You’ve probably used one of Alan Adler’s photobooths without even knowing it. For more than 50 years, this unassuming technician maintained Melbourne’s iconic photo booths- including the legendary Flinders Street Station booth – becoming the world’s oldest and longest-serving photobooth specialist before his passing last year.
Auto-Photo: A Life in Portraits unveils Adler’s extraordinary legacy through an accidental archive: thousands of test strips he shot weekly while servicing machines. These repetitive self-portraits, now numbering over a thousand, document both the passage of time and an obsessive dedication to analogue photography.
The exhibition arrives as photobooths celebrate their 100th anniversary, showcasing Adler’s work alongside Melbourne artists who’ve creatively used his machines. Featured contributors include Jesse Marlow, Patrick Pound, and Metro Auto Photo, offering diverse perspectives on this disappearing art form.
Presented by CCP and RMIT Culture, the show isn’t just nostalgia – it’s a tribute to the unsung technicians who kept our spontaneous memories clicking along. As curator Catlin Langford notes, Adler’s story proves “there’s poetry in maintenance.”
Auto-Photo: A Life in Portraits runs from 5 June – 16 August 2025 at RMIT Gallery, 344 Swanston Street Melbourne. Free entry. Because sometimes the most interesting pictures come from the man who never stepped out from behind the curtain.
