Chris and Jordan Back at The Camera Store: Just Like the Old Days

Dec 06, 2025

Chris Niccolls

We made a promise to our viewers: Show us your support for the Petapixel YouTube channel by helping us reach certain subscriber milestones, and we will carry out some “challenges” for your entertainment.

In the past, this has led to some fun situations, such as Jordan and I having to shoot an episode with wildly ill-suited children’s toy cameras. However, the latest milestone had us working an entire shift at the retail location that started this whole crazy journey. Jordan and I spent the day at The Camera Store in Calgary, Alberta, hanging out with our former co-workers and reminiscing with some of our favorite customers.

To be honest, it wasn’t a challenge at all, but rather an absolute blast to spend time in a place that means so much to us and our careers.

A man with gray hair and a beard stands behind a Panasonic counter in an electronics store, handling small product boxes. Shelves with camera gear and accessories are visible in the background. — Working a shift at The Camera Store felt exactly as we remembered it.

A close-up of a camera held by a person, capturing three people posing and smiling in a casual indoor setting with studio lights and equipment in the background. — We had lots of people to meet and welcome.

To give context, Jordan and I first started working together at The Camera Store almost twenty years ago, and it was there that we began a YouTube channel called TCSTV. This channel was our baby for about ten years and firmly cemented our positions as camera and technology reviewers. We gradually strengthened our relationships with the major camera manufacturers through our fair and honest reviewing style and soon met other creators who worked in the same industry. It was here that we met the people that we would work with in the future, leading to our five year stint with the DPReview team, and now to our home with PetaPixel.

It’s been a wild ride, but you never forget the places that first stoked your passions for the things that you love.

A man behind a store counter shows a camera to a customer wearing a backpack and beanie. Camera equipment is displayed on the glass counter, and a TV screen is visible in the background. — The salesmanship seemed to come right back to us.

A man wearing a name badge smiles and shakes hands with another person inside a camera store filled with photography equipment and bright lighting panels. — The best part of working at TCS was the friends we made along the way.

Frankly, it would be impossible for us to forget The Camera Store anyways; we find ourselves at the store almost every week. Jordan and I have always remained in Calgary despite being able to work from pretty much anywhere. It is our home and will be for the foreseeable future, and if you need camera gear and accessories, The Camera Store really is the best place to go.

So when we had a chance to travel back in time and work a day at the store, we jumped at the opportunity. What ensued should best be appreciated by watching our latest episode capturing a day in the life of The Camera Store. Huge thanks to our former management at The Camera Store, Peter Jeune, and Julian Ferreira for making this day possible.