By Laura Sharman

Published: 19:01 EST, 5 February 2024 | Updated: 04:40 EST, 6 February 2024

A new photography exhibition offers a candid glimpse into the early golden years of the Sanremo Music Festival through hidden back-stage moments.

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This year’s Sanremo Music Festival is soon to be underway, and Turin’s renowned Gallerie d’Italia is getting into the spirit with a stunning new photography exhibition.

The festival began in 1951, in the post-World War II era, as a proposal to revitalise Sanremo’s economy and reputation by establishing an annual music event in the city.

Notably, it served as the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest and has launched the careers of some of Italy’s most accomplished artists, such as Andrea Bocelli and Eros Ramazzotti.

The Gallerie d’Italia’s new exhibition titled “No Age: The Sanremo Festival in Black and White 1951-1976,” features 85 gorgeous photos from the Publifoto Intesa Sanpaolo Archive. 

From the singers’ rehearsals, the artists’ catwalks around the small Ligurian town of Sanremo, as well as the makeup rooms, the photos on display highlight the hidden off-stage moments when the festival was held at the historic Casino of Sanremo.

The exhibition runs from 1 February to 12 May 2024.

Snapshots from all over the world taken by amateur photographers were entered in the National and Regional awards category of the 2024 Sony World Photography Awards. The winners have just been announced by the World Photography Association.

Photographers of all abilities took part in the awards, which give the chance for local talent to be shown on an international stage. All entries into the open competition of the awards are automatically considered and images can be taken on any camera type or device. The participants came from 54 different countries this year.

The overall winners in the student, youth, open and professional competitions will be announced on April 18, and their work will go on display as part of an exhibition at Somerset House, London.

A  popular photographer who went by the name Ozzie Artphot died Sunday while he was taking pictures of one of his favorite subjects, the bald eagles of Centerport.

The Facebook group Bald Eagles of Centerport reported that John B Gladitsch was in the bald eagles area at Mill Dam Park when he collapsed.

Rob Schwartz, who founded the Facebook pageand group  after he and his wife, Liz, noticed the eagles nesting near the pond in 2017, wrote, “To know John B Gladitsch was to love ’em. He was a kind old soul that the world was better with, than without. I will miss you Ozzie – along with many of us here.”

He said Gladitsch had been with the group since the beginning, traveling to Centerport from Brooklyn and Long Beach. He also contributed many photos to projects to raise funds to protect the eagles.

Gladitsch’s photos of the birds stood out for their quality even among the thousands of  spectacular images on the Facebook page, where he was a frequent contributor. He was known to other photographers and eagle watchers for his commentary and work.

He once helped a woman trying to assist two Japanese-speaking tourists locate the eagles nest, carefully pointing out the tree limb where it was nearly completely hidden from view, so that they could shoot photos. At other times, he gave people advice on equipment or chatted them up about photos.

Many of his admirers expressed their sorrow but commented on his death occurring while he was doing what he loved, and that he could now soar among the eagles.

His Youtube channel showed a breadth of work beyond Centerport, with images of a silverback gorilla at the Bronx Zoo, and rainbows at Niagara Falls.

Gladitsch, who lived in New York City, also worked as an actor.

Schwartz said that Gladitsch was especially proud of his heritage, descending from the Gottschee community, Austrians who settled in the 1300s in what became Slovenia.

This will update when we have more information.