Studio History

A Dynasty A Century of Photographic Tradition
By Leslie Hunt

There's a big party brewing in Chicago. On the evening of July 13, family-owned Edward Fox Photography celebrates 100 years of business with a gala at Chicago's historic Cultural Center. For one night, the gleaming marble and stained-glass domes of the center will belong to Edward Fox Photography, courtesy of Lois Weisberg, Chicago Commissioner of Cultural Affairs.

It's a thank you to Richard Nopar, third-generation studio owner, and his son Ken Nopar, general manager, who on New Year's Eve 1999, photographed-en masse - 400 special guests of the city from 200 countries, who came to welcome the new millennium. The Edward Fox crew worked through the night to make prints for each visitor in the photograph, gratis, and a 30x40-inch print for Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Professional Photographer recently spent an afternoon with Richard Nopar to get a feel for the tradition that continues to drive Edward Fox Photography.

PP: What were the early years like for the studio?

RN: It was a mom and pop style studio. My grandparents, Edward and Anna, married in 1903, a year after my grandfather opened the business. Temporarily, they lived in an apartment above the studio on Milwaukee Avenue in northwest Chicago. After the honeymoon night, Anna came downstairs and saw Grandpa already hard at work. She asked him if there was anything she could do, a naive question it turns out- she came back to work every day thereafter. They were a good team; he made the photographs and she was a hard-hitting businesswoman.

At the time, there were eight or nine studios within a two-mile stretch, all on the same street. We all catered to the European immigrants living in the area, who would have pictures made to send back home. Edward Fox was the best of these photographers, and the most industrious man I ever knew.

Grandpa was an immigrant himself; he came alone to America from Russia at age 15. The family he lived with were photographers, and that's how he learned. He read, spoke, and wrote English, even though we would kid him about his accent, tell him he took out his "vallet" and went to the "wault" to put away his money. He was a very lovable man and a hard worker. Just five- foot one -my grandmother towered over him at five-foot six-Grandpa drove the biggest car you can imagine, a Buick Roadmaster. He had to look at the road between the steering wheel and the dashboard.

PP: What other kinds of photography did Edward Fox shoot?

RN: Weddings were always the backbone of our studio, but that wasn't all we did. It was a family-oriented studio, so we'd do children, families, graduation, businesspeople, all of it. Nobody was going to come from 15 miles away to be photographed, although Grandpa did advertise the studio by placing bridal portraits inside the streetcars. A streetcar went right down the center of Milwaukee Avenue, and it did bring in people.

In 1969, our business was torn down for that "gourmet" eating emporium, White Castle. We moved about five miles north, still on Milwaukee Avenue, about 10 miles from downtown Chicago.

PP: How did the advent of color photography affect Edward Fox?

RN: I'd say 1960 was a turning point for the studio, in the use of both 35mm candid photography and color film. We took our color work to La Salle Photo Service of Chicago for 25 years, until the company went out of business. We hired their chief man, Bob Wada, and established our own lab about six blocks from the studio. It's been a tremendous success story; today it employs about 25 people, and we print work for other studios as well. We also send work to Burrell Professional Labs.

PP: When did the number of weddings substantially increase?

RN: When we placed sales desks in bridal shops, it started an explosion in our candid wedding photography. We meet brides coming into the shops early in their buying patterns. Photography displays and albums are available for them to look over and we make a wonderful impression. We now have sales centers in David's Bridal Salons and Eva's Bridal Salons.

Having exposure to brides all over the city puts us in a good competitive situation. As always, we charge a fair price for our services; we've never been an exclusive, high-priced studio, then or now.

PP: What does it take to be an Edward Fox Photographer?

RN: Andre LaCour, PPA Master Photographer, does a perfectly marvelous job working with our photographers. We constantly review the work of our photographers, no matter what their experience may be. Only about one in 10 applicants qualifies for the job because of our high standards. They have to take classes and be tested, serve apprenticeships, make a good impression, and be "people persons." It may be six months before the candidate gets his or her first job, and then we monitor their work and canvass their clients.

Kim Kosior, Lisa Kondas and Laura Kempner, our photography coordinators in Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee ensure the match of the perfect photographer to the ideal wedding. This can be a tricky process, but the three women have sincere insights about what it takes for photographers to please clients.

PP: In addition to customer loyalty, Edward Fox has tremendous employee loyalty.

RN: Well, Dave Dribin came to work on January 1, 1920. On January 1,1980, I said to him, "Drib, you've been working for us 60 years and you're going to retire."

We've had similar success with other employees- people like working for our studio. As a bonus, in 1987, my wife Dorothy and I took 18 longtime employees on a 10-day trip to Italy.

PP: Besides the grand 100th birthday party in July, how is Edward Fox marking this extraordinary occasion?

RN: We're making it a yearlong celebration. Every month in 2002, we've planned a special promotion for clients who book their weddings with us. We have arranged to provide free portraits to the 200 couples being married at Chicago's City Hall on Valentine's Day. In addition, we will display old photographs taken in our studio throughout the years. Finally, we plan to photograph and provide a complimentary portrait to anyone celebrating their 100th birthday in 2002, and no, they don't need to show us a valid driver's license to prove their age. You can probably tell that we're having fun with our yearlong celebration!"