Anil Dash spots a rather desperate sign in the window of a Manhattan shop that develops film:
I noticed this sign in front of a camera shop here in Manhattan a few weeks ago and remembered to take a picture of it the last time I walked by. “Digital Cameras Can Cause Blindness”. It’s of course a not-very-funny joke from a shop that develops film images, railing against the changes overtaking their business. They’ve got other signs up, too, “Digital Cameras Can Cause Stroke” and a host of other maladies, including strokes, sterility, sudden death, and the dreaded “poor quality photos.”
Yet another indication of how digital photography is edging out regular film photography and how threatening that is to the entire photography establishment, from Kodak down to independent shop owners. Film isn’t going to disappear, but it is going to move into a niche where it’ll be used mainly for artistic and professional purposes. Shops like these are either going to have to learn to cater exclusively to that niche or learn to start printing digital photos.
