One of Bermuda's best known photographers is set to close the doors of his art gallery for the last time after 11 years in business.

It will signal the end of an era for Ian Macdonald-Smith, professional photographer and owner of Just Clicked Photographic Gallery, located in an alleyway off Front Street, who set up shop in 1998.

He has now decided to shut down due a decline in trade caused by the slump in tourism and sub-let his premises to a clothing and shoe boutique.

But Mr. Macdonald-Smith will continue to run his business online via his website and plans to expand his photographic collection with travels across the world.

Having acquired the gallery in the late 1990s, which was formerly a clothing store and then a gift and book shop, Mr. Macdonald-Smith has shared the building with Insight Visual Communications, who moved into the space in 2000, but have since expanded out of Bermuda House Lane.

During his time there, he has sold everything from pictures, photographs and prints to posters and books, including his own publications on the Bermuda National Trust, landscapes, architecture, Bermuda ruins and the Tall Ship 2000 Race. "It was down to economics really," he said. "Tourism has been down, we don't have any cruise ships in Front Street any longer and it is just not a viable going concern at this end of town at the moment.

"Most of the print orders are customer orders, so most people look at my website - the Internet has certainly changed the way I do business over the last seven or eight years."

Mr. Macdonald-Smith, who has been a photographer since 1987, has been travelling globally over the past 10 years and intends to travel more, now he is free of the pressures of running the store.

He will continue to exhibit his whole archive on his website instead of having to physically trawl through a series of slides on site.

"Revenue has been dropping for the last seven or eight years and I guess this gallery is a litmus test for hotel tourists in terms of the business they bring," he said.

"I have seen the sales for the landscape and architecture books slowly and steadily decline and the last thing anybody wants is unnecessary overheads. Given the economic climate, it is just the right time to move on."

Mr. Macdonald-Smith admitted that setting up the gallery was a natural progression from taking photographs to having somewhere to showcase his talents, display his pictures and sell his books, as well as doubling up as an office for scanning and printing pictures.

Among the highlights of his time at the gallery, he cites the pleasure in helping people find their perfect picture, as well as exchanging books with fellow photographer Harold Feinstein (whose work was bought by artist Edward Steichen for the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art), who visited his premises and taught him about the 'wow' factor of taking photographs.

Mr. Macdonald-Smith has artwork from the likes of Cuba, Machu Picchu in Peru, Los Angeles, Annecy in France, Bruges in Belgium and the Greek Islands already adorning the walls of his gallery.

It is only a matter of time before he adds to his online repertoire with two more books set to be released over the next 18 months, with Australia, New Zealand and South America just some of the mooted destinations.

Just Clicked will be holding a half-price sale until the end of the month. For more information contact the gallery at 292-3295, e-mail ian@imacsmith.com or visit the website at www.imacsmith.com