Latest news with #SusanStewart
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
3 vie for 2 seats on Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners in Aug. 9 election: Voters guide
Rehoboth Beach voters will choose two new commissioners Aug. 9. Commissioners Francis "Bunky" Markert and Ed Chrzanowski are not seeking reelection. Three newcomers have filed to take their places: Jeffrey Goode, Chris Galanty and Susan Stewart. The two winners will join commissioners Patrick Gossett, Mark Saunders, Suzanne Goode and Craig Thier, and Mayor Stan Mills in leading Rehoboth Beach. Voting will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. Delaware Online/The News Journal sent each of the three candidates an identical questionnaire. They are printed below unedited, except in the case of certain style issues. Jeffrey Goode Age: Not provided. What qualifies you to run for this office? I have been an economist and research manager for 40 years, mostly with the federal government in Washington, DC, and also overseas in Egypt and Switzerland. My most recent federal positions were with the Congressional Research Service and the Department of Labor. At CRS I headed an office of economists in performing research on international trade and finance to advise Congress during the Great Recession. For DOL, I advised department leadership on the economic impacts of changes to the overtime and minimum wage regulations. As an economist, I know how to evaluate both the benefits and costs of proposals and budgets. These skills are critical to our future in Rehoboth. Overseas, I worked as a labor economist for the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, where I managed research on the relationship of hours of work and unemployment. Before that I was a U.S. Foreign Service officer in Egypt. I conducted negotiations with Egypt's government leaders to reform its markets in conjunction with America's foreign aid program. Since retiring from the federal government, I have worked as an international economic consultant. For example, on a USAID funded project, I analyzed the economic impacts of COVID-19 on the Middle East and North Africa region. I advised USAID on adjustments to the labor markets in response to COVID-19. I have also taught economics as an adjunct professor at several universities including American University, Georgetown University, Catholic University, and most recently Salisbury University on the Eastern Shore. My education includes a Ph.D. in economics. Rehoboth boardwalk: Business brings back landmark dolphins to rooftop mini golf course Why are you running for this office? I am running for office to be a voice for fiscal sanity and competence. Since my moving to Rehoboth full-time 8 years ago, the budget has ballooned from $19 million to $44 million. Most of this increase was in recent years, from $27.7 million in fiscal year 2022 to $44 million currently. The city has increased its spending by over twice the rate of inflation over the last several years. On our current board, we have a bloc of four-to-five members who consistently vote together. If one of these four-to-five members of the board proposed that the sky is purple, the majority of this board would agree. For example, our current bloated budget of $44 million was passed by a vote of 6 to 1. The rubber will meet the road in the next couple of years when Rehoboth Beach meets its borrowing limit of $75 million. The city is currently at $68 million, 90% of our limit. The city borrowed $5.5 million to pay for the new Rehoboth Beach Lifeguard Station. Each resident now owes about $60,000 per head for the city's debt! We must bring down this city's debt. What do you see as the top three issues facing Rehoboth Beach and how do you plan to address them? Fiscal sanity. Rehoboth has lost control over its spending. Post-COVID the city has increased its spending by over twice the rate of inflation. The budget during this time has expanded from $27.7 million to $44 million currently. This fiscal insanity has led to a dangerously increasing debt. The rubber will meet the road in the next couple of years when Rehoboth Beach meets its borrowing limit of $75 million. The city debt is currently at $68 million, 90% of our limit of $75 million. The city borrowed $5.5 million to pay for the new Rehoboth Beach Lifeguard Station. We must bring down this city's debt, not continue to increase it.I will not vote for any budget that exceeds the growth in inflation. I would also support a freeze on new hires beyond replacements. In a time of exploding budgets and growing deficits, we need to stop spending tax dollars on unnecessary consultants, pet projects and attorney fees ($900,000 last year).I will also argue for the Board to rescind the storm water impact fee. The approved impact fee will require expensive consulting and new employees. Only large cities can afford to amortize expenses. Stormwater expenses should be paid as part of our general budget. Competence in decision-making by the board. On our current board, we have a bloc of four-to-five members who consistently vote together. If one of these four-to-five members of the board proposed that the sky is purple, the majority of this board would agree. The lack of tolerance for other ideas exhibited by this board has led to many poor decisions. For example, our current bloated budget of $44 million was passed by a vote 6-to-1, my wife the only commissioner voting against it. Perhaps the most egregious decision was the outrageous contract with the city manager, which includes an interest-free forgivable loan after seven years on a house. This decision continues to bleed the city in fighting a lawsuit on this contract by outraged at the July 7 workshop, a new commissioner requested that the city provide information on the city manager lawsuit. Until that point only the commissioners that made the wrong decision were kept in the loop. The newer commissioners that were on the board after the decision was made were out of the loop. So the people who made the bad decisions to begin with are the ones deciding how to proceed with the lawsuit. This lawsuit has to date cost the City of Rehoboth $150,000 in legal fees. The new commissioner wants to settle this bleeding of taxpayer money. So do me in this election. My two opponents in the election are running as a joint ticket backed by the same cadre of folks who have caused many of our current problems and we do not need more of the same running our government. Concentrate on everyday infrastructure improvements instead of large projects. The city should focus its infrastructure improvements on everyday issues instead of grandiose new projects like the Baltimore Streetscape or the building of the second-largest lifeguard station in the country.I will advocate and vote for fixing our streets, sidewalks and traffic calming. For example, something needs to be done about the traffic circle entering the city. The design and lighting is confusing to tourists and residents alike. At the minimum, serious yield traffic lights need to be placed upon entering the Circle not little Christmas lights like we have now. They should put a moratorium on grandiose plans like Baltimore Streetscape, and the newly built lifeguard station. The City borrowed $5.5 million to help build the lifeguard center. Did we really need what I heard is the second-largest lifeguard center in America? I remember when I was a lifeguard in college in New York City - we had shacks at our disposal, not a Taj Mahal. Chris Galanty Age: 56 What qualifies you to run for this office? I'm qualified to serve as a city commissioner because I've spent my life preparing for public leadership - professionally, personally and in service to my community. From a young age, I was taught to help others and lead with purpose. I hold a bachelor's degree in political science and environmental studies and a master's degree in urban planning, graduating with high honors from the University of Virginia. For over 30 years, I've advised federal agencies like the EPA and National Park Service on urban planning, environmental protection and information technology - leading large teams and managing multimillion-dollar budgets with a focus on results. Locally, I've served as an officer in our civic association and on the Rehoboth Streets and Transportation Committee, where I've worked directly with neighbors to improve traffic safety and protect our environment. I've led successful initiatives by building coalitions, listening first, and bringing practical solutions forward. At Booz Allen Hamilton, my consistent top-tier employee engagement scores reflect how I lead: collaboratively, respectfully and with integrity. I understand how government works - and how to make it work better for the people it serves. Why are you running for this office? I'm running for this office because I believe Rehoboth Beach deserves leaders who are deeply invested in its future and grounded in real experience. This isn't just where I live - it's where my husband James and I have chosen to build our home, and where I've actively worked with neighbors to solve problems and improve the quality of life. I'm running because I want to protect Rehoboth's character, enhance its future and serve our residents with clarity, transparency and care. At this moment in Rehoboth's history - where growth, resilience, and community trust all hang in the balance - I want to step up and serve. This town means the world to me, and I'm ready to work every day to preserve what makes it special while planning thoughtfully for its future. Rehoboth Beach: No protest, only counter-protest, at Goolee's Grille What do you see as the top three issues facing Rehoboth Beach and how do you plan to address them? Rehoboth Beach is at a pivotal moment, and I believe we must address three critical issues to secure our future. Transparent, accountable, and fiscally disciplined governance: Our community thrives when everyone's voice is heard, and our government is truly responsive. Priorities must be shaped by residents - not a select few - and backed by sound financial planning. I will push for clearer communication, timely sharing of budget decisions and more accessible public meetings where fiscal choices are explained in plain leadership is collaborative but also disciplined. I'll bring a results-driven approach to budgeting that ensures every dollar spent reflects our community's needs and values. That includes scrutinizing spending, planning long-term and asking tough questions. We must restore trust by showing that Rehoboth Beach manages its finances thoughtfully and transparently. Our board shouldn't just talk about good government - it needs to deliver it. Protecting and enhancing quality of life: Whether it's walking safely down a well-maintained sidewalk or weathering a coastal storm, quality of life in Rehoboth starts with infrastructure that's built to last. I will prioritize smart investments that make our roads, sidewalks and public spaces safer and more accessible - for residents, visitors and local businesses. With experience from the Streets and Transportation Committee (and my education in urban planning), I understand the importance of traffic calming, pedestrian protection and preserving our town's charm as we plan for a coastal city, we must also confront the growing threats of climate change, rising sea levels and storm surges. I will champion green infrastructure and coastal resilience strategies - like permeable pavement, native landscaping and stormwater systems - to help safeguard our neighborhoods and natural beauty. These efforts aren't just about infrastructure - they're about protecting the way of life that makes Rehoboth so special. Strengthening our local economy and year-round vitality: Rehoboth Beach's unique character is shaped by the small businesses that line our streets and the visitors who return year after year. I will champion policies that support local entrepreneurs, reduce red tape, and expand opportunities for small business growth - especially in the shoulder and off seasons. That includes streamlining permitting processes, promoting events that draw residents and visitors year-round and investing in amenities that support both locals and tourists.A stronger year-round economy benefits everyone - from workers and business owners to families and retirees. By making Rehoboth more accessible, inviting and business-friendly throughout the calendar, we protect the heart of our community and the livelihoods it supports. Susan Stewart Age: 66 What qualifies you to run for this office? I have overcome challenges throughout my life as a lawyer, financial advisor and athlete. As a former member of the U.S. Women's Lacrosse Team and collegiate coach, I learned the value of hard work, perseverance, leadership and teamwork. Today, I am SVP of the Stewart Group at RBC Wealth Management, on the board of trustees of Ursinus College, and a member of the city's planning commission and two task forces. That combination of professional ability and leadership skills are strengths I will draw on as commissioner with a focus on making the city more efficient, productive and responsive. Residents, businesses and property owners deserve a commission that prioritizes the needs of its citizens and moves beyond dysfunction toward solutions that reflect our shared values and long-term needs. Why are you running for this office? This campaign is about restoring trust and building a stronger, more united Rehoboth Beach. I want to be part of a team that listens more, argues less, and focuses on what matters to its residents and businesses. Rehoboth Beach is a vibrant community of neighbors, families, and small businesses. We are fortunate to have residents and business owners with a wealth of experience and professional expertise. However, our community has fallen into a cycle of criticism for its own sake, disagreeing just to disagree, disrupting just to disrupt. That mindset prevents us from coming together on shared values and goals. It breeds frustration, disrupts public meetings, and leads to unnecessary litigation. Our city government spends more time reacting to crises than passing meaningful legislation to address both short- and long-term needs. This reactive approach is costly and ineffective and I will implement a longer-term approach driven by constituents. County government: Sussex County vs. Delaware? The fight for local control playing out around the state What do you see as the top three issues facing Rehoboth Beach and how do you plan to address them? One is the weakening of business conditions. The city depends on thriving businesses, and several have reported a softening in sales. It is not clear whether the downturn in business is related to slowing of the economy in general or to specific issues that could and should be addressed by the city. Another concern and the single biggest source of frustration for homeowners is the length of time it takes and the lack of consistency in residential permitting. Some of this is related to ambiguous code provisions and some to internal processes. It needs to be addressed no matter the cause. Lastly, the city needs to streamline and step up its enforcement of code provisions related to residents' quality of life. During high season, residents complain mostly about drivers speeding, ignoring stop signs and pedestrians in crosswalks. Another common complaint is noise, particularly coming from rental properties. Beyond stepped up enforcement, the city needs to examine whether its fines are sufficient to act as a deterrent and to require landlords to post those penalties in each rental unit. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 2 new commissioners to be elected Aug. 9 in Rehoboth Beach Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rehoboth Beach voters elect Stewart and Galanty as 2 newest commissioners
Rehoboth Beach voters chose Chris Galanty and Susan Stewart as their two newest commissioners Aug. 9. After Commissioners Francis "Bunky" Markert and Ed Chrzanowski didn't seek reelection, two seats were up for grabs. Jeffrey Goode, Galanty and Stewart all filed to run. A total of 637 ballots were cast at the convention center Aug. 9, City Manager Taylour Tedder said in a news release, while 474 voters submitted absentee ballots. The official vote tally for each candidate was: Chris Galanty 806 Jeffrey Goode 314 Susan Stewart 849 Galanty and Stewart will join commissioners Patrick Gossett, Mark Saunders, Suzanne Goode and Craig Thier and Mayor Stan Mills in leading Rehoboth Beach. Background: 3 vie for 2 seats on Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners in Aug. 9 election: Voters guide The Nation's Summer Capital seems to be entering a new era, as major hotel projects have now been approved for both sides of Rehoboth Avenue at the boardwalk. (This story was updated to add a photo gallery.) This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Rehoboth Beach election: Stewart and Galanty newest commissioners Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SWBC Mortgage Announces Whittier as SVP of Production Optimization
Veteran Mortgage Executive to Lead Strategic Growth, Coaching, and Sales Optimization Initiatives SAN ANTONIO, July 15, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SWBC Mortgage Corporation is proud to welcome Tim Whittier, a seasoned mortgage executive, as its Senior Vice President of Production Optimization. Whittier brings over thirty years of mortgage expertise and an unmatched passion for helping teams succeed. Beginning his career in 1992 as a loan officer, he has assumed leadership roles throughout the industry, including regional manager and president of an independent mortgage bank ranked among the top 50 nationally. His professional journey is characterized by growth, innovation, and a proven track record of enhancing performance at every stage of the mortgage process. He will work closely with our marketing, training, and sales leaders to create a dynamic, collaborative environment that supports continuous learning, growth, and execution. His leadership will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our production strategy and building our momentum. "Tim brings a unique blend of operational insight and motivational leadership that will be instrumental in elevating our teams," said Susan Stewart, CEO of SWBC Mortgage. "His innovative coaching techniques and extensive industry knowledge will be key in helping grow our region and drive long-term success." Tim's key initiatives aim to improve production performance and create strategic action plans that align with our long-term vision. His innovative coaching techniques and extensive industry knowledge will be essential in empowering our loan officers to reach new levels in sales, partnership development, and product expertise. Whittier has served as the president of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Metropolitan Washington (MBA/MW). About SWBC Mortgage Corporation SWBC Mortgage Corporation is a full-service mortgage lender approved by FNMA, FHLMC, and GNMA. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, SWBC Mortgage has been providing mortgage banking services since 1988. Through the changing landscape of the mortgage industry, the company has remained committed to service, integrity, and stability while growing to serve communities and borrowers in 44 states + DC. Today, SWBC Mortgage is consistently recognized as one of the top 50 lenders in America and is home to numerous top-ranked originators. Building on a rich history of success, SWBC Mortgage has highly experienced team members who leverage cutting-edge technology to deliver industry-leading speed and service, while providing a personal, experienced touch to the mortgage process. The company's state-of-the-art digital application, unrivaled speed to close, and seamless transition to our servicing platform result in customers who consistently rate SWBC Mortgage as a top lending experience. About SWBC As a diversified financial services company, SWBC provides financial institutions, businesses, and individuals with a wide range of insurance, mortgages, wealth management, employee benefits, and more. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, SWBC has partners and divisions across all 50 states and Mexico and manages businesses worldwide. No matter how wide its reach, SWBC always listens to our customers' needs, analyzes their current situations, and recommends customized solutions. For more information about our innovative approach to personalized service, visit SWBC's website. View source version on Contacts Lisa PintoSWBClpinto@ 210.382.1520 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Sydney Morning Herald
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
His life was filled with strangers' photos. Yours might be among them
The photograph as souvenir is a logical extension of the pressed flower - poet Susan Stewart. A hundred years ago in New York City, a Siberian immigrant named Anatol Josepho unveiled his new machine: the Photomaton: an enclosed curtained booth where, for just 25¢, the user could have their photo taken by a machine and delivered right into their hand in eight minutes. Years in development, with a pre-history too long for me to get into here, Josepho's invention was a wild success, with people lining up around the block. Two years later, he sold the patent and future royalties for $1 million, and moved to Los Angeles. He made other inventions, but nothing that so captured a populace hungry to see themselves, and hungry to be seen. By the 1940s, there were upwards of 30,000 black-and-white photobooths in the United States alone, boosted by soldiers getting photos of their sweethearts to take away to war. Today, the original analog machines are rare. The number fluctuates but I have it on good authority that there are only 200 to 400 left globally. You can blame technology, the digital creep. They don't make the photographic paper any more, and the machines are difficult to maintain, but there remains a coterie of diehards keeping the photobooth dream alive. A photobooth hypothetical: let's say it happened sometime between now and the past 50 years in Melbourne. You were with friends, or you were solo; you were drinking, larking, or you needed a representation of your likeness for some official purpose. But the image got crunched or swallowed, or maybe the four-minute wait felt like 50, so you walked. You might have thought that moment in time was lost forever. But as part of his daily rounds, Alan Adler, owner/operator of said photobooths – who at one point was running 16 booths across the city – would have recovered your strip and added it to his shoebox (he was not one for throwing things out). Adler died in December last year, aged 92, and those lost strips – along with the machines and history – were passed to the new owners, Jessie Norman and Chris Sutherland, operating as Metro-Auto-Photo. Now your lost strip – part of the hoard – might be getting a public airing. Think of it like a treasure hunt of vernacular photography – wouldn't you want to see it? The origin story of how Norman and Sutherland met Adler and became his friends/preservers/torch-taker-uppers is in the book Auto-Photo: A Life in Portraits, (Perimeter Books, 2024). Made in collaboration with Daniel Boetker-Smith, director of the Centre for Contemporary Photography, and curator Catlin Langford, the text celebrates Adler's legacy, and features 50 years of his test strips, revealing the man behind the machines. Auto-Photo: a Life in Portraits, the exhibition, further explores the photobooth as significant cultural object in playful and immersive ways. The original plan was for the exhibition and book to happen at the same time, but fate (well, funding cuts) intervened, and the team had to rethink. This delay has meant that the show must go on without its star, lending a more elegiac tone to the enterprise. Norman and Sutherland et al are consoled by the fact that Adler was present for the book launch, and able to have his time to shine. Sutherland says: 'He tried to pretend that he didn't like the attention – he was quite solitary – he had a whole life of only dealing with complaints and issues and then thanks to social media, he finally got a chance to be appreciated.' While there is plenty of Adler in the exhibition – 'thousands of his faces,' Langford says, 'these little strips … as well as his face three metres high' – Auto-Photo also pulls focus on people who used his photobooths 'to create art or to create memory', like writer Julie Mac, who, answering a public call-out, came armed with photo albums of her Sharpie mates from the 1970s, and Nicky Makin, who, Langford says, 'was taking photos in the '80s and colouring them … they look like A-ha video clips'. Langford, who is currently undertaking a PhD on the history of photobooths in Australia, talks about a 1929 newspaper series that asked members of the public to submit their strips showing six different emotions: 'These amazing images of Australians, with, like, flapper hair, were published. It showed that people were really excited by this invention. Straight away, people saw the performative potential of it.' On this, Adler is a case in point. Although his photos were tests, the private nature of them brought out different aspects of his personality: we have grimaces and goofy grins, eyes rolling or screwed shut. In some shots, taken at home, he has a mannequin in shot, or his cat on his lap, like subversive beats in the everyday workaday ongoingness of his reality. The photobooth has always been a magnet for artistic play and expression. Art critic Jonathan Jones writes about the surrealist artists Andre Breton, Max Ernst and Salvador Dali as early adopters. The machine exemplified the concept of the 'readymade': it 'removed the conscious, controlling mind of the photographer and took a stream of images too quickly for the sitter to compose her or himself in any but the most basic ways …' In the 1960s, Andy Warhol's early experiments in photography and repetition utilised the photobooth. He appreciated the monochrome, uniform aesthetic, their ease and convenience. 'Isn't life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?' Loading Like many Melburnians, I have my own photobooth memories. As a young adult in the 1990s, asserting an identity distinct from my suburban upbringing, a photo strip felt talismanic. It was a kind of proof, a way of claiming some small part of the city, and the wider world. There was something about the ritual of the process, the known steps, the tangible result, that felt significant. I was borrowing from popular culture, from the way photo strips were used in films, especially as totems of romance and remembrance. I still have a handful of them (I am also not one for throwing things out). Norman and Sutherland's Instagram archive, @flindersphotobooth, posts strips sent in by the public. Norman says: 'We get hundreds of messages throughout the year: 'This is me and my wife in 1974'. They've made an account just to DM me, and they've had that photo in their wallet all that time. Or 'This is the last picture of my brother before he passed away'. It's a real roller-coaster ride of emotion. I always try and send the happy ones to Chris.' Both speak of the photograph-as-object as part of the attraction. 'If you're under 30, your whole life is intangible,' says Sutherland. 'The reality is a lot of people don't have physical photos of their family and friends any more so that's why there's something [about analog photography] that really connects.' I'm curious about generational relationships to nostalgia. For those who remember the time before selfies, this exhibition will mean one thing, for later generations, something else. I wonder about the concept of 'borrowed nostalgia'. Marketers like to say that Gen Z, despite being true digital natives, have an intense longing for real-world connections, as well as a keen bullshit radar and a desire to find things without the false help of the algorithm gods. Considering this, it makes sense that Adler's 'reveal' was borne of social media, its stew of visual culture, digital communication, public interest (and pride) a modern form of collective consciousness. At the photobooth installed at RMIT for the duration of the exhibition, I watched a steady stream of young people going in and coming out, waiting the wait, excited. And then it was my turn. I remembered the half-curtain, the swivelling too-small seat (happily, the machine accepted cards). It was over in seconds. I felt faintly exposed in a way I never did back in the day – the whole doing-something-private-in-public thing. When I got home, I put the new photos against the old, and felt the pull of nostalgia, but also an appreciation for the fact that this was me now, as is, no retakes. I'll make meaning of it later.
The Age
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
His life was filled with strangers' photos. Yours might be among them
The photograph as souvenir is a logical extension of the pressed flower - poet Susan Stewart. A hundred years ago in New York City, a Siberian immigrant named Anatol Josepho unveiled his new machine: the Photomaton: an enclosed curtained booth where, for just 25¢, the user could have their photo taken by a machine and delivered right into their hand in eight minutes. Years in development, with a pre-history too long for me to get into here, Josepho's invention was a wild success, with people lining up around the block. Two years later, he sold the patent and future royalties for $1 million, and moved to Los Angeles. He made other inventions, but nothing that so captured a populace hungry to see themselves, and hungry to be seen. By the 1940s, there were upwards of 30,000 black-and-white photobooths in the United States alone, boosted by soldiers getting photos of their sweethearts to take away to war. Today, the original analog machines are rare. The number fluctuates but I have it on good authority that there are only 200 to 400 left globally. You can blame technology, the digital creep. They don't make the photographic paper any more, and the machines are difficult to maintain, but there remains a coterie of diehards keeping the photobooth dream alive. A photobooth hypothetical: let's say it happened sometime between now and the past 50 years in Melbourne. You were with friends, or you were solo; you were drinking, larking, or you needed a representation of your likeness for some official purpose. But the image got crunched or swallowed, or maybe the four-minute wait felt like 50, so you walked. You might have thought that moment in time was lost forever. But as part of his daily rounds, Alan Adler, owner/operator of said photobooths – who at one point was running 16 booths across the city – would have recovered your strip and added it to his shoebox (he was not one for throwing things out). Adler died in December last year, aged 92, and those lost strips – along with the machines and history – were passed to the new owners, Jessie Norman and Chris Sutherland, operating as Metro-Auto-Photo. Now your lost strip – part of the hoard – might be getting a public airing. Think of it like a treasure hunt of vernacular photography – wouldn't you want to see it? The origin story of how Norman and Sutherland met Adler and became his friends/preservers/torch-taker-uppers is in the book Auto-Photo: A Life in Portraits, (Perimeter Books, 2024). Made in collaboration with Daniel Boetker-Smith, director of the Centre for Contemporary Photography, and curator Catlin Langford, the text celebrates Adler's legacy, and features 50 years of his test strips, revealing the man behind the machines. Auto-Photo: a Life in Portraits, the exhibition, further explores the photobooth as significant cultural object in playful and immersive ways. The original plan was for the exhibition and book to happen at the same time, but fate (well, funding cuts) intervened, and the team had to rethink. This delay has meant that the show must go on without its star, lending a more elegiac tone to the enterprise. Norman and Sutherland et al are consoled by the fact that Adler was present for the book launch, and able to have his time to shine. Sutherland says: 'He tried to pretend that he didn't like the attention – he was quite solitary – he had a whole life of only dealing with complaints and issues and then thanks to social media, he finally got a chance to be appreciated.' While there is plenty of Adler in the exhibition – 'thousands of his faces,' Langford says, 'these little strips … as well as his face three metres high' – Auto-Photo also pulls focus on people who used his photobooths 'to create art or to create memory', like writer Julie Mac, who, answering a public call-out, came armed with photo albums of her Sharpie mates from the 1970s, and Nicky Makin, who, Langford says, 'was taking photos in the '80s and colouring them … they look like A-ha video clips'. Langford, who is currently undertaking a PhD on the history of photobooths in Australia, talks about a 1929 newspaper series that asked members of the public to submit their strips showing six different emotions: 'These amazing images of Australians, with, like, flapper hair, were published. It showed that people were really excited by this invention. Straight away, people saw the performative potential of it.' On this, Adler is a case in point. Although his photos were tests, the private nature of them brought out different aspects of his personality: we have grimaces and goofy grins, eyes rolling or screwed shut. In some shots, taken at home, he has a mannequin in shot, or his cat on his lap, like subversive beats in the everyday workaday ongoingness of his reality. The photobooth has always been a magnet for artistic play and expression. Art critic Jonathan Jones writes about the surrealist artists Andre Breton, Max Ernst and Salvador Dali as early adopters. The machine exemplified the concept of the 'readymade': it 'removed the conscious, controlling mind of the photographer and took a stream of images too quickly for the sitter to compose her or himself in any but the most basic ways …' In the 1960s, Andy Warhol's early experiments in photography and repetition utilised the photobooth. He appreciated the monochrome, uniform aesthetic, their ease and convenience. 'Isn't life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?' Loading Like many Melburnians, I have my own photobooth memories. As a young adult in the 1990s, asserting an identity distinct from my suburban upbringing, a photo strip felt talismanic. It was a kind of proof, a way of claiming some small part of the city, and the wider world. There was something about the ritual of the process, the known steps, the tangible result, that felt significant. I was borrowing from popular culture, from the way photo strips were used in films, especially as totems of romance and remembrance. I still have a handful of them (I am also not one for throwing things out). Norman and Sutherland's Instagram archive, @flindersphotobooth, posts strips sent in by the public. Norman says: 'We get hundreds of messages throughout the year: 'This is me and my wife in 1974'. They've made an account just to DM me, and they've had that photo in their wallet all that time. Or 'This is the last picture of my brother before he passed away'. It's a real roller-coaster ride of emotion. I always try and send the happy ones to Chris.' Both speak of the photograph-as-object as part of the attraction. 'If you're under 30, your whole life is intangible,' says Sutherland. 'The reality is a lot of people don't have physical photos of their family and friends any more so that's why there's something [about analog photography] that really connects.' I'm curious about generational relationships to nostalgia. For those who remember the time before selfies, this exhibition will mean one thing, for later generations, something else. I wonder about the concept of 'borrowed nostalgia'. Marketers like to say that Gen Z, despite being true digital natives, have an intense longing for real-world connections, as well as a keen bullshit radar and a desire to find things without the false help of the algorithm gods. Considering this, it makes sense that Adler's 'reveal' was borne of social media, its stew of visual culture, digital communication, public interest (and pride) a modern form of collective consciousness. At the photobooth installed at RMIT for the duration of the exhibition, I watched a steady stream of young people going in and coming out, waiting the wait, excited. And then it was my turn. I remembered the half-curtain, the swivelling too-small seat (happily, the machine accepted cards). It was over in seconds. I felt faintly exposed in a way I never did back in the day – the whole doing-something-private-in-public thing. When I got home, I put the new photos against the old, and felt the pull of nostalgia, but also an appreciation for the fact that this was me now, as is, no retakes. I'll make meaning of it later.
