Hello from Seattle. I have been following this site for about a year and have not really had much reason to comment on anything. I have shot analog for most of my life with crummy cameras, bad lens and cheap film. I went to digital for five years and then got some good analog equipment, lens and film and mean to make up for lost time. As I said to the guy at Glazer’s today, please don’t make me shoot digital. Well, that leads me to the goodbye part of my topic, tomorrow, an institution in Seattle will be closing, Ivey Photo will close its doors. See linked article. It may not be the end of the world but it sure seems like it. When a market as large as Seattle cannot maintain 4X5 color processing lab, something is wrong. In any event, I just wanted to say goodbye to Ivey. It is unlikely those of us who are amateurs will be able to support a lab like Ivey, but I think that there are more of us coming in the future and we will need processing solutions. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/368426_ivey26.html

Thanks for the link to the article. I've been hearing about the closure through the grapevine--a handful of Ivey regulars have been calling the lab I work for looking for a new place to send film. I hate to hear of lab closings. The article mentions that the film side of things is still profitable, which is the case for most labs that do any decent quantity. Seems like a short sighted thing to just dump it, after all, profit is profit! Hopefully someone will realize that Seattle IS large enough to maintain a pro-lab. The really irksome part of it all is the start up cost for a dwindling business...but Ivey HAD the equipment, trained employees, etc.

Welcome... that news is a bummer, I must say.

Welcome to APUG... dang blasted bad luck on Ivey's closing.

gene

Welcome to APUG. I just came back from B&H with a box of 4X5 TMax 100. When I asked the clerk for it his jaw dropped at just the thought of 4X5 film. He was very glad to see they had it in stock (so was I). I asked him if he'd been clerking in the refrigerator section or color TV departments prior to Film/Media, he didn't smile at that.

(Oh, they don't really sell refrigerators)

(Oh, they don't really sell refrigerators)

... yet ;)

Welcome to APUGland!

Another one bites the dust. Bummer. And on that note . . . Welcome.

Slumry,

Welcome to APUG. It's a damn shame about Ivey as they were a real resource for the Seattle photo community. As Glazers and Kenmore Camera move more and more into digital photography I find it harder to go somewhere for reliable advice and information. This place, APUG, is a beacon of light.

Best regards,

Bob

Hello.