If any of y'all are yearning or pining for the photographic publications of the past- bad news (in my opinion)! Even if the publishers found resurrecting some of those now-defunct magazines to be financially viable, they would have to seriously revamp the content that was apparent in the last years of their circulation.

If you want to go retro back to the 1960s and 60s - here's my argument. I too started as a kid interested in photography by reading Popular Photograhy, Modern Photograhy, U.S. Camer and others of that era. As I aged and progressed I went on to Petersons and professional photographers' trade publications. I read into Shuttebug and The Photo District News.

All of these older mags had better and more diverse content. The were lots of DIY projects featuring homemade and improvised equipment (great for kids), and lots of behind-the-scenes insight into the work of famous and successful photographers. Many of the writers, editors, and columnists were working photographers, prolific teachers, and technical writers. Of course, there were many reviews and arca on gear but the was a good balance of other subjects. The was plenty of advertising but again, the was more of a balance. There were many regular advertisers- camera stores, dealers, suppliers, lab services and major distributors and manufacturers. This was good- the competition was good!

As time went on the Magazines became thinner and thinner and in many cases, the gear and advertig became dominant and how-tos and in-depth articles diminished. Many of the editors and columnists retired or passed away. The professional journals were originally designed to inform and help photograhers improve their businesses- they too have suffered the same fate as their consumer counterparts.

Nostalgia-wise, I do miss READING the magazines. Relaxing in a chair with a good article was fun. After a whole day of editing on screens, bookkeeping on screens, and being tethered to screens, I don't look for more screen time at home. Every time I switch on the TV screen there is violence, chaos, and murder, and that's the news- the dramatic programs are much the same. And...right now, as we communicate, I am looking at a SCREEN! I just paid for new reading glasses- do I need them anymore?

There are a few periodicals and magazines that are still in production but they are more thematic and seem to emphasize the artistry, philosophies, and stalemate of photography. You are not likely to find these on the magazine rack at the supermarket. Direct subscriptions or bookstores may be a better source of these publications.

I am certainly not against online magazines, forums, and photographic pages on various social media platforms. In the olden days, however, mainstream photo magazines were A LITTLE more carefully edited. They did not publish serious misinformation and completely inaccurate concepts and methods on an ongoing basis whereas that kind of bogus material can regularly show up on social media. I am not referring to differences of opinion, the nuances of the method, or "different strokes for differet folks" but pure nonsense! The reader has to be more decerning and tech-savvy to sort this out and separate the wheat from the chaff. Old-timers can pick up on some of the retorick, spam, clickbait, and outright ineptitude and untruth. The rookies may be taken in or unnecessarily confused.

Some of the YouTube "tutorials" are good and many can be ridiculous. You click on a video that is supposed to teach a technique and all you get is a bad infomercial for a product. In some, they don't even illustrate the product and the result (pictures) and all you get is a talking face flogging the item.

Ain't nobody gonna turn back the clock so we make do with waht we have and still try to gain more knowledge and improve our work. A little complaining helps ease the pain.