January 2008

This is an update to my post below: I have received a lot of wonderful feedback from many members who have expressed their disappointment that these forums were shut down. It has made me reconsider my decision and I am currently exploring ways to reopen the forums, including a potential sponsorship opportunity with someone who has expressed serious interest.

Please stay tuned for more information and if, and when, the forums are reopened all current members will certainly be notified.

Thanks very much,

Andrew Ross

August 2007

Sorry, but the CanPhoto.Net discussion forums have been shut down, and will remain closed for an indefinite period of time.

I have been operating, designing and funding this site entirely by myself for six years, but I have finally reached a point of volunteer burn-out and can no longer justify the time and financial commitments required to maintain CanPhoto.Net. I am currently taking some time to re-evaluate the purpose and future of this site, and will be on a prolonged vacation away from CanPhoto.Net.

It may be difficult for people to imagine how much of a distraction a site like this can be, but it requires a great deal of time, and every minute consumed by this site is a minute away from my own business and personal life.

It may also be difficult to imagine how many insults I have received from both members and non-members over the last six years. In just one recent example I denied a membership request from someone who did not meet our requirements for professional status. This person responded to my decision with a violent email that questioned my sexuality and threatened me physically. Around the same time another member publicly referred to a post I made as "ridiculous", and suggested that I and other members where actually perpetuating the myth that photographers can't earn a decent income. After working hard for six years to help improve business practices in this country and help photographers earn more income, this was a real slap in the face.

This was especially hard to take because my own income has actually suffered due to the time I've spent on CanPhoto.Net. Meanwhile, there are lots of other photographers in this country earning six figures who could easily fund and contribute to a project like this, but who choose not to.

I'm not suggesting I'm above criticism, and I have always welcomed feedback and discussion, even if it becomes passionate. But personal attacks are another thing completely. Sometimes it's easy to let this stuff roll off your back, but at other times it can ruin your whole day, destroy your motivation, and have a huge impact on your productivity. That happened last week and it was the proverbial last straw.

When viewed in isolation, events like these probably appear inconsequential. However, when they are placed in context with six years of hard work and sacrifice, persistently low levels of participation in our forums, and an inability to attract consistent funding from advertising or sponsorship, I hope it begins to make more sense. I have tried repeatedly to attract advertisers, but the typical response was "nice site, let us know when you've got more traffic".

So after the events of last week I finally decided that I couldn't take it anymore and I had to ask myself "why am I doing this?". Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with very many good reasons, but I will continue to think about it and will also consider alternative structures for this site that may be better suited to my personal needs.

I would like to thank all of our regular members who have supported this site over the last six years, especially those who have also reached into their pockets to support the site financially. Your contributions were very much appreciated.

Best regards to everyone,

Andrew Ross
Founder & Site Administrator