Film Forever Weekend; Brookfield celebrates analog photo comeback
BROOKFIELD, Wis. - Fine art photography is making a comeback, and a Brookfield camera shop is celebrating the old-school format with a weekend festival.
What we know:
Mike Crivello’s Camera Center is taking part in Film Forever Weekend from Thursday, May 28, through Sunday, May 31. The multi-city celebration of analog photography is hosted by Ilford Photo and partnering local camera shops worldwide.
The event comes as interest in film cameras and print photography continues to grow.
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For Waukesha native William Lemke, the passion project has been 40 years in the making. Lemke takes his vintage camera with him all over the world, but one of his most memorable experiences came while taking portraits at Alpine Valley Grateful Dead concerts in the 1980s.
Local perspective:
"I just got inspired by the audience," Lemke said. "I love the music."
Lemke set up a makeshift studio at the venue and used a 4-by-5-inch view camera to take portraits of fans, better known as Deadheads.
"It’s time-consuming," he said. "You have to set up, you have to put a dark cloth over your head and compose your image."
Forty years later, Lemke tracked down more than 100 of the Deadheads he briefly met at Alpine Valley and photographed them again for his new book, "Aging Gratefully." Many of the portraits appear in the book decades apart, but side by side.
"They are all recognizable. You look at their eyes, and you know it's them," Lemke said.
Lemke is part of Film Forever Weekend at Mike Crivello’s Camera and Imaging Center in Brookfield.
What they're saying:
Jeffrey Dobbs, the store’s manager, said analog photography never disappeared from the shop.
"We never gave up on film," he said. "All the sudden, all these young people started coming in – my customer base was getting very old. Now they are extremely young."
Dobbs said teens and people in their 20s, including some who may not have previously seen film negatives, are taking up the hobby. He hopes veteran photographers like Lemke continue to inspire the next generation.
"To think all those years later that he came back and wanted to rephotograph them, I think is also brilliant," Dobbs said.
That is one of the reasons the store is celebrating the format with a weekend packed with activities.
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"When they see a chemical process – develop versus electronic – it’s like a miracle," Dobbs said. "They feel that it’s like magic."
What you can do:
Lemke’s book signing is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 28, at Mike Crivello’s on Bluemound Road in Brookfield.
A full list of Film Forever Weekend events at Mike Crivello’s Camera Center can be found on Facebook.
The Source: Mike Crivello’s Camera Center and Film Forever Weekend provided information in this report.