A while back, it was a Monday morning I believe, I was on a conference call with four people on the other end of the line. They were sitting at a conference table far away in a room with bad acoustics.
This meeting took place after the decision to close c't Digital Photography Magazine in North America. I had an idea for us to move forward. My thinking was this: we had put a lot of work into building www.ct-digiphoto.com, and maybe we could redirect it instead of closing it all together.
I wanted to make it a site that focused on film photography. My preliminary research showed that there was a small, but dedicated audience who might be interested in such a resource. And for a lot less money than printing a magazine, we could continue to build the Heise brand in the U.S.
The meeting went horribly, at least from my point of view. They listened quietly while I presented my ideas. Then there was silence. After that, one of the participants started talking. The bottom line this: they didn't believe in the idea, but if I was willing to provide enough detailed research and business plan that would guarantee profit, they would consider it.
At first I though I might do it. Then I changed my mind. "Thanks guys for you time. I think I'm going to go it alone."
There were no hard feelings. We parted ways. And I haven't had contact with them since.
A few days later I was making coffee in the kitchen at the studio. While staring out the window as the water bubbled and dripped, I had a thought. "I wonder if www.theanalogstory.com is available?" It would be the perfect companion to www.thedigitalstory.com. (I was impressed with such a clever idea so early in the morning.)
I went to my laptop and searched. The domain was available. I bought it immediately. And so began the journey.
I'm going to launch TheAnalogStory on April 11, 2016. It's going to feature a Camera Shop with really wonderful and affordable film cameras and lenses, personal stories (with images) from photographers who love film, digitized spec sheets and brochures from the 80s and 90s, tips and techniques, and of course lots of pictures and how they were made.
(If you want to contribute, write me at: TheAnalogStory@gmail.com)
I'm telling you this story now, before I know if the project will be a success or not. Why? Because I think there are a lot of great ideas out there that never see the light of day. You might have one of them. And I honestly believe that it's the doing it that really counts.
And a table of stone faces is no way to judge its validity. If you have faith in it, and if it makes sense to you, then why not? Really... Why Not?!
The Nimble Photographer logo is a lanky guy walking alone. It always seems to start that way. But the interesting thing is, as he goes forward, he finds others who want to travel the same direction.
And those who want to block his path... are left behind.
-Derrick