Atkins at Megan Morton's School with Ashley Woodson Bailey.

We are so proud to be asked again to support Ashley's Florography workshop at The School in Sydney.

About Ashley
"A self-taught photographer, Ashley’s signature “florography” art prints launched in 2014. Her eponymous brand naturally expanded to include wallpaper, fabrics, and limited-edition products as her desire to live among the flowers grew. Her inaugural collection “Dark” was inspired by the transition of the flower from blossom to fading stem and the deep desire to preserve this metamorphosis as a frozen moment in time. 

Each of Ashley’s patterns begins with inspiration from fresh flowers. She forages, visits her floral market and partners with floral farmers to hand-select an array of blooms before studying and arranging them in her signature, wildly organic style. She captures their beauty from multiple angles over the course of several days before selecting and editing her favorite shots. As inspiration strikes, she transforms the final image into patterns, prints and limited-edition products.

She creates her “forever flowers” in the Atlanta, GA where she resides with her husband, Brad, three children, and her furry sidekicks, George and Rose. When she is not in the Southeast, you can find her frequently daydreaming about her next trip to her beloved Texas and Australia."

About Megan Morton's The School
Megan Morton is a stylist. One of Australia's leading ones. Prolific as well as passionate, she is known for her generosity when it comes to knowledge – her ex-assistants are now some of the best in their respective fields. She comes from a family of teachers and with three books written on the topic of interiors, Things I Love and Home Love (Lantern, Penguin) and a kids interiors book called I Love My Room (published by Thames and Hudson). Put simply sharing comes naturally to her.

Which brings us to this part of her story.

In a world of information overload, Megan’s Styling Master Classes, and all the other classes at The School, will ignite your inner creative and help you discover the magic that happens when you work with your hands and your heart. Tuition from the best-of-the-best craftspeople inside the industry will give you insights into the coveted worlds of craft, styling and design. Crafter-noons and make-it-yourself lessons from our specially selected teachers are structured with all levels of experience in mind.

You will make new friends, learn new skills, make a mess you wont need to clean up and be our guest. All classes are held in our beautiful purpose-built Rosebery studio – ginormous white spaces full of potential and possibility for your inner creative. A comment we hear often on the blog airwaves, Instagram and kind letters to our office is, 'it was the best day ever!". Big call but really is true. 

Did you attend this event?
If you attended Ashley's 2017 workshop, click here for more information.

A Day for Photographers

Get Rid Of Your Photography Business Frustrations!

After the fantastic success of the “A Day For Photographers” in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Cairns, we will be travelling to Adelaide, to help as many photographers as we can to grow their photography business.

The whole day will have a focus on what makes a photography business successful, and will include going through the following critical points. Sorting out Your Website, Social Media, Business Principles, creating a Price List, Photographing for Sales, Creating more Business, The Retail No Pressure Portrait Selling System and more....it will be a full day!

1.   Developing Your Photography Into A Clear Brand.

2.   Getting the Right Customers.

3.   Developing A Conversion System To Convert Leads Into Customers.

4.   Creating Your Price List To Maximise Sales.

5.   Marketing for a Constant Flow of Customers.

6.   Using the Marketing power of Social Media

Do You Lie Awake At Night Thinking How You Can Get More Customers?

Very few photographers implement Marketing strategies mainly because they don’t understand Marketing or quite simply they don’t know what to do. Facebook and Instagram are great Marketing tools for those who are utilising their power. Join us and let us show you exactly how you can bring in loads more customers. 

When: Thursday 21 September 2017, 9.30am - 4pm
Where: Atkins Photo Lab
89 Fullarton Road, Kent Town SA
Cost: Earlybird Price $67 (BOOK WITHIN 7 DAYS) 

About the speaker:
After having a successful wedding/portrait studio for over 40 years, Bernie transitioned into being a Photography Business Coach.

He is now the "go to" coach for those studios looking at taking their business to the next level.

His studio experience, expertise in Facebook Marketing, and down to earth approach to business, has enabled him to help and guide photographers globally in growing their business processes, and generating thousands of dollars more income.

Bernie is widely recognised as Australia’s Leading Photography Business Coach, and his presentation will be on the 5 most important things that a photographer should focus on to build a successful photography business.

Images of Justice

The Adelaide Law School, in conjunction with University Collections and principal sponsor Lipman Karas, and Atkins Photo Lab are pleased to announce that the Images of Justice photographic competition will run again in 2017.

This year entrants will be judged on their creative interpretation of justice through "Law and Politics - alternative facts".

The competition challenges entrants to capture the essence of justice through the lens of a camera and invites entries from three categories: student, community and professional photographer.

The featured artist for the 2017 competition is the wonderful Jennie Groom.

Entries open until the 15th of September.

First prize in each category will be $1200, with more prizes to follow. Winners will be announced and prizes awarded at our Images of Justice Prize Ceremony which will be held in October 2017 at the University of Adelaide.

Through The Lens - Seniors Card photographic competition

Atkins are proud sponsors of the 2017 Seniors Card, Through The Lens competition and Exhibition. Through the Lens is part of International Day of Older Persons celebrations. It is open to all South Australian Seniors Card members from 1 July to 25 August 2017.

The competition and exhibition promote active ageing by celebrating the skills of older South Australians through the art of photography and demonstrates that people can learn and create at any age.

Enter now to win great prizes

Enter now

Entries close at 5.00 pm on Friday 25 August 2017.

Photos of various subject matters are encouraged. Think lifestyle, volunteers, lifelong learning, sport, family, arts and culture, leisure, multiculturalism and vibrant South Australia. Use your creativity!

Entries must include an image title (no more than 100 characters) and a brief description of the photography (no more than 500 characters). There is a limit of five entries per person.

View the full terms and conditions.

ACM Birth Photography Awards

Photograph ©2017 Victoria Berekmeri

Atkins are proud sponsors of the Australian College of Midwives Birth Photography Awards, if you work in this field, please consider entering this exciting event. Here is more information from the ACM website:

"As midwives we respectfully and quietly share the space with a woman using our knowledge and skill to support her welcome of her baby into the world. It is wonderful to have an opportunity to see this materialize in a photograph. These awards offer an opportunity for you to share your talent and creativity in capturing the beauty and rawness of pregnancy, birth and those early days at home as well as of the midwife. It will be very exciting to share and celebrate the beauty of pregnancy and birth in all of its stages and we encourage you enter."

Link to the ACM website for more information.

FACE exhibition for SALA 2017

We are super proud to be supporting the 2017 SALA Festival again, specifically the FACE exhibition that will be showing in Port Adelaide at Hart's Mill. The photographers have all worked with film for this show, so it is a fascinating collection by the following artists:

Angela Gordon, Bradley Gaskin, Danica Gacesa McLean, Edward James, Hugh Freytag, Lars Carlsson, Louise Kotz, Paul Atkins, Sandra Elms, Tony Kearney, and Trent Parke

(You'll note our managing director, Paul Atkins, also has two pieces in the show, so get along to see this engaging collection of portraits.)

Where: The Packing Shed, Hart's Mill, Mundy Street, Port Adelaide
When: Opening August 3rd through to August 13th, plus SALA After Dark, August 11th

 

What is Duratrans?

Kodak Endura Display Material (Duratrans)

Duratrans (Kodak Endura Display Material) is an opaque backlit film used to make prints for light boxes. The product is made by Kodak and is still considered the highest quality product for light box display.

Duratrans is a light sensitive photographic product, to print an image onto it, one needs to expose an image to it. The exposure can be made using a photographic negative in an enlarger, or using a digital file in a digital photographic printer. One the Duratrans is exposed (in the dark), it is then developed, bleached and fixed in colour chemistry. The process and chemistry can also be described as a silver halide process, or wet darkroom printing.

The key to it's quality is the black areas of an image reproduce very faithfully, blocking all but the strongest backlighting. This is not currently possible with any inkjet process. Evidence of this is that Apple, currently the largest company in the world, and a master of managing brand and image, insists on durations for it's point of sale graphics in it's iconic Apple Stores. This client alone may be solely responsible for the survival of Duratrans as a product.

Atkins no longer produces Duratrans prints itself, but regularly prepares files for and arranges Duratrans prints for customers. We can also fabricate light boxes to suit your custom purpose. Please request a quote if you wish pricing.

Pilgrimage: From Medina to Mecca

From Al-Masjid  Al-Nabawi to Al-Masjid Al-Haram the most sacred sights of Islam, this visual journey across the holy lands of Saudi Arabia provides a rare glimpse into the places, customs and rituals that bind 1.6 billion people together.

An exhibition of photographs by Mark Zed.
Link to Mark's website.

Where: Atkins Gallery, 89 Fullarton Road Kent Town, SA
When: SALA Festival, August 2017
Link to SALA website.

Photographic tour: Unbolting the Port

Photographer led tours of our Port's secret places - Torrens Island Quarantine Station, Department of Marine and Harbors Building, and Hart’s Mill. Led by noted local photographer Tony Kearney, this tour is one for amateur analogue photographers with a passion for urban exploration.
Session time: 9 am Maximum 10 people. $30 per person, bookings required.

Click here for more information and to make a booking: phone 08 82076255

The Retro Lens: Vintage Photography Festival

SA Maritime Museum - Sunday 21 May 10am -5pm

A family friendly Sunday packed with all things analogue: photographic tours of the Port's hidden corners, pinhole camera and printing workshops, a chance to create stunning cyanotype prints in our Loft Lab, and photograms in our Shadowcatcher sessions. Take a tintype portraiture (for a 19th century price tag) with the Tintype Traveller caravan, dress up and pose against vintage
studio sets and take snapshots with our two free photo booths, and scour the Port’s street for The Beastie and Mr Bond’s portraits.

Our managing director, Paul Atkins, will be helping run the Tin Type darkroom at the festival, so pop in and say hi.

For more information and to book for events, click here.

Online ordering software problems with MacOS X 10.12

For any launch failures in macOS 10.12 Sierra after updating from 10.11 or to try full re-install:

First, Delete the old dmg files and the .ROESEngineCache folder from your system.

To do this, open Finder and in the top menu click Go and select Go to folder from the list.  A dialog window will open with a field to type a path into.  Please enter:
 
~/.ROESEngineCache
 
and click OK/Open.  When the new Finder window opens select the entire contents of the folder and send to Trash.
 
Delete the desktop icon for the ROES program.

Delete the branded ROES.app from the Applications folder

Using Safari, do a fresh download of the launch.dmg from the default install page.  A newly downloaded version of the launch.dmg is needed!

The new installer will show a few additional dialog windows, including one that needs further action to confirm creation of a desktop shortcut.

As an additional workaround, drag the specific ROES .app in the unpacked disk image (.dmg that opened) and drop into the Applications folder. Then double click and run the .app file from there to install.

The Smiling Victorian

A photo found by Flickr user Kevin Lightner

When surfing the web one day I stumbled on (or perhaps Tumblr-ed upon) across a Flickr group dedicated to collecting images of smiling Victorians. It is filled with typical cabinet cards and tin-types of formally dressed folks posed, but surprisingly they are smiling. I am so used to the dour, serious and stern looks the majority of photos from those early years of photography brought us. These took me by surprise. In my mind I had associated a somber sobriety to that era.

We know that it was an era of strict morals and formal rituals, but in my naievety I had assumed either they were just plain sad or disliked posing for photos. Which of course is a lack of thinking by me, and I assume, others.

We know the low sensitivity of the early 'film' meant sitters had to hold their expressions for several minutes, and an impassionate face is easier to hold.

I had suspended reality because of photography.

It was so enlightiening to see Victorians full of life with smiles and hugs, clearly enjoying their life and friends. It is worth spending time on that Flickr site, it is rewriting history.

So as photographers, how will you write history? If you print or if your digital files magically last, this legacy of photographs will be not only our memories, but it will go to form the understanding of our social fabric.

Paul Atkins.

Link to Flickr group "The Smiling Victorians": http://www.flickr.com/groups/513477@N22/

AIPP Professional Photographic Awards printing.

AIPP Professional Photographic Awards printing.

For the 2017 awards season, Atkins are offering three service levels for your award entries:

1. Direct print, mount and matt.
This process bypasses our artwork and file preparation, and we simply print and mount your entry to your specifications. We will however identify obvious flaws where we can and notify you, if you require us to do more then, option 2 below, is more appropriate. The price per entry varies depending on the image size, paper type and matting complexity, however a typical entry printed on art paper mounted and matted to specification, will cost around $80.

2. Atkins assisted print mount and matt.
In preparation for printing, under your guidance, one of our experts (David or Miriam), will:

• check for digital blemishes / artwork (minor artwork, colour and density adjustments is included)
• check for textural consistancy
• check for adequate resolution of files
• general advice on final image selections
• print a gicleé fine art print
• mount on an award specification sized matt board
• matt to award specification sized foamcore backing
• The cost of this is $105 per entry, regardless of the paper type and print size selected, however complex matts may incur additional charges.

3. One-on-one preparation session with David or Miriam.
If you wish to book time with one of our experts to plan and print your awards entries, their time can be booked in 15 minute sessions. The cost is $40 per 15 minutes. Add to this cost the direct print mount and matt cost of around $80 per entry.

Click here to email and make a booking for your awards printing.

Critical dates around the 2017 SAPPAs.

• Atkins deadline for the award print special, only when ordering 4 or more print, mount and matts, is Thursday June 1st at 5pm CST, we can accept orders beyond this date, but the price will be list price, or possibly rush rates.
• AIPP Online registration for entry closes 5PM Thursday 15th June 2017
• All print cases must be received 5PM Thursday 22nd June 2017
• Judging dates - Sunday 25th June & Monday 26th June
• Awards presentation dinner, Tuesday 28th June

Link to AIPP SA Awards information and rules.

A word about the SAPPAs.

The Epson AIPP SA Professional Photography Awards are an excellent way to learn about modern photography and image making. At all of the events around the awards there is rigorous discussion of what makes a successful image. Just sitting in the audience at the feedback nights, or during the judging will be an incredibly rewarding experience.

Non members are welcome at most events, please contact AIPP organisers if you want more information.

Print cases:

Print cases.
 
Atkins also stocks the AIPP print cases, they cost $140.00 (incl GST). They hold around 6 matted prints, you get them back afterwards, they are very durable and will last forever. 

Eventually they will be covered in entry stickers and filled with years of hopes and dreams, they become a loved old friend :).
 
Click here to email Atkins and order your print case.

Needing help with your AIPP awards entries?

Confused about the awards?
Photoshop not getting the results you want?
Need help finalising awards entries? 

Spend time with the two-time Australian Illustrative Photographer of the year, awards judge, AIPP Master of photography and professional educator Gee Greenslade for some one-on-one awards help. She can teach you her photoshop tips and tricks, guide through the portfolio and category choosing process, help retouch your work and start you on the path of collaborating with our infamous David and Miriam the Awards printing gurus of Atkins Pro! 

Sessions go for one hour or more, and will be completely tailored to you. Your first hour includes a 15-minute consultation with David and Miriam discussing paper choices and printing test strips. 

To find out more about Gee, click here.

Gee Greenslade

Serious Matter

Helena Foll's - Global Marble and Milan Foll's - When I grow up is a combined exhibition that explores "Serious Matter".

Where: Port Noarlunga Art Centre, 22 Gawler Street, Port Noarlunga, SA 5167 Australia
When: 13th April - 13th May, 10:00 - 4:00 Monday to Friday, 12:00 - 4:00 Saturday, Sunday Closed.

About Helena:
I was born in Prague into a bohemian family of two artists. From an early age I was surrounded with paints, brushes and a playful artistic environment. I started to draw and paint as a teenager.

In 2012 I decided to experiment first time with creating collages and with photography. In my recent collection, Global Marble, I continue to explorevarious photography and collage techniques to convey my interpretations about one my favourite books, The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint Exupery. The book is a tender tale about friendship and life’s universal truths intertwined with a social criticism of shortcomings of humanity.

Helena says: “ I remain amused by the fact that Exupery apologises to children for dedicating his book to grown-ups. He continues with a statement that all grown-ups were children once. He may be implying that children are granted a clarity of vision without the complications and restrains of commercial and practical concerns of adulthood. When reading the book, you are able to momentarily immerse yourself in the children’s world full of its all magical wonderment.

Global Marble collection is dedicated to the individual chapters of the book, the unique stories and the ageless moral tales.

I add my own commentary on the gown-ups conformity and my own experiences and philosophical observations about life and human nature.

About Milan:
For Milan it is the observation or the possibility to tell a story that is the most important part of the photograph.

Milan says; “when you read a book, in your mind you convert words into pictures.  I like to engage with viewers to create words out of my pictures and to inspire the observers to compose their own unique stories.”

Milan’s latest collection – “When I grow up” - focuses on capturing and freezing random moments of ever moving and transforming lives in today’s contemporary society with the main emphasis on youth.

Central to Milan’s work is his ongoing pursuit in revealing and evoking human emotions by using his classic conceptual minimalism in composition and colour.

Judith Crispin's Lumen Seed

We are proud to be hosting the Adelaide launch of Judith Crispin's book The Lumen Seed.

The evening will include a conversation with the artist, Judith, that will reveal her approach and process that has led to this remarkable body of work as well as a small exhibition of prints, and projected images.

For more information and to book your place at this event, click below:

Hidden Port

Wool store, Santos Parade, Photographer: Danica Gacesa McLean

"The Port is in flux. Dormant industrial buildings are being reclaimed and repurposed.  With analogue cameras and rolls of film, three local photographers have unbolted doors to capture this moment of transition.

The ghosts of the working port are everywhere.  In the wool stores, jarrah floors reek of lanolin.  In the flour mill, dusty machines evoke the thunder and rumble of steel and stone cracking wheat.  At the quarantine station, bedding laced with moth holes is tossed back from an iron bedstead as if the internee has just departed.

Of the cluster of boat yards that clung to Cruickshank's Corner, however, nothing is left but steel slipways; the rest was demolished in 2009.

The photographers find beauty in abandoned spaces—hidden elements revealed by a shaft of light through a broken window, the solidity of stone quoins that once bore the weight of tons of milling machinery."

Atkins is proud sponsors of this wonderful exhibition. All prints are available for sale at this gallery.

Where: SA Maritime Museum, 126 Lipson Street, Port Adelaide
When: Open now through to April 2017
Cost: Free with General Admission pass to the Museum.

Italy Photo Tour

Experiencing Italy is a feast for the senses.  For photographers Italy offers classical landscapes, timeless small villages, the unbridled charm and culture of the cities.  Remnants of Etruscan, Roman and Renaissance civilisations are everywhere and the villages and cities offer limitless opportunities for people and street photography.
 
In October 2017 Alberto Giurelli and Keith Seidel will co-lead Photo Tour Italy 2017.
 
Across 12 nights (October 10-22, 2017) this small group photo tour will take in Rome and its surrounding hill villages; the hilltop villages and classic landscapes of Tuscany; the art, culture and history of Florence; and, the wonders of Venice. Participants will be provided with an opportunity to experience some of the best that Italy has to offer.
 
Photographing in autumn will provide wonderful light whilst avoiding the peak summer crowds that can make it difficult to photograph in the cities' more popular locations. Not that the tour will be sticking to the popular locations.
 
Alberto and Keith are keen to take you beyond "postcard" photography and will be combining some of the iconic locations with other interesting possibilities that Alberto and Keith both know of from their photography in Italy.  The programme will be flexible enough to take advantage of "found" opportunities, and Alberto's intimate knowledge of Rome will add a local flavour to the eternal city.
 
The tour will suit lovers of landscapes, architecture, street and candid people photography with an added local flavour. Photo Tour Italy 2017 will also provide opportunities for participants to experience the history, culture, food and wine of the cities and small villages alike.
 
If you would like to register your interest to receive information updates on this exciting photographic opportunity please contact Alberto at:  alberto@manefocus.com.au  or call Alberto on 0412 112 976 or Keith on 0418 838 504.  Keep an eye on Alberto and Keith’s Facebook posts for more information and Keith will be providing regular updates on his website at www.kseidelphoto.id.au
 
Alberto and Keith are hoping that you will consider joining them in Italy in October 2017

A Small World exhibition and auction closes soon.

Steven DaLuz's Emergence.

One of the most interesting exhibitions to happen in South Australia in recent years is Magpie Springs A Small World.

The concept is to show small works of art (painting, collage, photographs), 6x4inch small, en-masse to demonstrate the connection of artists world wide. Most of the participants were reached through Facebook, and the organiser Avril Thomas has worked tirelessly to bring them together.

Artists had to send their submission via mail to the Southern Vales gallery where Avril collated the works, set up a website with auction features, hung the works and hosted hundreds of visitors to the show.

It is a stunningly engaging show, at first glance you see a grid, then like a microscope on a lawn, the closer you get, the more life you see. I found myself lost in the collection, struggling to pick favourites.

The exhibition closes January 15th 2017 as does the auction. Bidding is slow and steady, but it is looking like it will heat up as the closure nears. To really grasp the enormity of the show, you have to visit the gallery.

“A Small World” exhibition is also raising money for Cancer Council SA’s research, prevention and support services with money raised going to the Cancer Council SA on behalf of Marilyn Jetty Swim.

Paul Atkins
As a caveat, I too have a work in the show, a small print of one of my favourite photographs, Flying Solo, here is the link to it on the auction site.

Exhibition Website link
Auction Website link

Paul Atkins' exhibition and auction entry, Flying Solo.

SAHMRI Stroke Forum

Atkins Lab was a proud sponsors of the SAHMRI Stroke Forum, and event established to get medical experts in the field of strokes together to discuss break thoughts at SA's new medical research facility, the SAHMRI.

We provided subsidised prints which artist Jenefer Hill prepared for display and sale. The displayed works meshed art and science to enhance the forum. It was most successful.