WOMEN IN BUSINESS: celebrating the best in County Wexford
Browne’s Photography opened on Bridge Street 40 years ago this month.
Over the years the family-run business has developed more than 2,500,000 images for local and national newspapers.
Founded by PJ Browne, the business carries on successfully today under Mary and Patrick, aided by family members Paula, Nichola and Niamh.
PJ said he was busy working for the ESB and as a news, sport and wedding photographer in the early Eighties when he made the decision to work full-time at photography.
‘I found myself at a crossroads in 1979. I was still working with the ESB and found my workload becoming very heavy and Nick Hayes opened a studio in Mary Street. Now I found I would lose my press work and I had to make my mind up which way to go,’ PJ said.
‘We had eight children with number nine on the way so I explained the situation to my wife what course I should travel. She told me “do whatever you think yourself ” so I resigned from my permanent job with the ESB and opened the studio at Bridge Street.’
Running a one-man operation when PJ went out to cover events he put a notice on the door alerting customers that he was away but would be back.
He finally had a darkroom and studio, making room in the family home, where he previously had one set up. ‘In the early days of the digital age in 1998 film scanners came on the market so I was now able to process the film and scan the images into the computer. It was another two years before quality cameras came on the market. I would go to a One
Hour Photo shop and have my films processed so I could scan into the computer and transmit.’
A colour darkroom was installed in 1984, one of the first in the country other than printing laboratories in the cities.
In January 2000 he bought a Canon-Kodak camera for £9,000 (body only). ‘ We had all the lenses. I was now able to shoot and download into my laptop but it was not plain sailing because the technology was far behind so I was always trying to get the transfer through the phone. The phones the were not very smart back then and trying to get a good signal became a problem.’
He would have to travel to where a good signal was and even then it took up to five minutes to transfer the image. ‘Many times it would break down. One great signal was at any McDonald’s outlet I could go to the car park and select the images and transmit to the newspaper concerned.
‘ The amount of cables and connections to transmit images were a pain but that was state of the art at that time. The phones and signal coverage improved over the next years and better phones became available so everything improved.’
Meanwhile he developed the studio sittings and weddings side of his business. ‘ The aim was to give our customers the best service we could. Back in the studio I was getting much more work. My daughter Mary came to work with me direct from school shortly followed by my son Patrick who both now run the business’
The business has evolved from large and medium format negatives with darkrooms and chemical to high end digital photography, video and drone photography.
One of Mary’s iconic images is the Lighting of the Emigrant Flame in New Ross, as it symbolises a proud and historic day for all of New Ross. Mary enjoys her work and counts it as a privilege to be able to capture great memories over the years. One of Patrick’s image is the opening of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy bridge, Patrick recalls that during a one week period in 2007 three fishing trawlers sunk of the Wexford and Waterford coasts, covering that news for those days was so tragic but the last trawler to sink ‘ The Renegade’ – all crew were saved. ‘I took photographs of the crew departing the coastguard helicopter and hugging their families after the rescue, a wonderful moment from a very tragic week.’
PJ retired in 2008 and is thrilled to see the Browne name still painted proudly over the door on Bridge Street and a busy team inside working to produce high quality photographs for customers near and far.
‘ Thankfully the business has gone from strength to strength over the years and is well established in the south east. Our motto has always been to provide the highest standard of service to all our customers and Patrick and Mary continue to deliver.’
The Browne family wish to thank all their loyal customers, staff, family, friends and neighbours for their continued support over all the years and look forward to many more years to come.