Posted by Elizabeth Stacy | Posted in Foto Care Interviews
Posted on August 14, 2010 at 11:11 am

We are excited to share this Foto Care interview published by David Harry Stewart  at http://blog1.dhstewart.com. We hope you enjoy hearing about Jeff’s experience in the photography industry.

Jeff Hirsch owns and runs Fotocare in NYC. Since 1968 they have been taking care of professional photographers. The word “care” is what runs through the organization. They not only rent gear, or sell cameras, they take care of their customers. I could relate a dozen stories of them going to bat for me with the camera manufacturers, over-nighting a piece of gear, or going the last mile to research some obscure question I may have.

As someone who has for decades been supplying photographers, and now film makers, with the gear they need, Jeff has a great vantage point.

1. You wrote some fascinating comments last week about the DSLR video craze. Could you go into that a bit more?

Ten years ago, the transition to digital from analog had been in full swing. Within two years there was no turning back. Now, we are in the midst of another transition that requires new skills and investment. This is another fresh chance to be seen and recognized. Our business is growing again and I trust so are our customers. With the drive to produce video content we will experience greater bottlenecks in speed, throughput and connectivity. We’ll get frustrated and there will be the threat’s to return to the days past of analog capture. A lot of video content may have no where to go because it’s being made without a buyer or viewer or the producer has not figured out how to get their message to buyers.
You might say that you had better get out of the way because the freight train is coming down the track but the change the train is bringing offers opportunity for those that want to be photographers or videographers.

2. Over the years, you have also been in a unique position to see the careers of photographers come and go. What do you think are the characteristics of the people who make it, and then manage to stay on top for decades?

Be best at what you do with and develop an inquisitive eye. Look for interest in the mundane and show your clients and friends the world that they overlook. Make people smile not just in your images but in the way you relate to them. Every day presents new opportunities that unlike before.

3. Foto Care now has a web site, a blog, a Facebook page, Twitter. How do you see Foto Care in that universe?

We look for the chance each day to make a difference by helping photographers solve problems big or small. Our use of social marketing now lets us reach a wider user group than in-print media permitted given the associated costs. We’ve undergone tremendous physical changes related to moving and opening two new facilities during an economic downturn. The initial downturn gave us a breather to take stock and re-organize. Our incorporation of social media helped us inform and publicize an active series of seminars that continues to grow

4. What is your background? How is it that you came to run Foto Care?
I grew up in a small town and learned about customer service from my Family who owned and operated a small chain of retail clothing stores. I discovered the magic of photography early. I found my Mom’s box camera and Kodak book that described the Darkroom. That was nearly 40 years ago. College experience gave me a greater desire to be a Professional Photographer. I assisted Photographers from LIFE . I shot professionally until I discovered I enjoyed serving customers more than Art Directors. In 1990, Foto Care found me rather than the other way around. Foto Care had been purchased by a group of investors who needed someone to take over the store. They found me and offered me the ability to manage and buy out their investment. That was exactly twenty years ago. For the past twenty years I’ve had the chance to be part of something much bigger and better than me. I have the greatest respect for our customers who so sacrifice everything to photograph. With so little business acumen, our customers start a business, have kids and put them through College all the while keeping alive their wide-eyed enthusiasm for image-making. I hear too often that we make so little any more in the US. One think that we never stopped making is creativity and entrepreneurs. Our business is built on thousands of them, all home grown.

5. Do you take pictures yourself?

Not as much as I would like. I still find myself wishing I had more resolution when I like an image I made.

Tags: david harry stewart, Digital Photography, foto care, fotocare, photography tips, professional photography