Microstock Photography Agency Market Size, Embracing Growth Opportunities in 2024-2030: 123RF, Adobe, Depositphotos

By in Photography

Microstock Photography Agency Market Size, Embracing Growth Opportunities in 2024-2030: 123RF, Adobe, Depositphotos

Microstock Photography Agency

The Latest published market study on Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency Market provides an overview of the current market dynamics in the Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency space, as well as what our survey respondents- all outsourcing decision-makers- predict the market will look like in 2029. The study breaks the market by revenue and volume (wherever applicable) and price history to estimate the size and trend analysis and identify gaps and opportunities. Some of the players that are in coverage of the study are 123RF Limited, Adobe, Depositphotos, Inc, HelloRF, Huitu, iStockphoto, Meisu Pic, Microfotos Inc., OriginooStock, Paixin, Shutterstock, Inc., Tuchong & Veer.

Get ready to identify the pros and cons of the regulatory framework, local reforms, and its impact on the Industry. Know how Leaders in Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency are keeping themselves one step forward with our latest survey analysis

Click to get Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency Market Research Sample PDF Copy Here @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/4210448-worldwide-microstock-photography-agency-market-1

Major highlights from the Study along with most frequently asked questions:

1) What so unique about this Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency Assessment?

Market Factor Analysis: In this economic slowdown, the impact on various industries is huge. Moreover, the increase in demand & supply gap as a result of the sluggish supply chain and the production line has made the market worth observing. It also discusses technological, regulatory, and economic trends that are affecting the market. It also explains the major drivers and regional dynamics of the global market and current trends within the industry.

Market Concentration: Includes C4 Index, HHI, Comparative Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency Market Share Analysis (Y-o-Y), Major Companies, Emerging Players with Heat Map Analysis

Market Entropy: Randomness of the market highlighting aggressive steps that players are taking to overcome the current scenario. Development activity and steps like expansions, technological advancement, M&A, joint ventures, and launches are highlighted here.

Patent Analysis: Comparison of patents issued by each player per year.

Peer Analysis: An evaluation of players by financial metrics such as EBITDA, Net Profit, Gross Margin, Total Revenue, Segmented Market Share, Assets, etc to understand management effectiveness, operation, and liquidity status.

2)Why only a few Companies are profiled in the report?
Industry standards like NAICS, ICB, etc are considered to derive the most important manufacturers. More emphasis is given to SMEs that are emerging and evolving in the market with their product presence and technologically upgraded modes, current version includes players like “123RF Limited, Adobe, Depositphotos, Inc, HelloRF, Huitu, iStockphoto, Meisu Pic, Microfotos Inc., OriginooStock, Paixin, Shutterstock, Inc., Tuchong & Veer” etc and many more.

** Companies reported may vary subject to Name Change / Merger etc.

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3) What details will the competitive landscape provide?
A value proposition chapter to gauge Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency market. 2-Page profiles of all listed companies with 3 to 5 years of financial data to track and comparison of business overview, product specification, etc.

4) What is all regional segmentation covered? Can specific countries of interest be added?
A country that is included in the analysis is In North America, In Latin America, Europe, The Asia-pacific, Middle East and Africa (MEA), What are the main countries covered?, The United States, Canada, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria & South Africa
** Countries of primary interest can be added if missing.

5) Is it possible to limit/customize the scope of study to applications of our interest?
Yes, the general version of the study is broad, however, if you have limited application in your scope & target, then the study can also be customized to only those applications. As of now, it covers applications Personal User, Enterprise User & Other User.

** Depending upon the requirement the deliverable time may vary.

To comprehend Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency market is analyzed across major global regions. A customized study by a specific region or country can be provided, usually, the client prefers below

• North America: United States of America (US), Canada, and Mexico.
• South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Brazil.
• Middle East & Africa: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, and South Africa.
• Europe: the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Nordics, BALTIC Countries, Russia, Austria, and the Rest of Europe.
• Asia: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines & Vietnam, etc) & Rest
• Oceania: Australia & New Zealand

Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/4210448-worldwide-microstock-photography-agency-market-1

Basic Segmentation Details
Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency Product Types In-Depth: , Microstock Photography Agency markets by type, Professional Photographers Only, Amateur Photographers Only & Both Professional and Amateur Photographers

Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency Major Applications/End users: Personal User, Enterprise User & Other User

Geographical Analysis: In North America, In Latin America, Europe, The Asia-pacific, Middle East and Africa (MEA), What are the main countries covered?, The United States, Canada, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria & South Africa & Rest of World

For deep analysis of Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency Market Size, Competition Analysis is provided which includes Revenue (M USD) by Players (2020-2022E) & Market Share (%) by Players (2020-2022E) complemented with concentration rate.

Browse for Full Report at @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/4210448-worldwide-microstock-photography-agency-market-1

Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis of Worldwide Microstock Photography Agency Market Size Estimation and Trends Available in Full Version of the Report.

Thanks for reading this article, you can also make sectional purchases or opt-in for a regional report by limiting the scope to only North America, ANZ, Europe or MENA Countries, Eastern Europe, or European Union.

Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)
HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited
Phone: +15075562445
sales@htfmarketreport.com

About Author:
HTF Market Intelligence Consulting is uniquely positioned to empower and inspire with research and consulting services to empower businesses with growth strategies, by offering services with extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, resea rch, tools, events, and experience that assist in decision-making.

This release was published on openPR.

Native American artists edge ever closer to the million-dollar mark

By in Native

Native American artists edge ever closer to the million-dollar mark

At the major international Contemporary Art sales in New York last month, I thought I noticed a new trend. There were more Indigenous American artworks for sale than ever, and they were making record prices – a bright light in an otherwise fairly sombre marketplace. 

Contemporary American Indigenous art used to be included in Native American sales along with the jewellery, blankets, totem poles and ethnographic tribal artefacts that remind us of bygone cultures. But with the call for change and diversity, the auction landscape shifted. 

Perhaps the first visible turning point was in 2015, when Christie’s sold White Power, 2013, a boxer’s punch bag, decorated with coloured glass and plastic beads to counter aggression, by Jeffrey Gibson, a Choctaw/Cherokee Indian artist, for a quadruple estimate $233,000 (£183,000) in an international Contemporary Art sale. Gibson is now representing America at the Venice Biennale, the first Native American to be bestowed the honour. 

It was also around 2015 that Ingmars Lindbergs of Bonhams noticed how contemporary works in his Native American sales were becoming more sought after. He singles out Fritz Scholder – a Pop Art-influenced artist of mixed European and Luiseño descent, who painted old-style American Indians with their headdresses, often on horseback. Superficially romantic, on closer inspection they referred to how the modern American Indian was plagued with problems – alcoholism, homelessness and displacement – in western society. 

Scholder became a poster boy for the American Indian Movement in the 1970s, an adjunct to the civil rights movement, but his market did not take off until 2017, when Bonhams sold an example from his “Dartmouth Portrait” series (made with reference to the colonial era college that was founded to protect Indian rights) for a record $52,000. 

Jeffrey Gibson's The Enforcer


Jeffrey Gibson’s The Enforcer

Lindbergs then decided to stage standalone sales for contemporary Native American art and within five years had sold another example from the “Dartmouth Portrait” series for $398,000. The market buzz for indigenous art has spread, says Lindbergs, after breaking 12 new indigenous artist’s records in Los Angeles in April. 

Phillips doesn’t hold similar specialised auctions, but staged a selling exhibition, “New Terrains”, last September in which the work of more than 50 indigenous American artists were priced between $5,000 and almost $1 million. Among the top sellers was Canadian Cree artist Kent Monkman’s caustic reinterpretation of a classic 19th-century western painting, The Last of the Buffalo, by Albert Bierstadt. It was sold to the Art Bridges Foundation, which was created by Walmart heiress Alice Walton, a passionate collector of American art.

Fritz Scholder's Dartmouth Portrait #8


Fritz Scholder’s Dartmouth Portrait #8

Like Phillips, Sotheby’s and Christie’s don’t have specialised sales but are including examples by Native Americans in their international Contemporary Art sales alongside the Warhols, Basquiats and Hirsts. In November last year, a landmark price was achieved at Christie’s in this way for 84-year-old Native American Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. 

Smith’s career was being gently nurtured by New York dealer Garth Greenan when, in 2020, one of her paintings became the first by a Native American to enter the National Gallery of Art collection in Washington. 

In the market, another work by Smith, estimated at $10,000, sold for $300,000 at Chicago auctioneers, Hindman’s, in 2022. So Christie’s pounced, obtaining Smith’s I See Red: Talking to the Ancestors, 1994, for sale. The painting is from a series that takes issue with the term “Red Indian” and all that came with it. It was the artist’s first painting with a leading auctioneer and sold for a phenomenal $642,600 against an $80,000 estimate. Smith’s more recent work is currently attracting attention in the Venice Biennale’s “Foreigners Everywhere” exhibition. 

I See Red: Talking to the Ancestors (1994), by Native American artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, which Christie's sold for $642,600 late in 2022


I See Red: Talking to the Ancestors (1994), by Native American artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, which Christie’s sold for $642,600 late in 2022

The most remarkable results for a Native American last month were for 67-year-old Navajo Indian painter Emmi Whitehorse, another star of the “Foreigners Everywhere” exhibition, by whom one painting was offered by Sotheby’s with a $15,000 estimate and sold for a record $127,000. That record was then overhauled at Phillips the next day when her atmospheric, Turner-esque desert landscape, Canyon Lake 1, estimated at $12,000, sold for $177,800. Phillips also obtained a record $381,000 for The Storm, a painting by Kent Monkman that critiques the role of the Mounties in subjugating indigenous peoples. 

Next week, the art world flocks to Basel in Switzerland for the largest, most prestigious modern and contemporary art fair of all: Art Basel. Greenan will be there displaying choice works by Whitehorse, for which he has a waiting list and examples by Scholder and Smith, two of the indigenous artists who are beginning to approach the million-dollar mark. One senses that benchmark moment may not be too far off.

A fair wind blows through Chelsea

Sometimes it is better for rival events to take place in close proximity so that each may benefit from the other’s audience. This may have been the thinking behind the distinctive “Eye of the Collector” fair with its uncluttered boothless layout which has moved from Temple Place on Victoria Embankment to the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea Barracks and opens on June 26. The fair’s new home is a stone’s throw from “The Treasure House Fair” (opening June 27) in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. This emerged last year out of the ruins of the prestigious Masterpiece fair which closed under the weight of Brexit red tape and a lack of overseas exhibitors. While both fairs are promoting contemporary art from Asia and the Middle East, “Eye of the Collector” is more focused on modern and contemporary art and design, while “Treasure House” flaunts attractions such as a 180-million-year-old fossil of a pregnant dinosaur, a 50,000-year-old woolly rhinoceros skull and a fleet of classic cars.

Your chance to own some big-name art

Preparatory sketch: a Degas pastel on sale at Stern Pissarro Gallery


Preparatory sketch: a Degas pastel on sale at Stern Pissarro Gallery

The Stern Pissarro Gallery in St James’s has just opened an exhibition marking 150 years since the birth of Impressionism with some impressive works by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley, Degas and Cézanne, plus some Post-Impressionists – all for sale with prices from £10,000 to £10  million. The Degas pastel illustrated here is of a seamstress embroidering a hat in a milliner’s shop c.1885 – and is a study for a painting, Chez la modiste, at the Art Institute of Chicago. Degas liked to experience the bustle of Paris boulevards and often frequented milliner’s shops with his friend the painter Mary Cassatt. The Impressionist market has been quiet of late, but high prices at the Microsoft co-founder Paul G Allen’s sale in 2022 and healthy results in the New York sales this May show that while the number of high-octane sales may have decreased, values in this perennially popular market are holding steady.

Maryville Sculpture Walk to unveil 3 new installations

By in Sculpture

Maryville Sculpture Walk to unveil 3 new installations
The Maryville Sculpture Walk announces the addition of three remarkable sculptures set to enrich the city’s cultural landscape starting this week. Intending to foster artistic expression and community engagement, these installations promise to captivate viewers and stimulate thought-provoking conversations. Leading the trio of new sculptures is “Dystopia,” located near the corner of Fourth and Buchanan

The Photographer Who Found Strength in a VSCO

By in Photography

The Photographer Who Found Strength in a VSCO
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“I could spend hours admiring my surroundings depending on the time of the day and what kind of lighting there is,” says photographer Rodrigo Oliveira in an interview with the Phoblographer. “Anything could look beautiful to me under the right light, and I always wait for the right time of the day to shoot, and that is what gives me the dreamy feeling when I’m shooting, so my photos give that dreamy sensation because it’s exactly how I felt the moment I shot it.” That’s a deep love that so many of us don’t experience as we’re too busy focusing on a specific task. But Rodrigo feels awe when sunset approaches, so he makes his photographs during that time. Indeed, he’s not planning any of it in advance. This sense of adoration for everything around him has earned him the respect of many clients, including those on the VSCO Hub.

This article is presented in partnership with VSCO. If you’re looking to find new work, be sure to check out the new VSCO Hub. Follow Rodrigo at his VSCO profile.

Rodrigo grew up infatuated with the work that he’d seen in National Geographic magazine. “All those gorgeous wildlife, landscapes, and portraiture shots were so interesting to me,” he tells us. “But it wasn’t until I was a Biology undergraduate student that I got my first digital camera, a Nikon D3100. At that time I thought of linking my biology studies with wildlife photography in hopes of becoming a Nat Geo photographer/explorer one day, but in 2013 I got awarded a full paid scholarship to study a year and a half in Melbourne, Australia.” There, he experienced a very multicultural world that fueled his love of portraiture.

To make his images, he goes all in on Nikon. In his hands is the Nikon D850 — which he finds perfect for his commissioned assignments. He pairs it with a Nikon 70-210mm f4-5.6 when shooting portraits. He uses this lens on his Nikon F70 and Nikon F2 film camera too.

“For these cameras I use a wide range of lenses but my favorites are the non-AI Nikkor 50mm f/1.2, great for soft focus,” Rodrigo tells us. “The non-AI Nikkor 35mm f/2 and the AI-S 135mm f/2, all of them are pretty sharp. Nikon’s older lenses are just excellent.” When paired with either Kodak Portra 400, Vision 3 500T, 250D, Cinestill 800T and Fuji Superia Xtra 400, he can get many of the same looks that inspired VSCO.

Sometimes, Rodrigo also uses an iPhone and edits the photos within the VSCO app. However, in general, Rodrigo doesn’t do a lot of post-production. He doesn’t like Lightroom, so he edits in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop to adjust curves and such. And when shooting film, he doesn’t do much besides correcting exposure or removing dust spots. When shooting digital photos, it all just depends on what the clients want — though he works to get it right in-camera as much as possible so he doesn’t need to do much post-production.

His work speaks to an audience that has felt underrepresented for a long time — and in many ways, still is within the art world. Rodrigo Oliveira identifies as a queer black photographer. More than anything though, Rodrigo is trying to spread the message of love.

One thing that I believe stands out in my work is that either my project with queer POCs in Rio de Janeiro or my ongoing project on Barra de Guaratiba comes from a very sensitive place, there’s a strong connection that ties me to these subjects. It comes from someone from within the community and territory. I’m a black queer photographer and working with other creatives on my series ‘Carioca, Negro & Queer’ was very touching as it gave a proper representation of an often marginalized community in Brazil. My ongoing project ‘Barra de Guaratiba: A Love Story’ is a series of photographs taken on film around the suburb I grew up in Rio de Janeiro and spent most of my 32 years. It’s a projects that really grasp that dreamy feeling views have going through my portfolio and it shows a place within a big city that seems to have slowed down in time and retained a healthy laidback lifestyle. Purely a project about the love and respect I have for my roots and I think that’s a differential in itself. Lately I’ve been seeing quite a few projects misrepresenting communities and places that were captured by outsiders. Rio de Janeiro, for example, is all over social media channels but frequently portrayed in ways that just represents an old fashioned stereotype of the city and its culture and I thought that in 2024 people would know better.   

Rodrigo Oliveira

He’s represented by Rocket Science Studios, but his website is a big part of what’s getting him his work — and his clients find it to be a great resource. He uses Instagram and social media as a way to keep brands and creative directors updated on his projects — but he mostly uses it for collaborators to contact him. What he’s also been using is VSCO. “VSCO is growing a lot, and I feel like I grew a lot along with it as well; it’s been a part of my journey with photography since I started back in 2014 when VSCO was a preset pack for ACR and not yet an app,” he tells us. “Recently, VSCO released the VSCO Hub feature to connect pro members with brands and clients, so I’m looking forward to having some opportunities coming from there, too.”

Like every other photographer, he’s feeling out his own feelings with AI and such. He believes it to be a fun, creative tool and that it can help people make things that otherwise weren’t possible. “But there’s also the potential to create scenarios and situations based on real people or real life events that does not depict the truth and this can be very confusing and not everyone makes the effort to tell AI from reality apart before making a judgment,” he says. And this is part of what so many photographers like Rodrigo are trying to combat with authenticity efforts.

AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT

The Phoblographer works with human photographers to verify that they’ve actually created their work through shoots. These are done by providing us assets such as BTS captures, screenshots of post-production, extra photos from the shoot, etc. We do this to help our readers realize that this is authentically human work. Here’s what this photographer provided for us.

KTO holds photography contest

By in Photography

KTO holds photography contest
image

Poster image of the Korea Tourism Organization’s photo contest (KTO)

The Korea Tourism Organization announced that it is accepting applications for a photo contest aimed at discovering the charms of South Korea.

Under the theme of “Discover Amazing Moments in Korea,” this year’s contest, which started on Tuesday, offers the applicants an opportunity to present their photos of South Korea from three different sections: digital camera, smartphone and drone.

The submitted works will be evaluated in four categories — photography, tourism, promotion and marketing — by the public and experts from various fields. To prevent biased assessments, the KTO will use an anonymous review process.

The annual event will give the top winner — regardless of the competitive sectors — a presidential award and prize money of 5 million won ($3,643).

Winners for gold, silver and bronze prizes will be selected as well.

Those who earn the gold prizes, or the culture minister’s awards, will receive 3 million won (2,186). The silver and bronze prize winners will be awarded with 2 million and 1 million won, respectively.

A total of 90 pictures will also be selected for 300,000 won ($218.6) in prize money.

According to the KTO, anyone who lives in the country can participate in the photo contest.

Applicants can submit their works via the KTO’s official website kto.visitkorea.or.kr/photocon until 4 p.m., July 18.

“The photo contest will offer a chance to see the charm of South Korean tourism from a new perspective. The submitted works will be used to promote the country in the near future as well,” You Jin-ho, the executive vice president of KTO’s tourism content strategy division, said Tuesday. The photos will be featured in the organization’s promotional works, at KTO’s overseas branches and in Korean embassies abroad, You added.

Online and offline exhibitions of this year’s winning photos are scheduled to be held at the end of the year.

The winners will be announced Nov. 5, according to the KTO.

Cara, the AI-Skeptical Artist Portfolio App, Skyrockets to Hundreds of Thousands of Users

By in Art World News

Cara, the AI-Skeptical Artist Portfolio App, Skyrockets to Hundreds of Thousands of Users

All images © the artists and Cara

“I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes,” author Joanna Maciejewska recently wrote post on X (formerly Twitter) that quickly went viral.

Generative AI has developed as a type of deep-learning technology in which new content, like text or imagery, can be created based on the data it has collected. Over the past few years, it has grown in popularity with visual applications like DALL-E 3 or Midjourney, which create images based on text prompts. Many popular photo-editing apps, like Adobe Photoshop, now include an AI feature. Yet a fundamental question at the core of generative AI revolves around where the data for this content comes from.

While the unprecedented technology presents a wide range of uses and implementations, it’s not without its downsides, which often revolve around data usage, copyright, and regulation. When artists began noticing their original art had been co-opted by generative models, a clarion call was issued to stop their work from being scraped to build the databases generative programs use. Class-action lawsuits have further drawn attention to individuals’ copyrights and how information is collected, reused, and remixed.

A few months ago, a new social media and portfolio app called Cara emerged with a twofold goal of creating a space for artists to share their original work and closely monitoring for AI-generation, which is not allowed. Cara also incorporates a tool called Glaze, or The Glaze Project, developed by the SAND Lab at the University of Chicago “to protect human artists by disrupting style mimicry in the training of generative AI models.” Not only can artists share their work in an AI-free environment, but the platform actively works to prevent imagery from being replicated as closely.

Over the weekend, Cara jumped from a few thousand users to more than 300,000 when Instagram users started sharing links to their new profiles, launching the platform into the Top 5 in Apple’s U.S. App Store. It hasn’t been without some growing pains—the team had to upgrade the servers seven times to keep up with demand, and the team is determining how to sustainably handle the growth. Formatted like a fusion of Instagram and Twitter, the interface is familiar and efficient, quickly becoming a hub for artists working in both digital and analog character development, animation, illustration, and more.

Created by photographer Jingna Zhang and a small team of engineers and contributors, Cara aims to stay at the forefront of technological developments, advocating for artists’ rights while building an effective networking tool. “The future of creative industries requires nuanced understanding and support to help artists and companies connect and work together,” the team says. “We want to bridge the gap and build a platform that we would enjoy using as creatives ourselves.”

Head to Cara to download the app and explore its growing range of portfolios. You can give Colossal a follow, too.

 

Detail of artwork by Tobias Kwan

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Cara, the AI-Skeptical Artist Portfolio App, Skyrockets to Hundreds of Thousands of Users appeared first on Colossal.

Chef-turned-photographer finds clearer picture of mental health

By in Photography

Chef-turned-photographer finds clearer picture of mental health

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Ryan Allen lives in the moment these days.

“Elizabeth Street, kind of my favorite street in the city,” he says, strolling in Charlotte with camera in hand. “I kind of fell into street photography, because it’s a way that gets me out of my apartment.”

In recent years, the former chef-turned-photographer says he stopped wondering what’s around the corner. In the process, he faced his struggles with mental health head-on.

“We often think we should be somewhere else, versus where we’re at,” Allen told Queen City News, taking random photographs as he often does.

“You don’t see someone carrying a mannequin head every day. Well, I guess you do here,” he said, with his head on a swivel in search of photo opportunities.

“CBD joints! Looks like somebody had a good time,” Allen exclaimed, clicking along the way. “Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.”

When Covid forced restaurants to shut down in 2020, Ryan went from chef to shutterbug. The emotional release that comes with pointing and clicking helped Ryan reflect. He was in a stressful career, and his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Ryan tells us he was NOT the picture of mental health.

“I was like, ‘The pandemic has been hard on me, laying people off has been hard on me.’ And in my mind, I was going in and out of suicidal tendencies,” he revealed. “I think a lot of people have those thoughts, some days you just feel like it could be easier not to keep going.”

Learning to play with his depth of field eventually led to deeper thoughts about his view of life.

“If you’re not present, if you’re thinking about a good situation or a bad situation, you’ll miss the situation that’s right in front of you,” says Allen.

He still works in the food industry, but lately, his focus has been on photography. Allen’s portfolio includes a series called “American Gastronomy,” which shines a light on the cultural impact of food; his way of merging two passions.

“I can take my time and show why the industry I love is so important,” he said.

Meanwhile, street photography helps him connect with the community. Sometimes, he’s reminded of his life before the lens.

Allen still wants a place in the culinary world. His dream is to build a creative marketplace that includes his two loves—food and photography.

In Elizabeth, he bumped into the Schoolmeesters, who fondly remember him as a chef.

“You look great! You look a lot less stressed!” Holly Schoolmeester told Allen.

“Yeah, a lot has shifted,” he replied.

“So it’s good to see him now calm and happy and secure in his own skin,” says Schoolmeester. “I’m not surprised to see him as a photographer because I feel like he was always so creative and that’s why we liked him as a chef.”

“In the moment! Like, I’ve been talking all day about the flow of life,” Allen stressed to the couple.

Once he went with the flow, he unlocked a conversation that once made him uncomfortable.

“Mental health should be everyday health, you know. It shouldn’t be a thing that we’re afraid of,” Allen said.

With a camera in his hands, he believes he’s right where he needs to be.

“We’re really good at looking at everything we’re not doing in life. And we’re not good at stopping and zooming in on what we’ve achieved,” he says.

“[The camera is] like the viewfinder is a teleporter for you to smile. Like happiness comes right through it!” said Allen.

That’s part of the reason why street photography is such a passion.

“Every day’s a leg day when you’re a photographer,” he says.

Norway museum: Photography past and present to be highlighted

By in Photography

Norway museum: Photography past and present to be highlighted

LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHERS Karen Klenke of Niagara, Wis., left, and Mary Spera will be featured this summer at the Jake Menghini Historical Museum in Norway. The summer series theme is “Photography Thru the Ages.” (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

NORWAY — The Jake Menghini Historical Museum of Norway will celebrate “Photography Thru the Ages” this summer.

The museum at 105 Odill Drive opens to the public on Wednesday.

This year’s main display focuses on cameras and photographic equipment and how the hobby has changed over the years.

“We have quite a collection of antique cameras, with some dating back to the 1880s,” Museum Director Mark Sertich said. “It is very interesting to see how they have changed over time.”

In addition, the families of two former local residents, Edwin Meneghini and Robert Williams, have contributed their equipment, along with samples of their work.

THE JAKE MENGHINI Historical Museum, 105 Odill Drive in Norway, opens Wednesday. Summer hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Menghini was a lifelong resident of Norway and served as the police chief for many years. He later became a professional photographer. Williams, of Vulcan, was known for his work with the Norway Current.

Each month, the museum will showcase four of the area’s talented photographers.

This month, well-known professional photographer Karen Klenke of Niagara, Wis., will display several of her portraits along with her scenic shots that have earned her awards.

Norway resident Mary Spera, who has been a fixture at community events and local high school sports over the years, will set up her work for the month of July.

In August, Diane Westrich of Vulcan, who is a four-seasons photographer, will display her sunsets, flowers and landscapes.

On Leif Erikson Day, Oct. 4, wildlife photographer Alex Melelli, a Norway High School graduate now of Kalamazoo, will share his work with the public.

Another summer highlight will be pieces donated by the Tyrolean Trentino Club, which disbanded last year, that honors their Italian/Austrian heritage.

“The Italian display has been moved to the ladies room,” Sertich said.

The Jake Menghini Museum is made up of three buildings — the main building, the Odill farmhouse and Jake’s original cabin.

The museum’s “town” features its many donations of artifacts and historic memorabilia that residents of the Norway, Vulcan, Loretto and Waucedah area have given to them over the years.

Guests can walk around the “sidewalk” to discover a turn-of-the-century general store, hardware store and school room; a 1950-1960s dentist office; city jail with an actual cell; and Asp furniture and undertaking business.

“You will see the first Maytag wringer washer and a set of very rare women’s boots,” Sertich said. “Visitors get a kick out of the Asp exhibit — they offered everything for a funeral, from caskets to men’s and women’s clothing.”

New in the Asselin Creamery section are recently purchased milk bottles that have never been seen before.

The military displays in the main area have some new addition.

First, Lt. Joseph DeRidder’s family donated several pieces of memorabilia that include his service flag, medals and his dress uniform. “We also have a replica of the B-17 plane that DeRidder was co-piloting when he was shot down in Germany during World War II,” Sertich said.

The first floor of the Odill farmhouse, one of Norway’s oldest homes, is filled with pieces of furniture from that time period.

“Memorabilia from the family’s soda pop manufacturing business is also on display in the home,” he added.

Jake Menghini’s original log cabin museum building, which was moved to the property in 2018, features many of his collections.

Outside structures also house several pieces of antique farming and mining equipment.

“The museum has more than 1,700 items in their collection, with only about a third on display at a given time,” Sertich noted, adding the displays are changed each year to “keep them fresh.”

The public is welcome to do research in the archive room, which is filled with information on historical local residents and accounts of community events.

Work continues on the legacy project that was started 15 years ago by patrons of the museum. “These are documents of interviews of local World War II veterans, many who have passed away,” he said. “Those written transcripts are in the process of being digitized and in the future we hope to offer them on a YouTube channel or other media.”

They expect to complete this ongoing project by the end of the year, Sertich said.

They are also working toward converting all the records stored in the vault to digital, including photographs, newspaper articles, books and more.

“Even though it (the room) is climate controlled, pieces do deteriorate over time,” he explained. “We would like to get this done in the next few years.”

The museum welcomes volunteers at any time throughout the summer.

Anyone who has artifacts, historical photographs or articles they wish to donate can contact the museum.

The Norway City Band, under the direction of state Sen. Ed McBroom, will perform for the annual Music on the Farm on Tuesday, July 16. Tours will be from 5 to 6 p.m., with an ice cream strawberry social from 6 to 7 p.m., and the concert starting at 7 p.m.

Summer hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Those wishing for special group tours can contact the museum at 906-563-5586. Tour guides are available.

For more information, go to the museum’s website at www.jakemenghinimuseum.org.

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