2026 Click! 120 Photography Experience

Saturday, October 3, 2026 10:00am - 6:00pm Sunday, October 4, 2026, 10:00am - 6:00pm

To further enhance the opening weekend experience, for the third year Click! has invited a specially curated group of exhibitors to showcase their products and services. Plans include product demonstrations, panel discussions, exhibits and more!

The Expo will take place October 3rd & 4th at the Downtown Durham Convention Center.

The Click! 120 Photography Experience is made possible by the generous support of Freestyle Photo and Imaging Supplies.

2026 Click! Photography Festival Keynote Speaker

Elizabeth Opalenik

Obsessions, Inspirations, and the Creative Process

Sunday, October 4, 2026 Meeting room a2 4:30 Beer & wine REception Keynote to Follow

In this artist talk, Elizabeth Opalenik explores the deeply personal and evolving nature of photographic practice. Through selected bodies of work and portfolio presentations, she examines questions at the heart of creative expression: Who are you as a photographer? Where does inspiration come from? Why do artists move through different themes, subjects, and visual languages over time?

Sharing work from across her career — including her celebrated mastery of alternative photographic processes and the haunting, transformative technique of mordançage — Opalenik offers insight into the creative process from intuition and obsession to image-making and meaning. Her photographs become self-portraits in another form, revealing emotional responses to the world, layered histories, and stories left behind within an image.

The lecture reflects on memory, curiosity, and artistic evolution, while inviting audiences into the tactile and experimental dimensions of photographic practice. Through personal reflections and visual storytelling, Opalenik discusses what continues to captivate her attention and how photography serves as a way of understanding both self and subject.

At the end of the lecture there will be time for questions and Elizabeth will share original photographs from various processes she will be discussing.

Elizabeth Opalenik is a photographic artist and mordançeuse known for her evocative, intimate imagery and use of alternative processes such as carbon and platinum printing. She is recognized for her masterful use of mordançage—often incorporating delicate veils of lifted emulsion where her work blends technical innovation with emotional depth. Opalenik also works extensively with infrared photography, creating sensual images with water, flowers, and the human figure. Her photographic works on Japanese papers are characterized by distortion, reflection, and an atmosphere that invites contemplation.

Over the course of her 45 year career, Opalenik has taught, lectured, and exhibited on six continents, sharing her expertise with students and professionals alike. She has been a longtime instructor at Maine Media Workshops and the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, and has led figure workshops and specialized programs for women with cancer at the F Holland Day Center for Creativity and Healing, where art becomes a tool for resilience and expression. Beyond the studio, Opalenik has engaged in humanitarian efforts with eye doctors working in South America and along the Amazon emphasizing photography’s power to connect, heal, and reveal.

She is the author of two books, Poetic Grace: Elizabeth Opalenik photographs 1979-2007 and Workshop Stories: changed through photography, which document her artistic journey and teaching philosophy, further solidifying her legacy as both an artist and educator.

Saturday, October 3, 2026

10:00am - 6:00pm

**3rd Annual (Mostly) Film Photo Walk**

“Bad Flashes” will return to lead a film-centric photo walk around downtown Durham. Caleb is a passionate film photographer who’s dedicated his life to promoting the joys of film photography. Check out his YouTube channel HERE.

The walk will will begin at the Durham Convention Center at 10:00am on Saturday, October 3rd. Rain or Shine!

The walk is made possible by the generous support of Freestyle Photo Imaging and Supplies. It is free and open to the public but registration is required.

Registration now open!

Don’t own a film camera? No Worries! All are welcome.

Kate Medley Book TAlk
10:00am Room a2

Photojournalist Kate Medley will present her award-winning book “Thank You Please Come Again”, a coffee table book of photographs, for which she was a James Beard finalist. It was named a Best Book of 2024 by NPR. Kate’s work focuses on storytelling and environmental portraiture, often exploring issues of social justice and the shifting politics of this region.
Kate will be available for book signings following her talk.

“Thank You, Please Come Again”, is a photo book that explores gas stations and convenience stores as unexpected hubs of community, culture, and connection in the South. The book is the result of a 10 year project exploring the diversity of gas station food down rural roads throughout the South.

Kate is a visual journalist based in North Carolina, whose work across the American South focuses on storytelling and environmental portraiture, often exploring issues of social justice and the shifting politics of this region. Kate’s roots are in Mississippi, where she has investigated Civil Rights-era cold cases, covered the devastating impacts of Hurricane Katrina, and explored the cultural relevance of hot tamales and Koolicles in the Mississippi Delta. Her work has been exhibited in solo shows at the Mississippi Museum of Art, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Jule Museum of Fine Art, the MAX Museum, and The Light Factory. She regularly contributes to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

**The World of Inkjet Papers with Eric Joseph**
**10:00am room a1**

Join us for an engaging session with Eric Joseph as he shares his expertise in inkjet papers! Learn about the latest developments in photographic paper technology and discover how to achieve the best results with your prints.

Junior girl scout digital photographer badge class
10:00am room a3

Do you love photography? Be a part of the first Junior Girl Scouts in North Carolina to earn their Digital Camera Badge at the Click! Photography Festival in Durham.
Space is limited to the first 30 scouts.

Learn all the basics of operating a camera and create four images of your own. Each Scout must bring their own digital or film camera to learn how to set aperture and shutter speeds to complete all the badge assignments.

For more details and to register, click the link below.

Micah Cash Book TAlk
11:30am Room a2

The photographs in “Waffle House Vistas” ask viewers to look up from their hash browns and see the institutions and structures that create real, yet rarely acknowledged, boundaries that feel impossible to break through for much of this country. The narrative threads of poverty, race, and regionalism adjoin those of fast food, economics, and politics. The book, published by The Bitter Southerner, has sold tens of thousands of copies across two editions.
Micah will be available for book signings following his talk.

In creating “Waffle House Vistas” Micah Cash visited over one hundred and twenty five restaurants in eleven states while following a strict set of rules: he sat down where he was able, ordered coffee and some food, and photographed what he saw from his seat. The images look out from booths and chairs, placing the viewer as both the patron and the witness.

“Waffle House Vistas” documents the built environment of the southeastern United States as seen through the windows of Waffle House restaurants. This photographic inquiry contemplates economic uncertainty and the social demographics of America’s working class through the lens of the beloved cultural fast-food icon.

Investigating how land use and social history influence cultural geography, Micah Cash uses the visual languages of landscape and architecture across media to explore narratives of utilization, demarcation, and ownership. Micah exhibits in both solo and group exhibitions and has work included in private collections throughout North America and Europe. Cash’s monographs include Waffle House Vistas and Dangerous Waters: A Photo Essay on the Tennessee Valley Authority. Micah received his MFA from the University of Connecticut and his Bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina.

Henry horenstein artist talk & book signing

1:00pm Room a2

In this talk with time for questions and book signing after, Henry speaks about his long career as a photographer, filmmaker, author, and educator.

Reflecting on his early career, Henry explains how his love of history brought him into the world of photography. He speaks of his approach to image making as a record of time and culture, a way to preserve the memory of people and places too easily forgotten.

**An Analog Conversation with Caleb and Trev**
**1:30pm room a1**

Join Caleb “Bad Flashes” Knueven and Trev Lee from the Darkroom for a discussion on all things analog.

Image (c) Dennis Keeley — Dennis Keeley & Pete Coco "Photographing Music” Panel conversation
2:30pm Room a2

Join Dennis & Pete in conversation as they reflect on their different approaches to photographing in the music industry, including songwriters, musicians, bands, clubs, concerts and the business in general.
With both artists having backgrounds as musicians they offer interesting insights and a unique understanding of both mediums. Photography and music are about special moments informed by a deep foundation of practice.
For more details visit our ***Event Page***.