The developed world brims with advanced digital technology and novel graphic design formats, but in Robin Ferrier’s eyes: nothing beats black and white on film. 

Colourless photography is an art form, and a rather classic one at that. It yields striking silhouettes and contrasts, not to mention an awesome level of detail. Large format cameras boast megapixel counts in the hundreds as opposed to the dozens like their digital cousins. 

Exhibit A: the late Rodney Graham’s work in the Audain Art Museum. Seven feet tall by five feet wide, yet when you get close, there’s not a hint of pixelation or degradation in quality to be spotted. 

Ferrier wants to share his passion for old-school photography with others, which is why he’s running a two-part film development workshop on June 9 and 16 at the Point Artist-Run Centre (PARC). 

“Film is a different language than painting, a different language than sculpture and a different language than digital photography…but it’s still communication,” Ferrier says. 

No doubt the man understands what he’s talking about. Ferrier studied photography at Ryerson University in the 1970s and fine arts a decade later at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. He’s committed 20 years to being a member of the film industry: production stills, art direction, set design, you name it. His multimedia talents have also taken him into woodworking, portraiture, sculpture and fashion editorial photography. 

“Robin’s just a really creative individual,” commented PARC artistic director Stephen Vogler. “He was also part of our printed photography exhibit last summer, and he’s an all-around talented artist.” 

Black and white 

Both Ferrier and Vogler have witnessed the renaissance of certain older technologies like vinyl records, Polaroids and film. Some people are for various reasons fascinated with the bygone era of analog, for it brings a certain aesthetic and appeal that can’t be replicated digitally. 

“Film cameras have declined since the digital age as far as volume around the world, but…there are lots of new kinds of film being put out there now by all kinds of different companies. You can read about it in any photo magazine. They always talk about the resurgence in classical black and white photography.” 

Many possess vintage cameras gathering dust in attics and closets, and that’s where the PARC’s new workshop comes in. 

Day one will involve a straightforward orientation about how to use a film camera and how to obtain proper exposure before participants are let loose to begin shooting. One Sunday later, they’ll learn how to process film and scan two of their best pictures into digital format, generating archival prints. 

Although film is more expensive now than in decades past, the medium can still be viable—particularly if one knows how to develop it at home. 

“If you could learn how to process film in the kitchen or something—you don’t need a dark room—then you can bring your cameras back to life, so to speak,” Ferrier says. “It’s completely archival. The negatives will never be deleted. It’s a really easy process, and an old camera is all manual. It’s a process that slows you down and makes you consider the image you’re trying to make, rather than digital spray and pray.” 

Fine art photographers are cut from a different cloth than many of today’s professionals and social media influencers. They conceive of an idea or message they want to share before picking up their equipment. Their work is meticulous, for they’re in control of how each image coalesces from the get-go. 

Shutter speed, aperture, film speed…these are the languages that Ferrier and his peers deal in. By manipulating specific elements of their photos, they can set a tone and create a mood with no two shots turning out alike. 

Discover more about the PARC’s Black & White Film Photography and Developing Workshop at https://www.thepointartists.com/events/bw-film-photography-developing-wrobin-ferrier. Registration is required. 

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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Whether you work with still or moving images, there’s an art to telling a story with pictures. As a movie director whose preferred medium is analog film, Christopher Nolan’s shared experience with the evolution of his own creative process is sure to resonate with photographers.

In the movie world, as in the photography world, many fruitless debates rage about whether film is “better” than digital or vice versa. Even if online chat servers had existed in the era of the Impressionist painters, it’s hard to imagine heated flame wars about whether watercolors were better than oils, or Claude Monet exchanging angry poop emojis with John Singer Sargent! At the end of the day, the best medium to use is the one that gives you, the artist, the results that you like best.

Movie director Christopher Nolan chooses to shoot film because it’s the medium that he likes best—the medium that best allows him to express his own artistic vision. When pushed for a reason why he prefers film, he said, “The way a film camera records light onto its emulsion—that’s as close as you can get to the way the eye sees.” At the end of the day, however, this is a very subjective thing, and what matters more than the rationale that Nolan offers for choosing film over digital is the fact that he is following his own instincts in his creative process.

In another in her series of excellent and thought-provoking videos about the art of photography, Tatiana Hopper discusses the importance of following your instincts in your creative work, using the film director Christopher Nolan as a perfect example of somebody who has always blazed his own trail creatively. Tatiana talks about a number of the artistic traits that Nolan leverages to his advantage in his filmmaking and that have made him a unique voice in the movie industry. These include following your instincts, trusting your intuition, and balancing instinct with the more rational elements of the creative process.

Tatiana also discusses the importance of the emotive aspects of storytelling and the need to exercise restraint in the exposition of your story. These elements are important whether you are telling your story with a moving image or a still photograph, and it is in this common ground between movies and photography that Tatiana finds plenty of valuable lessons for photographers in Nolan’s film work and in his experience with the evolution of his own creative process.

“The Bradley Barn Sessions” exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has opened a new exhibit, “The Bradley Barn Sessions,” which features photographs taken by Fritz Hoffmann during the making of George Jones’ album, The Bradley Barn Sessions. The exhibit is free and open to the public through 2024 in the museum’s first-floor gallery.

In 1994, MCA Records plotted Jones’ return to the country charts after four years had passed since his last top 10 hit—his longest dry spell since 1955. He began recording new music at Bradley’s Barn, the historic studio established by producer and Country Music Hall of Fame member Owen Bradley in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. The resulting collection, The Bradley Barn Sessions, included duets with country and rock artists such as Mark Chesnutt, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Keith Richards, Leon Russell, Travis Tritt and Trisha Yearwood as well as Country Music Hall of Fame members Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and Tammy Wynette.

To document the landmark sessions, the label hired Hoffmann, who was present throughout all 11 days of the process. The following year, he became the first western photographer to be granted longterm residency in Shanghai since the communist revolution in 1949. Hoffmann lived in Shanghai from 1995–2008, becoming a contributing photographer for National Geographic and taking assignments across Asia and Europe.

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.

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Photos don’t just sit in Sandra Fike’s phone. In fact, a phone isn’t the way she traditionally captures good memories. She uses… now wait for it… a 35mm camera. Wow. Old school, right? 

Now hold on. Fike isn’t in the dark room ages. She uses a 35mm digital camera. Yes, she has a camera on phone too. She uses it too. But when she’s serving as the team mom photographer for her son – Coach Scott Fike and his Staunton River High School wrestling team – she brings more than a phone to the mats. She brings a camera that can take more crisp close-ups and can snap faster than a phone can. Sometimes it’s needed when you’re covering wrestlers who can pin down their opponents in the blink of an eye. We’re not talking about the little “i” in a phone. Sandra is someone who has a real eye for photography. 

“I absolutely love doing photography and making memories in my pictures that otherwise would be forgotten,” said Fike. “My late father-in-law got me started in it when he would take his camera on our vacations. I ended up purchasing my own, and I never put it down.” 

Fike said she started taking pictures of her family and grandkids during their sports playing days. 

“All of my grandkids play sports, and I take as many as I can with them in baseball, soccer and gymnastics,” said Fike. “I was once in those shoes as a parent of a child playing sports. I wanted to see the action and I wanted pictures also.”

For the past few Staunton River wrestling seasons, Fike has gone on the road – literally – to cover the high school’s wrestling team. On her dime, she travels to meets throughout Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware – wherever the wrestling team goes – to catch the still moments of the kid competitors giving their best on the mats. Her kid’s days on the mats are long gone – he’s now on the sideline. Fike still occasionally snaps some shots of Coach Fike in coaching action. It’s the proud mom in her that she is and will always be. But these days, she’s letting her photography serve a different purpose – to be the team mom photographer for parents and grandparents so they can focus on the live experience of their children at play. “It’s very humbling when the parents, and wrestlers too, come up to me later and say how thankful they are to have these pictures,” said Fike. She’s doing her part to preserve the memories for others to have, to hold in their hands in newspaper articles and on those new-fangled phones, both for the young and the always young at heart. 

Just how did this leap to team mom photographer evolve into what Fike does today? “I started taking wrestling pictures when Scott was in high school and college,” said Fike. “When he graduated from college and started coaching, I said to him, ‘I’m here anyway.” And Coach Fike put her in, just like a good son whose been taught to be a team player does. 

“The boys love seeing their pictures in the newspaper,” said Fike. “To know that it gives them some great exposure is such a plus! Wrestling families are FAMILY. I’ve made so many relationships because of my photography and the time I spend with them.” 

Fike and her husband, Kevin, love traveling to the far away tournaments. “We love spending time watching Scott do his thing!,” It’s not just a wrestling thing at Staunton River. Many of the school’s coaches’ parents do the same to support their children who now coach pass on the character instilled into them to young men and women – the leaders of tomorrow.

“I also take some baseball pictures and share them when I can,” said Fike. “My grandson has just started school ball, so getting these photos for him just makes him smile.” 

Your time and efforts make others smile too, Mrs. Fike. You can count on it, whether it’s on the mat, on court or on the field. You bring new meaning to the saying that ‘pictures are worth a thousand words.’ Yours are worth thousands of memories of experiences deserving to last a lifetime in the hands of others who cherish them, and you. 

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This release was published on openPR.

Rising model Anok Yai says a photographer called her a “cockroach” during a shoot for the clothing brand ZARA.

“Who wants to hear a story?” Yai said last month in a now-deleted Twitter post. “I remember in 2019 being called a cockroach by a photographer. It was from this brand that I used to always work with. I didn’t speak their language and they didn’t speak mine but regardless we were on set shooting look after look after look. (there were days I shot 60+ looks)”

“On the 2nd to last day, the makeup artist starts powdering my face and the photographer puts his camera down and yells ‘Lotion la cucaracha’ Everyone on set starts smiling and laughing,” she continued. “I can’t react the way I want to react because at the end of the day I’m young, I’m alone, I’m black … anything that I do will affect me, my family, and other black models.”

Yai said she decided to speak up for herself by refusing to work with the photographer the next day.

“The next morning I refuse to go on set if the photographer is still there. Someone from the team calls me and says ‘we don’t accept that type of behavior, we’ll fire him now. Tell me who he is and we’ll get rid of him.’ I go to set thinking he’s gonna be gone. He walks by me and smiles,” the model said.

Yai went on to allege that the team claimed she “made up” the incident.

“Someone from the team pulls me aside and says ‘I asked the team what happened and they said you made it up. Honestly, whenever you come here, you’re never smiling and you’re never happy to be here,” she wrote on Twitter.

“By now, there’s tears running down my face,” Yai continued. “I told her I wasn’t lying, she still doesn’t believe me. But I could tell she wanted me to sit down and shut up so I forced them to call my car to the airport and pay my full rate regardless. I remember wanting to come out with the story to magazines but I was told “think about what it will do to your career” That was my first (and not only) time being blacklisted I’m sure they thought I wasn’t strong enough to stand But anyways …”

The model appeared to confirm that she was working with the ZARA team during the alleged incident.

“Hi bit*h @ZARA Remember Me?” she tweeted.

Yai later deleted her tweets, and ZARA hasn’t addressed her allegations.

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