How many LF photographers out there?

[BarryS]

Thinking about the ever diminishing sheet film market makes me wonder just how many active large format photographers are out there. In your state? In the US? The world? I'm thinking the numbers are pretty small. I'll define active as having shot large format film in the last 6 months. Anyone have any idea? Just from my experience, it seems that some states might have fewer than 100 large format photographers and very few states have over 1000. California might hit 1000, maybe New York. If you subtract students--most of whom will never pursue LF beyond a class--the numbers probably get even smaller. Do we number over 10,000 in the US? What do you think?

[Dave Wooten]

Ok Barry, I will raise my hand, that makes 2 of us so far.

[Ron Marshall]

Over 13,000 members on this site alone, not all in the USA.

[Collin Orthner]

I'm in Canada, so at least 4 now in North America for sure.

[vinny]

put me down for 1.

[David Karp]

Of course, the numbers are pretty small in relation to the number of people who use cameras of all types. Nevertheless, a reliable source (a camera manufacturer) told me not too long ago that people at Kodak, Ilford, and Fuji have all told him that their sales of sheet film had stabilized and/or were increasing! This does not include film sales by Foma, Adox, Efke, etc. Sales of 8x10 cameras and larger are also increasing (according to the same source). If the same % of the population in China adopts LF photography as does so elsewhere, then it would seem like we are in pretty good shape.

[BarryS]

Dave, Colin, and Vinny-- I sorta hoped it wouldn't come to all us counting off one by one, but thanks.

Ron-- Well, I'm not sure what 13,00 members registered over the life of this site actually means. We have ~2200 active members, so if we said 1% of current LF photographers are active on the site that would be about 220,000 worldwide. Of course that estimate is pulled directly from my...hat.

David--I'm very happy to hear sheet film sales are stable--I'm doing my part. China does seem to have an active large format (and ULF) community, so maybe you're right. Dick Phillips told me his last batch of 8x10 Explorers went to Asia--many in China I think. Chamonix is selling a steady stream of cameras, although some are exported. Mostly, I think the Chinese are spending their disposable income on the same stuff as everyone else--modern consumer goods. But one can hope.

[Collin Orthner]

Hi Barry, Sorry for the single count thing. I run a photo store in my city (pop. 85000)and know of 4 photographers in town using large format cameras. Lets say there is at least one I don't know of for 5. interpolating this to the population of Canada we would come out to roughly 1950 large format shooters north of the 49th.

[Bob Salomon]

You are asking too broad a question.

We, for instance, sell a large number of 4x5 Linhof Kardan re cameras to companies that install them on large motorized Kaiser copy stands for digitizing. Everyone of those users is technically a "LF photographer". None of them take the camera out in the field and do landscapes. None of them put the camera on a tripod and do product work, none of them shoot buildings or portraits. None of them use film.

What type of LF photographer are you asking about?

[Photojeep]

I am a large format photographer. And I personally know two others so that makes three here!

rb