*UPDATE* OT: We're all idiots... ;)

******[*UPDATE* The owner of the store contacted via email and apologized about the experience. He was sincere and I hold no ill will towards his store other than that employee. I have posted the email in a post below if you want to read it.]******

Or at least most of us if you believe what a photographer in Breckenridge told me on Friday. He was one of the rudest photographers I've ever met...

I was in Breckenridge with Family over the weekend and stopped in a few galleries and photo stores. I stopped in one called Breckenridge Photographics owned by David Pfau; it's a gallery and photo supply store. David wasn't working when I went in around 7:30pm but a British guy in his 30s was. I spent about 15 minutes having a friendly conversation with him talking about photography and asking about nearby photo locations.

After thanking him for the info he asked what equipment I used and that's when it turned ugly. I told him a Sony a900, he said "What, you're not shooting Large Format". I told him no, that I get amazing quality from my full frame DSLR and that I gave up film years ago. He then proceeded to tell that while he was not a landscape photographer that I should be shooting with a Large Format Film camera.

He said that since he's an action photographer he shoots with a 35mm DLSR but professional Landscape photographers only shoot with Large Format Film cameras. I told him that wasn't true and that I know many pros who shoot only with DSLRs or mainly DSLRs. He said they were IDIOTS and weren't pros, he insisted pros only shoot with Large Format Film Cameras. I told him I begged to differ as I know photographers whom make a living off selling landscape photos and they only shoot with DSLRs. I also said that many photographs in Landscape Photography magazines are shot with DSLRs now, to which he said "no they aren't, they're ALL 4x5 film scans.

Throughout this whole argument and more that I won't go into he kept saying "They're all idiots!" in reference to Landscape Photographers that shoot with DSLRs. He kept essentially calling me an idiot as well. I kept trying to end the argument with "Let's agree to disagree", but he kept saying "ok, but really they're all idiots!". I finally walked out of the store with him shouting it to my back.

Needless to say I will never use that store for photographic needs when I'm in Breckenridge; and I was thinking about buying an awesome photo bag they had. After I left I walked to a photographer's gallery that had much better Landscape photos in my opinion. I asked what gear he shot with, and he said a full frame DSLR; that gallery is how he makes his living, so he looks like a pro to me.

I shouldn't have let that guy get to me but it was very insulting. (although my wife was with me and laughing the whole time) If anyone knows David Pfau please let him know what a jerk his employee was. Thanks for letting me vent!

For the absolute best in photographic quality, you should be using a Kodak 110 Pocket Instamatic. Anything else would just be idiotic!

Had the same conversation in the store you are referring to about a year ago. I have been going there for almost 20 years, but have crossed them off my list. Not real smart to call your customer base idiots.

First of all, 4x5 is large-format, so the guy got one thing right. Second, that's the only thing he got right. If you have to shoot large-format film to be a pro, where has all the money I've been using to pay my bills over the last five years come from?

You should have told him that to shoot action photography, anyone who doesn't use a phone camera is an idiot....

SERIOUSLY...

...who cares what type of camera people use anymore? I've seen some fantastic photographs shot with a iPhone that would blow away any 4x5 image. Isn't it all about composition anyway? That guy is a creep.

Brilliant business acumen to boot. Ha! Boot = trunk of a car.

I'm sure not all transplanted Englishmen are sanctimonious jackasses, but I'm finding that an inordinate percentage of the sanctimonious jackasses I encounter are men with an obvious British accent.

Why Todd - you must be an idiot!
This "expert" is SERIOUSLY out of touch with reality on more than one level.

I live in summit county and know the store- let's just say the employee has a good teacher!

We have a condo just up the street from the store you've referenced and are up there fairly often. But I wouldn't waste my time sharing that info, because as far as I can tell, the majority of shop owners in Breck think their sh!+ smells like roses and couldn't hear good advice if you blasted it into their skulls with a megaphone. I think they're too focused in collecting the $$ from the passing tourists in order to make their exorbitant lease payments. Quality and innovation are probably the last thing on their minds.

Its funny that store you mention is so bent on LF, because I'm pretty sure their isn't a single film holder or lensboard for sale in the place. Its all P&S digicrap to sell to the tourists as I recall.

To be honest, I haven't been impressed with the quality of the work in the galleries in Breck for years. There are some good pieces, but I don't think anyone up there right now has a consistently strong or coherent portfolio.

**Edit - I meant o say that I'm not impressed with the photographic work in the galleries up there. There is one contemporary gallery at Lincoln and Main (?? McGrath) which I always enjoy visiting.

I prefer Minox

Maybe I ought to go in there with my News Camera!

Reply posted by Howard Cihak on 08/12/10 at 03:34 am MDT
Registered on 01/19/09, 12 Topics, 72 Replies

I'm sure not all transplanted Englishmen are sanctimonious jackasses, but I'm finding that an inordinate percentage of the sanctimonious jackasses I encounter are men with an obvious British accent.

Mind what you say Howard........I could say the same thing about people with American accents too......as well as German, French, etc.......

I r an idiot!

I might as well throw out the Disc camera I've been using!

Here is the email I received from the owner David, I feel much better about the situation now.

Jason: I saw your recent posting on the Photography forum regarding your unfortunate experience with my employee at Breckenridge Photographics. I would like to offer my apologies for the terrible treatment you received. Dean’s behavior was unprofessional and uncalled for and I will talk with him about it and won’t allow him to ever speak to customers in this way again if he wants to keep his job (which at this point is in severe jeopardy).



As a small business we rely on our loyal clients, and we try our best to make customer service our top priority. Bad reviews like yours are devastating to us, and we take it very seriously. I don’t know why your conversation with my employee took the turn it did and there is no justification for it but I think what Dean was trying to express was an opinion that we do uphold here in our shop that film or DSLRs with full frame sensors are superior formats for shooting landscapes. Lacking this equipment, we recommend at least a professional quality wide angle lens for capturing the very best landscapes. This is the type of opinion you might hear in honest conversation at our shop – where photographers come in all day long just to talk about photography and get tips and advice from me and my employees. But we don’t aim to offend anyone. Why Dean had to become rude and insulting , I don’t know, but I won’t tolerate this behavior from him again.



I hope that you might give us another try. Can I offer you a discount on the bag you saw here? I would like to meet you in person and maybe we can have a civilized conversation on the every-changing world of digital photography. Being exposed to the business and to working and amateur photographers of all levels on a daily basis, I speak from a unique point of experience. And while I can’t always please everyone, I have stayed in business for over 18 years because I am a small, approachable store, and I am willing to share my photography expertise with everyone. I am always here, though I do try to keep 1 employee on staff when I can. (Dean just started working for me in June.) I do pride myself of being extremely helpful to our clients. I go out of my way to make our clients happy and I hope they will leave here feeling good about having supported a local business and an actual professional photographer rather than giving their business to an online or a big box store – where the salesperson most likely has minimal photography and camera knowledge. There are so few real camera stores left and I will only be in business as long as people choose to support their local camera professional. It is a constant struggle, but the very least I can do is to ensure that every person that walks through my door has a good experience here, so I deeply regret what happened with you and Dean.



Sincerely,



David Pfau

Breckenridge Photographics

That fellow is a class act, Jason. Thanks for posting this follow up!

Yup a classy response from the owner.

Good to know the owner really cares...gonna take him up on the bag offer???

In this age of customer service not meaning a whole lot, this owner has stepped up and wants to make things right. A good step by him, and I sure don't think I'd want to be on the receiving end of the lecture his employee got.