Photography is largely a solitary endeavor. I think photowalks are great as they get you out into the world and allow you to put faces with names and actually experience life, instead of sitting behind a computer. For me, however, I find it hard to really make photos when I am with others and as a result I find more often than not I shoot alone.
Never fear, the internet is here! The internet has created a world where you don't necessarily have to leave your own home. You can order film, pizza, and even a wife online, and while all that is great I think everyone in this world strives for a sense of community. I'm not sure if it's inventors knew it at the time, but the internet has become the lifeblood of many communities and given people and artists from around the world the opportunity to build bonds that transcend the boundaries of the electronic realm in which they were created.
Recently while promoting our latest book project, Fading from Memory, I met Justyna Ptak of ALTERart in the UK. Her interest in our project and our discussions via email about both of our groups was inspiring. Her passion for photography is unrivaled and the team at ALTERart is really working hard to bring high quality photography into people's lives worldwide.
ALTERart is an artist collective and online gallery exhibiting carefully curated works from a selection of emerging, as well as established photographers. These are available as a series of exceptionally presented limited edition prints, and each artwork has been personally signed and numbered by the artist. It’s an unique opportunity to buy good quality, artist-signed only photography that have been chosen by an award-winning fine art photographer. Justyna only selects outstanding works that demonstrate technical artistry and artistic flair to a very high standard.
Everything is kept ‘in-house’: the artists, their works, printing and framing take place in the West Midlands (UK) and helps to support the local community. This ‘Made in Britain’ approach is very important to ALTERart along with their commitment to fine art photography of the very best. Browse through these high quality collectors prints, we we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
When asked which of the photographers represented by ALTERart would be most interesting for FSC readers Justyna recommended Agi Ch, a conceptual photographer, Richard Southall, who mostly works with film, John Hodgett, whose approach is more documentary and traditional in nature, and finally Christophe Dillinger who is working predominantly in 120 format. See more of what Justyna and her team are up to on their site, and be sure to check out some of their fantastic artists.