We’re going to try a variety of different topics and approaches to content, so engage with us and don’t just be a spectator.  Send us your feedback and if you’re interested in contributing to the magazine, send me an email at mike@pinholepro.com  There are only a few basic parameters that we are starting with and even these were greatly influenced by the conversations I had this summer with many of you.

This almost goes without saying, but there is a lot of information already online and in print regarding photography and creative arts. There are also a million and one ways to get distracted online during the day when you have to pack for a shoot, finish up an album or make a dozen calls in the next two hours.  How is the Pinhole Pro Magazine going to be different? Well, we can’t help too much about distractions but the goal is that when you are looking at this magazine, there is something of value to take away for your next shoot, client call or album that you’re working on.

It continues to impress me each and everyday the level of professionalism in the photographers I talk with about Pinhole Pro. Early last year when talking with Sue Byrd,  an Ottawa based animal and commercial photographer, she had a great quote that has stuck with me, ‘simply by observing the way that photographers treat each other and share their craft’ she can tell ‘whether a photographer is in it for the right reasons and whether or not they will be in business next year.’  I feel that really sums up two great points: 1) that photographers do indeed love to share their knowledge and 2) that we’re all in this together.  This strong professional photographer community helps provide inspiration and balance which fuels that infinite energy that we need as both small business owners and creative people.

Lastly, being owned by Mohawk, a family owned fine paper company, Pinhole Pro has a wealth of knowledge about digital printing and fine paper that we plan to share with you.  Because of this, we will share articles and industry data that relates to our press products.  We will share this information because it is informative and valuable behind the scenes data that can inform your business.  I promise, we will not make the magazine our sales platform.

For example, Pinhole Press & Pinhole Pro Vice President Bart Robinson has written an article for this edition looking at what consumers want to see in photo products.  In this particular example, he shows that consumers value heavier weight paper and are willing to pay more for premium papers.

Don’t get me wrong, I love digital photography, but there is one aspect of the film days I miss and that is working in a darkroom.  I really miss pulling a fiber based print out of the fixer, washing it and then seeing that paper dry into a substantial and luscious print.   The more I think about it, it had to do with the paper rather than the darkroom, since I was never as excited about the feel of a plastic coated photographic print.

I don’t remember exactly where I read it or heard it, maybe WNYC’s Radiolab or the book the The 4-Hour Workweek, but I love the idea that the opposite of boredom is not happiness but excitement!  Being a photographer can be really exciting.  My hope is that the Pinhole Pro Magazine will reflect some of that excitement, waking up each day and knowing that you can create new work that you can be proud of and that the clients, whether a recently married couple or a client such as a non-profit, will cherish the images you’ve made.