Photography -Australia's Most Promoted Hobby

(10/10/98)

Did you know that picture taking is Australia's most promoted, advertised and supported hobby?

On television, Australian distributors and retailers combine to create a record industry spend for a hobby activity. This coverage extends from metropolitan to regional and country areas.

ABC Television, cable television and satellite television all regularly feature on air photography courses.

All television channels regularly feature the professional photographers and their work.

Don Burrows, jazz legend and PICA's Special Photographic Ambassador, spends months each year talking about photography to thousands of children at special sessions around Australia. On behalf of PICA, Don has given countless radio, TV and newspaper interviews promoting the hobby of photography.

Photography is supported by a barrage of enthusiast photo magazines on sale in every one of the over ten thousand newsagencies across Australia.

Most secondary schools feature photography on their school curriculum and nearly every centre with a population of 2000 or more has its own camera club meeting on a regular basis. These are featured on the PICA website.

Virtually every TAFE centre features a photographic course and there are numerous private courses. These are also listed on the PICA website.

All public art galleries feature photography and photographic collections are exhibited in most private galleries around Australia.

The media backs this Australia wide interest with frequent photo competitions and newspaper supplements.

The retail distribution base is unrivalled. In addition to over 2000 dedicated photo outlets, photographic goods and services are represented in all supermarket and department stores, duty free stores, and numerous service stations and tourist centres.

All Australia's pharmacists stock and sell photography and most feature it in aggressive pavement and shop front advertising.

The fact is that photography is a most desirable business and as a result it is extremely competitive. But all who work in it can take pride in being in an industry that fills such an important need in people's lives.