All About Bob Atkins Photography
(and other miscellaneous stuff...)
Well, let's start with the technical requirements. Although you can probably view these pages on just about any system using just about any web browser, you'll do much
better if you have the following:
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At least an 800x600 pixel display (1024x768 or larger preferred)
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16K color depth or better
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A current web browser (Netscape 7 MS IE6 or Opera 7)
- Though earlier versions may work OK.
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Javascript enabled. This really is a must or navigation will be very hard indeed.
NOTE: If you're using an 800x600 display you may need to maximize your browser window by doing things such as minimizing your toolbars in order to see some of the images on these
pages without having to scroll up and down. If you're using a 640x480 display (visitor statistics show that under 1% of visitors use a 640x480 display), well, it's about time you
upgraded! You can see the images, but you will probably have to scroll. Sorry.
Mailing List
If you'd like to be added to my mailing list please
enter your email address.
This list remains private. Your email will not be given (or sold!) to anyone. What you will get is an occasional email from me (probably once every few years!) when any major changes
are made to this website.
Can I ask you a question?
You can reach me by email at
bobatkins@hotmail.com, but I get a lot of email so I'm not able to respond to every inquiry.
Actually, if you have a question you will get a better and faster answer by asking it in the forums which are currently running on this website:
By posting a question in a forum you'll also get answers from people who may know more than I do!
Links
If you want me to link to your web page, you can add a link yourself on my
links page. A reciprocal link from your page
to mine would be appreciated.
Images for Sale?
Are the images for sale? Well, yes and no! By no I mean that I don't actively market my work. I don't have a stack of prints waiting to be shipped for example. However I can make prints
of most of the images on this web site. Contact me for pricing and availability. Most of the images are also available as digital scans up to 2400x3600 pixels for use in publications or
on web pages. Original slides of most of the images here are also available for high quality print work. Again contact me for more details.
Can I use one of your images?
Yes, if you pay for a license! The only "free" use I allow is for purely personal use or for use by students in a school project. I do not give rights away to use my images otherwise. For example I get requests from organizations (sometimes non-profit organizations) who want to use images a brochure which they will give away. However I'm sure they pay the printer for printing the brochures and they probably pay the salary of the employee who designs the brochures, so there's no reason they shouldn't pay the photographer too. Artists who want to use an image to base artwork on will be creating what's known as a "derivative image", and that requires a license from the copyright holder of the image (i.e. me in this case!). Photography is my business and businesses don't survive by giving things away! I don't trade my images for links or credits. A single image may cost me many hours of work (not to mention travel expenses) and involve the use of equipment which I had to pay thousands of dollars for. I don't get images for "free" and so I'm reluctant to give them away. I'm sure you understand.
How to become a Nature Photographer
For some reason I get quite a few email requests asking how to start a career as a nature photographer. This is a tough question. Most of the well known pros started
out with other careers. Galen Rowell was a climber, John Shaw was an english teacher, Boyd Norton was a physicist and so on. Maybe the best advice is to get a degree in something that is
nature related - e.g. biology, ecology, geology - and work on your photography as a hobby for a while. To be successful you need business skills as strong as your photographic skill, so
even a business degree might be useful!
Am I a professional Photographer?
Well, yes - and no. I actually have a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Bristol in the UK and I worked for about 25 years as a chemist/physicist at Yale University in CT and Bell
Laboratories in NJ. Currently I am working full time at photography though it's debatable whether I can actually be said to be making a "living" from photography and photography related
writing!
I am available for jobs ranging from photography through technical writing and editing to consulting in fiber optics technology. I hold 20 patents and have 50+ peer reviewed publications
(mostly in optical fiber technology and related fields), so I do have a resume!
These pages are hosted by Furfly.net. Thanks to Mike Sisk for web space, bandwidth and his assistance in getting everything working. If you're a business looking for a really first class website design and hosting company, check out Furfly.
All the images and articles on this web site are © 1990-2005 Copyright Bob Atkins - All Rights Reserved and require permission and licensing for both
commercial and non-commercial use.