whose studio's gone bankrupt and who has now taken a job as a baggage handler at Manchester Airport!! Oh dear! Still, I hate to say it but, with fewer professionals out there, I can only see that as more work for me! Somehow I'm managing to tootle along and still make a living from photography. Here's hoping the future is bright, after all ..