LightVision

…from the the Virgin Blue Lounge Sydney. Sitting here at Terminal 2, waiting for the 3pm to Melbourne, testing the concept of corporate nomadism. Baggage buzzing around like packets of information through the web. So far I’ve made calls, banged out a few emails, sent a couple of quotes - I could get used to hopping from hot spot to hotspot. Jean-Marc has just about finished virtualising our business, so the physical office is no longer so important. Being away from the office allows you to identify what it’s role really should be -a meeting place for people not paperwork! Now I’m watching the baggage handlers driving around like the grand prix! Better be off now…

Two cheers for Wildlight Photographer, Andrew Rankin! Recently he’s won two AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography) 2008 awards. Andrew was awarded a Silver Distinction for this black and white image of school children. The picture was part of a massive documentary assignment for Catholic Education. He visited no less than 32 schools in Queensland to create stock images for an entire inhouse image library. Andrew also won a Silver award for this colour image of trucking in Queeensland. The image was commissioned by Maunsell Aecom (civil engineers) who required images of the roads and traffic near Ingham.

Andrew is a very successful commercial and wedding photographer based in Townsville in North Queensland. When he’s not blazing away behind the lens he’s sitting under a palm tree on Magnetic Island - nice! Find out more about Andrew’s photography here.

I’ve just come back from my first ‘big’ roadtrip with my two boys. We all had a great time. It’s a bit embarrassing really, because previous to this roadtrip, I had never driven further south than Gundagai. Sounds pretty slack coming from a person that runs a picture library specialising in Australia! Where did we go?…Melbourne. Ok, it’s not as adventurous as travelling the Canning Stock Route but we still had a ball trying to pronounce the names of towns near the Hume Highway. Say these quickly: Woomargama, Cookardinia, Moglonemby and Baddaginni. The kids can’t wait to go back and have another roadtrip. After seeing some beautiful pictures by Kevin McGrath of the Sea Cliff Bridge, I’ll be taking the coast road the next time. Check out Kevin’s early morning photo shoot of the Sea Cliff Bridge near Wollongong here.

Jean-Marc is flat chat implementing an ERP accounting package for our admin. Disturbingly though, he is listening to Mah Na Mah Na by The Muppet’s….I wonder how the chart of accounts will turn out! Also the shaggy haired Muppet looks like Australian fine art photographer, Wesley Stacey. He has an exhibition at the High Court of Australia in Canberra until July 24 as part of the VIVID National Photography Festival.

New light source

G’day lightseeker, it’s been a while and there’s plenty happening at Wildlight. I’m excited to say that this is the first edition of LightVision–a must see news feed from the editor’s desk at Wildlight. It’s a terrific news source to learn more about Wildlight’s great Australian content, find out more about the people at Wildlight, our talented photographers, read our opinions and find out where to see Australian visual art. We’ll also have discussions on copyright and licencing, and hilarious promotions, interviews and updates on the whereabouts of our photographers. Because its dynamic, you can keep coming back to LightVision by subscribing to an RSS feed. Just click here to stay focused.

Featured collection

We know you’re always looking for new stuff, so we’re giving you an instant replay of some of the most recent additions to our library. There’s a big mix because our photographers have been active around Australia, committed to providing up-to-date content of Australian people and places. Here’s a mid-year sample covering the Gold Coast, RF and RM images of Melbourne and a great spread from the still warm North Coast of NSW. And just in today, amazing shots of the Illawarra, including the spectacular cliff hugging bridge along the coastline above Woolongong. Click here to see the collection now

Meet the team

There are actually real people behind the brand, Andrew, Jean-Marc and Ernst, the pug. Yes we really are ‘two and a dog’. Young fathers, except Ernst, who’s had the chop! We work in Redfern - the Paris end of course. Jean-Marc, he’s the Frenchman writing lines of code to make the whole show work, he has been busy virtualising our business so we can spend more time on the road meeting you. Meet the team now.

Exhibitions and new books

Wildlight photographer, Richard Woldendorp, has just released another quality hardcover book, Abstract Earth: a view from above, coinciding with a new exhibition at the S.H Ervin Gallery at Observatory Hill, Sydney. I went to the opening and the images were breathtaking. The unique abstract perspective afforded from the air caused many observers to guess several times before understanding the subject of the images. The exhibition runs until 3 August. Next month you’ll find out how you can win a complimentary signed copy of Richard’s book, which sells for $49.95.

Burning question
Does licence duration really matter for brochures and annual reports? I received a call from a corporate graphic designer here in Sydney who had this burning question which has been unanswered for so long. The question came at a good time as we are soon to begin the process of simplifying our licence calculator; do I hear a collective sigh of relief? He felt that the total print run was more important, and that the duration was an unrealistic component in the licence. We had recently licenced a package of nine Richard Woldendorp aerials for a corporate brochure. He felt that after the initial mailout, the finished product sat in the client foyer for an indefinite time or in a box under Wendy’s desk, slowly collecting stiletto heel damage. I have to agree with him, it’s unrealistic and unenforceable to track the licence beyond a one or two-year period. Is the end-user going to pulp the brochures just because the magic time period has expired? Are we all that organised that we send a Google calendar reminder to ourselves? Then what happens when a person leaves the company? You can see, and most probably agree that having a fixed time period for brochures and DM in general is unrealistic and should be removed from the licence.
Have you got a questions about licencing which has been bugging you? Email me.

Get in step with our Walk on the Wildside promo.

To take advantage of this once in a lifetime offer, just purchase a licence worth more than $7 before the 17th of July and you could walk down Oxford Street–darlo or paddo end, no matter–with ERNST the Pug. As you’ve undoubtedly read in Our Team, he’s a ‘deal clincher’, but out of the office he’s a chick magnet and man puller. He’ll make sure you’re the center of attention, he pulls old and young, guys and girls. Act now and we’ll even wash him before the big day! You’ll be striking up a conversation with the person of your dreams before Ernst sniffs his first pole! He’s deaf as a post and completely motivated by food, so carry a dried pig’s ear in your pocket for his undivded attention.