Yes, I approve of what it takes for NikonGear.net to survive. Perhaps this is not the place or time, yet why is this happening, this diminishing of photography sites and forums.
Dpreview is on life support, as is Fotozones, and many others. I can go to a good number of sites and the posts that were there months ago have hardly been succeeded. Obviously, this is indicative of something beyond just our problem here.
Is it the triumph of the mobile phone camera finally taking hold? Is it the plethora of new lenses and whatever that folks can’t or don’t want to keep up with? Are many of us forum types just growing old?
I had a similar experience. I photographed five music festivals this past summer, quite thoroughly (thousands of photos), and for two of them it was their last festival. They were shutting down after some 30 or so years, each.
I was talking to another old-timer like myself, in my case going back to the mid-1960s for such events. And we were talking about why folks are not coming out for these festivals any longer. I mean, what’s not to like, being outdoors, sitting on a blanket, watching some class acts performing music?
And I pointed out that my kids like festivals, when my friend pointed out, “Maybe so, but our kid’s kids do not.” The idea of going out in the cold mornings and hot days, sitting on the grass or ground on a blanket, with the black flies, etc. and listening to music does not appeal as much to our grandchildren as it did with us. They apparently have other fish to fry, so to speak.
And so, we might want to examine what is happening that photography forums are declining. Any suggestions?
