The End of an Era

Last week's return of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, marks the end of the NASA Shuttle program.  So, we thought it timely to check in with photographer and Moab Master, Michael Soluri, who has documented the final few years of the shuttle program.

A really cool photo essay was recently published online in NPR's The Picture Show gallery.  Back in 1972 Soluri photographed the workers behind the scenes at Kennedy Space Center.  These striking B&W images detail the jobs of NASA technicians and engineers.

For something a little different, Time Magazine published a collection of Soluri's work covering the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in West Virginia.  

As the space shuttles find their new permanent homes around the US, expect to see a lot more from Soluri in the coming months.

Introducing Slickrock

At every trade show, seminar and Moab Day we attend, people have been asking us for a Moab metallic paper.  After a year in the making we're excited to announce Slickrock Metallic Pearl 260 - a new category of fine art inkjet paper featuring an innovative, pearlescent coating.

Slickrock is designed for photographers seeking to enhance their images with a metallic look, transforming an image into lifelike, almost 3D quality.  The paper's high gloss and unique sheen make this ideal for everyday prints with a twist.

Contrary to all the buzz surrounding the launch of Slickrock, there's no invitation-only access code or special VIP Pass necessary to begin experiencing Slickrock.  Simply click here to request a sample.

Winners of The Curator contest

The search for outstanding and undiscovered fine art photography has come to an end (this year, at least). We're proud to annouce the winners of the 2011 Curator fine art contest:

Sophia Wallace (Portraits/Nudes)
Klea McKenna (Abstract/Mixed Media)
Klaus Enrique (Still Life)
Jane Fulton Alt (Nature)
Matt Eich (Photo Essay/Reportage)
Christopher Patrick Ernst (Student)

The winning images will be on display through July 17th at the Milk Gallery in NYC. You can also pick up a current copy of PDN magazine, which features these winning artists and their work.

Congratulations to these remarkable photographers!

Maine Media Workshops: What it's like

Moab Master, Michael Zide, just completed his week-long workshop up at the Maine Media Workshops. Remarkably, he had some time to produce a video during the workshop.  Check out the clip below to catch a glimpse of what the week was like.

The Golden Image

It's rare to find photo competitions that still accept hard-copy prints as part of their entry applications, so you can understand our excitement to learn that the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPA) requires images to be submitted only as prints to their APPA annual competition.

We were doubly-excited to learn that one of the Gold winning prints was produced on Somerset Museum Rag!

Australian nature and wilderness photographer, Joshua Holko, took Gold (and three Silvers for additional images he submitted) for the image to the left titled ‘Blue Berg', which was photographed in Iceland last year.

"The APPA awards are somewhat unique these days in that all judging is done of actual prints by a panel of highly experienced photographers (rather than by submission of digital images). The craft of the print is as important as the image itself and its fantastic to be a part of such an event. All of my prints were made on my absolute favourite paper Moab Somerset Museum Rag. Photography after all “Is all about the Print.”

Congratulations, Joshua, from all of us (up) here at Moab!

Happy Fourth of July

Photo: Jeanette Powers, outside our Moab, UT offices