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Digital and Physical

Down into Borra caves, the worlds oldest stalagmite cave, the place is lit up with colourful lights and photography points. At each point is an intrepid photographer with a printer who will print out your picture right there. And the incredible thing is that they do brisk business. What explains this? In a digital age where everyone has their own phone. 

We tried it as well. I think two things. One as a senior leader in the industry told me a year ago - digital fatigue. Everything is digital that often one wants something non-digital, maybe a book. And thats why physical book sales (and the number of books being written) are going up. 

Second, when everything is digital, everything is also that much ephemeral. Recently someone I know lost all their data because their device crashed. We lost a treasure trove of photographs because a device is not compatible. So, when someone makes the digital physical then and there, it was an attraction. We were travelling as a family and wanted a small quick keepsake. 

While we may not go back to physical books and film based photography anytime soon - services that do this quick and well will be in demand. Especially when done smartly at the bottom of Borra caves for instance...

And yes, if you get to Borra caves, do try those photographers - they are pretty good at their job...


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