About Us . . .

Defender Photographic designs and manufactures specialized analog photographic equipment. We publish articles on our website and a Bulletin, and hope to continuously make useful products available to analog photographers. For the photographic community, I’m hoping photographers use Defender as a resource; and maybe as a refuge too.

I’m Anthony Guidice. I founded (the new) Defender Photographic in 2022. I named it after an old Rochester company that manufactured film and paper on Driving Park Avenue. I’ve been a photographer from a very young age, studied art in college, and went to RIT for their MFA program. There I met a few brilliant people who thoroughly shaped and clarified my understanding of “content” in photography.

Defender services analog photography only – no digital. Digital photography is fine for commercial and “record” work, but too harsh, and insubstantial for anything else. It’s quick and seductive, but limited. A substance, a “weight” exists in analog photographs that digital cannot equal.

We’ll makes available specific, reliable information about materials. I can offer some insight because I’m a photographer myself. I’m not an oracle or a grand vizier. I’ve just been around a while. I suppose I’m dogmatic. I’m dogmatic about being reasonable. The aim of Defender Photographic is to help people with their work – not to outdo anyone, out-talk anyone, or compete with anyone. And I’m not fond of other photographers who do that either. I am a consummate expert – in my own opinion. I don’t try to convince anyone else to think or photograph like I do. That’s boring anyway – there’s already one of me.

We’ll only sell analog equipment and materials, and publish information pertaining to analog photography; black and white photography particularly. We manufacture no products in China. Everything is made in the US – not due to jingoism, nationalism, or dogma; but because it allows better quality control and easier contact with the factories.

Defender won’t automatically make your photographs into poetic, moving statements. Probably. Maybe we’ll help you work easier; and you’ll feel better about what you’re doing. Maybe you won’t feel so alone either . . . After all, what’s the objective – for all of us? To make interesting pictures of stuff we like.

Atget’s compositions were just about perfect. . . . [First], I loved his insight and flawless judgment of what was worth photographing. Second, he knew absolutely where to put his camera. That has to be very selective. You can put it in a thousand places - -  for the same subject.                       

                                                                                                    Berenice Abbott