It’s estimated that nearly 5 billion photographs are taken every day, making photography the most accessible visual art in the world. But increased access to photography — more than 92% of those 5 billion annual photos are taken with smartphones — doesn’t translate to better photography.
But awash in this nearly ubiquitous adoption of amateur photography, Fox Cities-based photo pros Mark Ferrell, Graham Washatka and John Adams are seeing opportunity.
In a 102-year-old synagogue near downtown Appleton piled with donated photo printing equipment, Ferrell reflects on a photography and photo printing career that took him across the country from San Francisco’s Art Institute to Berkey Photo in his native New York City, a commercial lab where meticulous processes like dye transfer would take as long as five hours to produce a single print. The print was the point, and learning the ins and outs of printing was a “very instrumental stepping stone to becoming a better photographer,” Ferrell says. Today, he says, “people just push a button” and delete the 299 of 300 options that don’t work.
It’s an understandable shift, of course, and Ferrell acknowledges the benefits of technological advancement — first and foremost, that “time is money.” But, Ferrell adds: “It got to a point where technology was now defining what quality was, rather than quality bringing technology to its level.”
Slowing down to focus on intentional artistry and using cameras with film were values that drew Ferrell to Appleton natives Washatka and Adams when the three were working together on the Fox Cities photo scene. Ferrell dreamed of opening a public darkroom; Washatka and Adams had wanted to open a studio and event venue — a “playroom” of sorts — “to get photographers together.”
With these dreams aligned, Ferrell, Washatka and Adams today are building the first nonprofit organization of its kind: Photo Opp, which works to create a community in Northeast Wisconsin that inspires lifelong photography learning.
The physical space, that old synagogue on North Bateman Street, is still a work in progress. But Photo Opp’s programming, which is its true bread and butter, has already been actively building community for more than two years.
Washatka still remembers the crowd that gathered for Photo Opp’s Photo Walk event in downtown Neenah.
“We had grandmas with their cellphones, people with a cart of digital gear, and people with old wooden, you know, 200-year-old cameras,” Washatka says.
More than 500 people participated in Photo Opp programs in 2023 alone. These include not only community photo walks but film development nights, open labs, photography workshops and gallery shows. Photo Opp has also partnered with other nonprofit organizations like People of Progression and with area elementary schools to provide education and outreach.
Photo Opp embraces all forms of technology, but Washatka has seen a resurgence of interest in film, especially among digital natives who are exploring the art for the first time.
“The younger generation, teens and early 20s, right now are picking up film cameras,” he says. “[So] I’m not staring at a screen for at least some hours of my day.”
All the equipment in Photo Opp’s 6,423-square-foot facility has been donated. The organization also recently brought on The Boldt Company as its first major corporate sponsor.
Using the last two years to develop a proof case for moving forward with the facility has sharpened the founders’ vision. Ideally, Photo Opp will complete renovations on the building and hire an executive director. (The organization currently runs on about 500 annual hours of volunteer power.) But, like any good photographer would be, Ferrell, Washatka and Adams are staying open to new visions and willing to reflect the community around them.
On the web thephotoopp.org
