Canadians may find it interesting that Telus just bought Black’s Photo. Look for increased Telus saturation in the malls.  Just like Bell Canada recently bought Canada’s ex-Radio Shack stores.

I don’t find this very surprising: there is indeed some convergence in these small devices and Black’s just sells commodities to a low-end market, and no doubt Telus needed more mall saturation. In any case I am not sure how Black’s survived: their busines used to be photo developing and printing. Who does that anymore? And how many overpriced Chinese-made picture frames can you sell?

That said: this will defocus Black’s from photography. As it is, the only place to go in most of Ontario is Henry’s (where I teach).  Henry’s (and, in a few places, Vistek) are the only places to go for specialized photography retailing, where you need expertise and selection, and this will make this even more true.

As for printing, which is what Black’s really do? We should do this ourselves. I print 13″ x 19″ prints on my Canon Pixma Pro 9500 printer, and once you are used to how it works and once you have set up the printer drivers, you are better off doing it yourself. A learning curve, but a useful one.

Print your pictures, do not leave them sitting in hard drives!

A quick divergence – once only! – from my usual teaching blog. Instead of teaching, let me talk about another option for learning.
In my daily work as a photographer and teacher of photography, I meet many people who would  like to learn more about photography. Digital photography has unlocked a world of new possibilities: digital means new technologies, great affordability, and quick learning because of the instant feedback inherent in the technology.

I refer these people to Henrys’ School of Photography and its excellent courses, which I teach. But if they need training that is different from eth available material offered by Henrys, or if they need at-home training instead of classroom training, my colleague Peter West and myself are happy to oblige. This kind of training is very affordable and effective.
In this kind of “taught by the pros” courses, you will learn exactly what you need to know, when you need to know it. You will learn about your camera, your specific types of favourite photography, and your personal points for improvement. Then you get to practice them.
Whether you know a lot already or have never held a camera before, this type of training in the comfort of your own home can be useful. Even if you think you know all the basics: are you fully aware of how to:

• Use your focus system? One point vs many? Auto, one-shot or continuous?
• Choose the right lens for the right job?
• Shoot in “Manual” mode?
• Use exposure compensation?
• Shoot and handle RAW images?
• Use the Rule of Thirds?
• Use your camera’s multi-flash system?
• Use a flash when it is bright outside? And why?
• Shoot at night?

Because this type of training is individual, we will be able to meet your exact requirements.
Where do we offer this? Anywhere at all. Usually in the Greater Toronto area, but everywhere else is possible too.  And as a traveller who has worked in 33 countries, when I say everywhere, I mean pretty much everywhere.
Check out the site here [link].  And start your next phase of photography.