The Field Guide

It’s 2024, how’d that happen? It’s pretty surreal for us to look back and see that we made it through a full year of being open. Even as we’re writing this, it doesn’t feel 100% real. And yet, here we are. From the jump, we’ve tried to make transparency a high priority. If you’ve spent much time in the store, you know that we see it as an almost living organism, constantly growing and changing as time passes. With that in mind, we’d like to share a bit of where we’ve been and where we plan on going. From the first day that we could officially say that we were open for business, we knew what the top priority was for our first year: survival. This was a truly brand-new experience for both of us, and we are all too familiar with the horror stories of new businesses that shutter their doors before making it through a single calendar year. So, our main goal for year 1 was simply to make it to year 2. Before we were open, we had a long list of long-term goals for The Photo Outfitters, including traveling, conferences, partnerships, and so much more. In order to make it to this point, we knew that we would have to set most of these things aside and focus on building a solid foundation. It wasn’t usually flashy or exciting work; at times, it could be described as arduous, tedious, and downright boring. But we made it through. And before we go any further, we just want to say thank you. Thank you to every person who came into the store, thank you to everyone who purchased something, thank you to everyone who engaged with us on social media, and thank you to everyone who cheered us on from afar. From the onset, we knew that we wanted The Photo Outfitters to be about community, and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. All of the support and encouragement have meant the world to us, and we will work tirelessly to do whatever we can to return the favor because we wouldn’t have made it this far without you. We cannot begin to fully articulate just how excited we are for the future of The Photo Outfitters. And while we can’t share everything, we can tell you the direction that we’re headed. Everyone who has spent a few minutes with either of us knows how important travel is to us. It is one of our favorite things in the world and is largely responsible for shaping us into the men we are today, which is why we’re practically bursting at the seams to have our Cuba trip set for April and several more trips, both domestic and international, in the pipeline. We will also be expanding our inventory to include new types of items (more on that very soon) as well as some cool TPO merch. We’re also gearing up to host more events in order to bring the Charlotte photography community together. And finally, we have this: The Photo Outfitters Field Guide. We’re excited to have a place to share our thoughts, engage with our community, and provide more to our people. From film reviews to educational tips to borderline rants, this will be a place for everyone to experience more of the human side of The Photo Outfitters, get to know us a little better, and hopefully walk away with something, or at least stave off boredom for a bit. So be sure to check back occasionally for more. We’re hoping that all of this and more will make 2024 one for the record books, and hopefully, y’all will join us for the ride. Because, again, TPO wouldn’t exist without you. Happy New Year, y’all!! Cannon Spradley Tony Ulchar Founders, The Photo Outfitters