Home-grown produce

From the very first announcements of photography in 1839, Britain has played a significant role in its development. This is seen in the different industries which soon arose to supply photographers with all manner of equipment and materials. Many have come and gone. Some produced cameras, lenses and various accessories, while others, brands of film, photographic paper and other consumables. However, there are still many different businesses directly involved in photography based in the UK, and in most instances, manufacturing here.

I got in touch with 14 such companies producing a wide range of products and operating at different levels and sizes of production – from Harman Technology, which continues to produce the iconic brand Ilford Photo, to manufacturers of filters, tripods, lighting, camera bags, straps, darkroom equipment and what is becoming a growing market, holders used for digitising film. Some have been around for decades, others are relatively new ventures. All proud of their products and all based in Britain.

ROTOLIGHT

Rotolight was established in 2009 and in a relatively short time has become a world leader in LED lighting, manufacturing a wide range of products suitable for shooting with both a continuous light source and high speed