Farewell Interview with Photographer Sam Atkinson
Professional photographer, Sam Atkinson, was The Industry's Photography Director for nearly four years and it is with heartfelt regret that we bid him farewell. Sam is now focusing his creative energy on his successful post-production website, the Vision Library, which saw its official launch online just recently. Sam is also creative director to his photography business, Sam Atkinson Photography, and we wish him every success for the future. The Industry asked Sam about his new project and his views on print and digital:
You’ve recently launched a post-production website, The Vision Library, how did this come about?
The Vision Library started for me 5 years ago, I had just left my internship at Rankin Photography and I was trying to figure out my next move. I started retouching images for other photographers as that was were my career in photography had started. It was really a way of just earning a bit of extra cash on the side whilst building up my photography career. It soon became much bigger than I was expecting and I had to engage other freelancers to help with the workload. I knew so many talented freelancers who were desperate for work (the life of a freelancer in any profession can be a tough one) so I came up with the idea of Vision Library. We engage with several freelancers and act like an agent or booker, they get a platform to display their work under the umbrella of Vision Library and we do the rest: project manage, quote and deal with all the tricky stuff. We also actively seek out work for the team.
What do you think is the most useful aspect of your project?
The most useful aspect of Vision Library is our diverse team of people involved, all of them have specific strengths in certain areas connected with the creative industry. Some are speed retouchers who can plough through several hundreds of e-commerce images daily to a high standard, some are more focused on intricate beauty, hair and editorial retouching and then we have the amazing Mark Glenister who is a top-notch film director, camera man and editor. His client list is impressive with such companies as Marks and Spencers, Rankin Film, Thomas Wylde and Swatch and these are just a few of his impressive portfolio! We never shy away from a project, here at Vision Library we have the right creative mind for every project. We believe that every project is different and approach it with an open mind to best tailor to the needs of our clients. They get a dedicated FTP space and a personal account manager who will manage their project day to day through to completion.
You are now a founder and director of an online visual business, have your views on the future of print photography changed at all?
Who doesn’t love print! My views on print will never change. There is something fundamentally sexy about holding and viewing your images in physical form. I work as a photographer in fashion and music and love receiving magazines and album covers with my images on, it really brings the whole project to life. I have recently been shooting a lot on medium format film for a few music projects as I really wanted that raw and unique look that I think you can only achieve with film. Saying all that, the digital age is here and we should embrace it. I certainly couldn’t run either of my businesses without it; it enables us as creatives to keep up with the high-paced environment we are now living and working in. Also, online publications mean we are all able to see so much amazing talent at our fingerprints and search for inspiration, share and promote ourselves wherever and whenever —but I still love print and always will!
As a photographer, who or what is your biggest inspiration?
I have so many inspirations! I love looking at all the amazing emerging talent and I think as creatives it is our jobs to push and inspire all the people around us. LaChapelle is most definitely my favourite, his work really appeals to my inner club kid, I’ve always been a huge fan of Warhol and the pop art scene, the bright colours, the surreal and quirky. His ability to tell a story with one image is unlike any other and really polished and unique.
For the Vision Library, click here - www.thevisionlibrary.co.uk If you have any queries about Sam's work, you can contact him on any of the below:
Email - [email protected]
Twitter - @VisionLibrary
Facebook - www.facebook.com/thevisionlibrary
