UNDER
By Maureen Maxwell
By Rosa Perry
Rosa Perry - Hidden Water Emporium
DOWN UNDERartists
Australia and New Zealand
Welcome everyone to the first Spring edition of our Artists Down Under magazine for 2024. Spring is finally here and with that the warmer weather has given us all a taste of what is to come. For those living in the Central parts of Australia, it has come with a vengance.
Throughout the month I chat to a lot of our artists and it saddens me when I hear some say that their art is not good enough. So what makes art good? Art is created through visualisation and passion from within the artist. There is no right or wrong, there are no specific rules that must be followed, there is no rhyme or reason and not everyone will like it. Every person has their own likes and tastes, thats what makes us all individuals, but you can guarantee that someone will LOVE your image, Never say you are not good enough, because you are. You, as an artist are one of the most special people on this earth, you have a gift. A gift to be able to create, to express and to make other people feel just by looking at your image. So if you ever doubt yourself, stop and think about the joy that you may bring to even just one person. You did that! Be proud of yourself because we are all proud of you.
This month we have a jam packed magazine full of our artists images, interviews, photography tutorials, montly artists achievements and of course our monthly artists photographic challenge. We also have a special article on what it takes to put our amazing magazine together each month, including our fantastic facebook pages. I hope you all enjoy it.
Well, that’s it from me. Stay safe on the roads, take care of each other and look out for those less fortunate around you.
Pam Henderson
It is such an honour and a privilege to belong to such an amazing group of artists from all over Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, the friendships that are formed will last a lifetime. So to all our artists, thank you for just being you. Backgrounds:
Ilona Abou-Zolof - Hayley
Foxy Squirrel Laitha’s Designs - Jai Johnson - White Lane Studio Copyright 2017 © Artists in this publication are responsible for any rights appertaining to their work.
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-3/lynsey-stirland-mitchell/
IN MY GARDEN
https://colincampbell.myportfolio.com
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/colin-campbell/
HIS
https://andrewhaysom.myportfolio.com/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/andrew-haysom/
PATTERN #3
PATTERN #6
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/kevin-sims/
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/kim-ricci/
artists Achievements monthly down under
artists down under facebook page
The Artists Down Under Public Facebook page has been set up to allow the artists in the group to showcase their work and to enable them to share promotional information about themselves, e.g. exhibitions, awards etc...
You can find the Artists Down Under Public Facebook page at this address; https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtistsDownUnder/
So, if you are an artist in the group, don’t forget to regularly share your work and information here, and to let your friends and family know about the page if they are interested in viewing the latest art and news from the group.
If you are a reader of the magazine who does not have access to the page, please click the link above and request to join. When you request to join you will be asked to answer three simple questions that will allow us to determine if you are an eligible artist who may wish to join the group and therefore be able to post on the page, or a member of the public who can view, comment and like the work on the page. It’s a great place to see some great art from this vibrant group every day!
Three ADU members receive a special gift
Our very good Awake friends Katherine Zdonczyk of MagicalReality Designs and Diane Stafford from WhiteLaneStudio continue to give gifts as a reward for members of the Artists Down Under group who contribute to the ADU Facebook page by regularly posting their artworks and supporting other members with their comments.
Katherine, is well known for her fantastic sets of digital designer backgrounds, masks and all kinds of wonderful elements ready for designers to add to or build a wondrous creation.
Katherine Zdonczyk can be found at @ Oscraps http://bit.ly/3tTMUfM @ Etsy https://etsy.me/3RWjmpU
Diane Stafford from Chester, UK, designs Photoshop textures and overlays for photo artists and photographers to use in their digital artworks. Diane has created another special kit just for Artists Down Under for the month of SEPTEMBER.
Two artists will receive a Diane kit each.
Diane Stafford can be found at https://whitelanestudio.co.uk/biolinks
The SEPTEMBER lucky winners are
Magical Reality Designs Gift Voucher
- Kim Ricci
Diane Stafford (WhiteLaneStudio) Texture & Overlay Kit
- Dennis Rickard
- Julie Powell
https://shiftart.com/shift-art-photoshop-challenge-results-august-2024/
Denise Hunter Logan
Turtle Respite
https://issuu.com/thephotoartisticlife/docs/issue114-final?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ
Congratulations to the following artists for having their images chosen to appear in the International magazine “Living The Photo Artistic Life”.
Ilona Abou-Zolof
- Beauty Of The Past
Sonia Pusey
- Eiffel Tower
- Reflection
Sandra Dann
- Mother Nature
Louise Smith
- Still Life
- Faraway Places
Penny De Jong
- Nocturnal Guardians
- Books For Sale
Helen McLeod
- All A Flutter
- The Gilded Cage
Denise Hunter Logan
- Enchantment
- Just A Boy Who Loves Chickens
Christina Brunton
- Copper
- Copper Blue
Rosa Perry
- Moonlit Guardian
Maureen Maxwell
- A Brave New World
- Out In The Cold
Rosa Perry
- Moonlit Guardian
Christina Brunton - Copper
Denise Hunter Logan - Just A Boy Who Loves Chickens
Helen McLeod - The Gilded Cage
Christina Brunton - Copper Blue
Ilona Abou-Zolof - Beauty Of The Past
Sandra Dann - Mother Nature
LIVING THE PHOTO ARTISTIC LIFE
Sonia Pusey - Reflection
Louise Smith - Still Life
Penny De Jong - Books For Sale
Maureen Maxwell - Out In The Cold
Louise Smith - Faraway Places
Maureen Maxwell - A Brave New World
Denise Logan Hunter - Enchantment
Helen McLeod - All A Flutter
Penny De Jong - Nocturnal Guardians
Sonia Pusey - Eiffel Tower
whats on Exhibitions
Exhibitions and Watch House opening hours
Art exhibitions are held at the Watch House most weekends of the year.
Visions Unveiled
Immerse yourself in the captivating allure of “Visions Unveiled”, where the creative process of seven talented artists intertwines to form an unparalleled visual symphony. Delve into the grace ful movements of abstract dancers, the compelling shapes of abstract architecture and portraits, monochromatic abstractions, traditional cyanotypes, tranquil homesteads, and minimalistic landscapes. Embark on a journey that guarantees to mesmerise and inspire as we invite you to celebrate the boundless beauty of diverse artistic expressions.
2024 September 28-29 (Saturday and Sunday), 10am to 5pm. Website: www.merakiartists.net
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/al-bamass/
MARINA HOBBS ( AUSTRALIA )
FANTASY
artists
DOWN UNDER
Australia and New Zealand
SOME PHOTOGRAPHY INSPIRATION
FOUR TIPS FOR BETTER PHOTOGRAPHY
By Andrew Haysom
This article is dedicated to the late Terry Murphy who ran the Kommune studio in Melbourne and who I was lucky enough to be taught by when I signed up for a CAE photography course very early in my photography journey. These four tips were all things I learnt on that CAE course with Terry, and all of them have helped me a lot.
1. Customise Your Camera
Most modern cameras offer a plethora of ways to customise the operation of your camera to suit your photography. You can usually customise the functions of the buttons and dials of your camera to better suit your needs, or to make certain functions more accessible. You can also turn off certain functions if you want to.
Some examples that I have used to setup my camera are;
- Back Button Focus (as described in last month’s article)
- Configuring the joystick to move the focus point without requiring the press of another button first (which is the default behaviour)
- Turning off the touch screen “touch to focus” and “touch to shoot” features (I am a viewfinder shooter and found I was accidentally touching the screen to set these off)
- Turning on the histogram view in viewfinder
Read your camera’s manual or watch YouTube videos to learn how to best set up your camera. Watch multiple YouTube videos from different photographers to get different ideas.
2. Get to Know Your Camera - Intimately
Practice using your camera enough that you can perform all the basic functions without taking your eye away from the viewfinder (eg changing shutter speed, changing aperture, changing ISO, moving the focus point, focusing the camera, changing exposure compensation settings etc).
This is all about “muscle memory” – actually sitting down at home just practicing with your camera and changing all the common settings enough so that you can do it “blindfolded” (those were Terry’s words). He made us try this in the course session and set homework of “ten minutes practice every day” between sessions.
Being able to quickly change settings without looking at the camera controls or back screen will mean you will miss far less shots.
3. Start of Session Check
How many times have you gone to take your first few photos of a session and missed the shot because some camera setting is set incorrectly.
Performing a “Start of Session Check” will stop this happening. Basically it means simply having a list of things to check on the back of your camera as soon as you take your camera out of the boot of the car, or out of your camera bag, before you start shooting.
If you practise many different types of photography, you might need a “Start of Session Check list” for each, as the settings will likely be quite different. For example I do a lot of bird/wildlife photography, and I also do a lot of street art photography (usually with tripod). These two genres are completely different, my “Start of Session Checklists” might look like this.
Setting
Birds/Wildlife
Mode Manual
Street Art
Aperture Priority
Aperture f/5.6 f/8
Shutter Speed 1/1000 sec N/A ISO Auto 100
Image Stabilisation On Off (shooting on tripod)
Exposure Compensation -2/3 0
Exposure Bracketing Off -2, -1, 0, 1, 2
Shooting mode High-speed burst 2-second delay (shooting on tripod)
You may need written lists for a little while, but if you get into the habit of doing this you will quickly just be able to make the appropriate settings changes depending on the type of session you are about to start.
Obviously these settings are just a good starting point for your session, you will change them frequently during your session.
The most important thing here is to just get into the habit of checking through the various important settings before you begin shooting.
A related tip for those that have cameras that allow it, is to utilise the Custom Settings modes where you can save away different camera “configurations” that you can then easily recall when ever you want them.
4. Do a Border Patrol
This is a compositional tip and is one that can really improve your photos.
As you are looking through the viewfinder to compose your image, run your eye completely around the edges of your frame. This is a “border patrol”.
You are looking for things that are included in your frame that are not important to your image (or are distracting) or looking for things that are “chopped off” by the edge of the frame. Recompose (or zoom in/out) to exclude unwanted items, or to include fully required elements that were “chopped off”.
Another good time for a border patrol is when you are post-processing your images, here though you are usually just looking for unwanted items or distractions that can be easily removed in post-processing.
I hope you find these ideas useful in improving your photography.
Fig 1 – Getting the settings right first time results in better photos (Brown Thornbill)
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/margaret-kalms/ http://artofwoman.com.au
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/dennis-rickard/
https://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/mick-rooney/
SWISS
https://www.juliepowellphoto.com/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/julie-powell/
THE GUILDED CAGE II
https://www.instagram.com/soniapusey/?hl=en
DENISE HUNTER LOGAN ( AUSTRALIA )
WISDOM BEGINS IN WONDER
DOWN artistsUNDER
Australia and New Zealand
DIGITAL ARTISTS GROUP
A
COLLABORATIVE
GROUP OF PHOTO ARTISTS
CHINESE WHISPERS #82 “SEASIDE SCHOOL”
STAGE 1 STAGE 2
Another interesting challenge from Pam.
I decided the Frog Professor should hold a school at the beach with various friends, including Kanga and the penguins, who swam up from Antarctica to go to school. The turtle also decided to observe from afar.
AS ALWAYS - ENJOY!
Maureen Maxwell
Maureen Maxwell
Pam Henderson
HEMANT KOGEKAR
GOODBYE
HOME ALONE
RED COTTAGE
WAITING II
TWO OF US
https://photos.kogekar.com/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/hemant-kogekar/
1. Tell us a little about yourself and where you live?
I trained as an engineer and later transitioned into information technology when it was just gaining popularity. As an engineer, my focus was always on logic and science, leaving little room for artistic endeavours. However, my interest in travel led me to photography, initially as a way to capture memories. Over time, I noticed that some people’s travel images had a greater impact than mine.
At sixty, I decided to buy a new mirrorless camera and joined a couple of photography clubs, marking the beginning of my photography journey, which has continued ever since.
I live in Lindfield, Sydney. I’m married, and we have three grandchildren. Now retired, I have the time to fully indulge in my hobbies of photography and travel.
2. How did you become interested/get started in Photo Artistry?
My wife has always been interested in the arts and is a painter, but I never considered myself a creative person. Although I belonged to a creative photo club, I didn’t think I could achieve the level of creativity I saw in other members. After learning the basics of photography, I wanted to create stronger images, and that’s when I came across the Black and White Photo Artistry course. I enjoyed it so much that I later enrolled in the Photo Artistry and then the Awake courses. These courses opened my eyes to new techniques and ways of creating digital art.
3. What inspires you or gives you inspiration to create your art?
Travel continues to be a significant source of enjoyment and inspiration for me. In recent years, I’ve shifted from straight photography to creating digital art. Being part of a photography community has helped me develop the ability to see photographic opportunities in everyday scenes. I often combine ordinary items to create more interesting images.
I find inspiration in the work of other photographers and digital artists, especially through clubs, and groups like Artists Down Under or Awake. Social media also serves as a valuable source for ideas and a platform for sharing work and receiving feedback.
4. Do you have a certain approach to creating your art?
I’m always eager to learn new things and experiment. Courses, YouTube videos, and workshops are great resources for acquiring new techniques, which I then try to incorporate into my work. Sometimes the results are excellent, and other times they are not, but the process of learning and experimentation has given me the confidence to create my own art.
Unlike some photographers, I don’t enjoy early morning sunrise photoshoots or long hikes to get ‘the shot.’ I prefer creating these images at my desktop. I mainly use my own photographs for my art. In the past, I used textures created by others, but as my own collection has grown, I no longer need to rely on external resources. This is both a blessing and a limitation, as it some times restricts what I can include in a composition, especially since I don’t have access to models.
5. What does your art mean to you?
Having a hobby is important in the post-retirement stage of life. My art provides me with a creative outlet and a sense of fulfillment. I can dedicate as much or as little time to it as I want, and it offers both challenges and opportunities. It’s gratifying when my work is recognized and brings joy to others as well.
Over time and with practice, my art has improved, and I’m content with that.
6. Do you think that since starting in photo artistry it has changed you and if so, how?
Since beginning my photo artistry journey, I’ve gained more freedom and confidence to take risks in creating art. I’m more willing to try different techniques or styles—some are successful, others not so much. But with the vast array of styles, approaches, and techniques explained in the courses, there are always new and exciting possibilities to explore. I’ve grown more confident and matured as an artist.
7. Is there anyone that you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from many artists and photographers. Exceptional photography is a significant source of inspiration for me. I’m also inspired by the creations of fellow members in my photo clubs and various Facebook groups.
8. Where do you see (or hope to see) your art taking you in the future? What are your next steps?
For me, creating digital art and photography is more about the journey than the destination. I hope to continue learning, experimenting, and improving over time.
DENISE CAUCHI ( AUSTRALIA )
MAD COW
http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/penny-de-jong/
GOWNS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW
https://trish-hoskin.myportfolio.com/ http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/trish-hoskin/
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/christina-brunton/ https://chrisbrunton.com/
LEVI LION MINNIE MONKEY
artists
DOWN UNDER
Australia and New Zealand
INTERVIEW WITH ANNETTE PENDLEBURY
By Maureen Maxwell
Thank you, Annette for doing this interview. You are a recent member of ARTISTS DOWN UNDER; however, you’ve been a member of AWAKE and KAIZEN for some years. I have long admired your art in these two groups. Our members and viewers will not have seen these art works, so I’m sure they’ll be keen to see more of your art in our Artists Down Under group.
You create a wide variety of skilled and interesting images, often with unique story telling qualities. We’ll look forward to learning more about you and your creative journey.
HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN ARTISTIC, AND HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN PHOTO ARTISTRY?
Thank you very much, Maureen, for giving me this opportunity to speak here and show off some of my artwork.
I haven’t formally studied art, but I think there is a creative spirit somewhere within! We used to have a film camera for family shots and travel pics – purely happy snap-type stuff, never as a serious thing. My interest in photography really took off when digital cameras came on the scene. My first camera nudged me to step up my game, so I did. After years of exploring this new digital photography world, which I enjoyed, I eventually found myself experimenting with my photos, adding a texture here and there and blending images together. That’s when I stumbled uponyou guessed it - Sebastian and his team at Photoshop Artistry. Hence, my digital artistry journey began.
WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION AND IDEAS FOR YOUR CREATIVE COMPOSITIONS?
My inspiration can come from all over: our unique bushland, the garden, our coastline, books, and movies. Sebastian pushes us to create a story, and I use these places of inspiration to build a story.
INTERVIEW WITH ANNETTE PENDLEBURY (CONT....)
An indispensable source of my inspiration comes from our family of creatives in Photoshop Aristry, where there’s so much creative talent. I love different, quirky characters, which I create in Daz. I frequently hunt for new ideas and techniques online, and these techniques often spark new ideas.
YOUR IMAGES TELL AN INTERESTING STORY. MANY ARE IN A COMPLEX STORY BOOK STYLE; OTHERS ARE QUIRKY AND WHIMSICAL. DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE GENRE?
Wow, that’s a great question. What genre? As a favourite genre, I don’t really stick to just one. I’m all over the place; there’s just so much to explore. To nail me down to an answer, my favourites would be a combination of character art, grunge, illustrative, and abstract, whatever you call that.
I love building stories around characters and bringing them to life, often creating a series of 4-5 images. With all the amazing software available, digital artists and photographers have so many possibilities at their fingertips.
YOU USE A WIDE VARIETY OF TEXTURES, UNUSUAL AND UNLIKELY ELEMENTS, ALSO TEXT AND SHAPES IN A COLLAGE STYLE TO CREATE PORTRAIT ART WORKS. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT TO USE AND WHERE?
Humm, yes, I’ve always loved experimenting with textures, blending them into my composites. Choosing what texture or elements to use depends on the story/feeling I am trying to convey in the project I’m working on. Recently, I’ve been using textures along with text and shapes to block out colours - a technique I stumbled upon while exploring.
It’s all a game of trial and error, moving, sizing and blending until it feels just right.
Tinder Tinker
Camping Trip Discussion
Tireen’s Workshop
INTERVIEW WITH ANNETTE PENDLEBURY (CONT....)
CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR PROCESS AND THE TECHNIQUES USED TO CREATE YOUR ART WORKS?
This can vary each time I’m faced with a new project, but generally, I follow these steps.
First, I start with a rough idea and gather elements that fit my vision. That probably sounds a little obvious, but sometimes you just feel like opening a blank canvas and going from there! Occasionally, I’m lucky, and my new idea hits the spot instantly. Other times, I sit on it for a day or so, mulling it over in my mind, and then I begin the process of building.
My next step is to create a background/environment to set my character/subject. This part is a challenge for me. I add and subtract elements, add more, take away more, and keep tweaking until something clicks.
Once I have, at least, an idea of my background, I’ll work the character. Detailing my character can take quite a bit of time and many, many layered elements – I guess I could say I’m not a minimalist here!
I’m sure many of us experience this when I say my whole piece of art can turn out completely different from the original thought, and I will often end up with two, sometimes three iterations! I am a Photoshop junkie and love pushing its limits, blending, mixing, masking and storytelling. I use Photoshop filters, and lately, I have been using more brushes. The final process usually involves putting the composite through a plugin; my all-time go-to is the NiK Collection, followed by ACR.
I also like to add a few words about the story in my piece. I think it adds a little something to my art.
Oh yes, I’ll always sit on the final for a day or so. I can bet you a dollar that it’ll need a tweak or two!
Maisha Queen Brinyx
INTERVIEW WITH ANNETTE PENDLEBURY (CONT....)
THE PHOTO ARTISTRY ENVIRONMENT WE ARE INVOLVED WITH IS A NEVER-ENDING JOURNEY WITH COUNTLESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING. DO YOU ENJOY THE LEARNING?
Absolutely, I love the learning process. Who wouldn’t, with so much out there to discover? As you say, it’s a never-ending journey with countless opportunities. Even when looking at art in the pre-digital era, there are so many fascinating techniques that’d be great to try to reproduce digitally.
Digital artistry isn’t bound by rules or limitations—only by our imagination. When all is said and done, so long as I’m learning and having fun, trying new techniques, bending some rules and pushing the boundaries.
Learning, creating art and having fun doing it, what a life!
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY TAKING YOU IN THE FUTURE?
Gosh, that’s an interesting and timely question. I say timely because right now, I’m finding my ‘direction’ is changing with the new ideas I’m trying. I love illustrative art, although I can’t draw to save my life, so I’ll see where that leads me.
As my journey continues, I will no doubt wander down different paths as I experiment with new techniques, but in the end, I hope I’m still creating, still evolving my style, still having fun, and still learning.
Kyebrom Cottage
INTERVIEW WITH ANNETTE PENDLEBURY (CONT....)
PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF, YOUR BACKGROUND AND YOUR OTHER INTERESTS.
Who am I? My name is Annette, and I live in the beautiful Glass House Mountains, Qld, with my all-time better half, our No.2 - out of 4 - daughters and our No.3 – out of 11 - grandchildren. Back in the day, I was very involved in gymnastics and sports. After school, I trained as a nurse, spent some years as a computer operator – not sure what they call that job now – and eventually returned to nursing in aged care. Throughout those years, I moved around quite a bit, both in Australia, Mid East and UK.
Creativity must have been there somewhere, as my journey has landed me on the doorstep of digital artistry, which I enjoy immensely. I also love reading and gardening. I always make sure I have time at the end of each day to pick up my tablet – in my case – for a couple of hours of reading, whether it be fiction or other. On the weekend, I try to make it a habit to step outside into our garden, soak up some vitamin D, and catch up with something they call exercise!
CLOSING REMARKS (Maureen Maxwell)
This is such an interesting interview from one of our newest members. Annette’s art is varied and always intriguing.
To view more of Annette’s art her website is http://www.thecreativeshed.au
The Composer
The Motel
https://www.facebook.com/dean.hohn/photos https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/dean-hohn/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/88165766@N05 https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/karen-waalwyk/
BASSEL
http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/maureen-maxwell/
BREAKFAST
https://www.facebook.com/lksmithphotography/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/louise-smith/
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artists-1/bev-terawskyj/
TOWARDS ETERNITY
artists
DOWN UNDER
Australia and New Zealand
MANAGEMENT OF OUR ARTISTS DOWN UNDER GROUP
By Maureen Maxwell
ADU was set up in early 2017 by Athalie Taylor. Her original plan, which is still our objective, was to promote and support, Australian and New Zealand photo artists from the international Photo Artistry groups, set up by Sebastian Michaels. We also wanted to bring to the group, and the magazine, our own unique Down Under perspective. Every person who contributes in any way to ADU does so on a voluntary basis – we may be a non-profit operation, but we do aim to be organized and structured.
The ADU group has enjoyed considerable success from the beginning. This is the 90th issue of our monthly magazine which is a remarkable achievement.
Many of us from the original group of members are still involved with the group. Four members of this original group manage the group’s main activities - Andrew Haysom, Julie Powell, Pam Henderson and me, Maureen Maxwell. We have had and continue to have, considerable assistance from many other members - too many to name here.
To keep ADU current, and relevant for our members, we look for new ideas and seek input from members by running the occasional survey. We then gradually introduce new concepts that are appropriate and doable. Innovation is key, so we think it is important to get input from as many ADU Members as possible.
In discussion recently with my three colleagues we thought you may find it interesting to know what goes on behind the scenes in managing the various activities of the ADU Group. So, I asked my three colleagues to describe what their roles involve.
There are four main areas of administration:
• MAGAZINE
• ZOOM MEETINGS
• FINANCES
Whilst these activities involve time and effort, each of us have our own reasons for being involved and find the personal rewards of volunteering most satisfying.
In their own words, Andrew, Pam and Julie give us insight to their tasks.
ANDREW HAYSOM
Facebook Page Administration
I have been an Administrator for both the ADU Public page and the ADU Private page for many years with Mary Knaggs who created them, and since Mary left Maureen has also been a Facebook administrator.
The Private Page is a “private” Facebook page with only members allowed to post and comment, and is not even visible to the general public so it requires little administration other than managing the addition of new members and the removal of members who choose to leave the group.
The Public Page however is a “public” Facebook page, but the intent has always been that only financial ADU members can create posts, so this requires a little more effort. In the past we were approving every single post to the group, but a little while ago Facebook introduced the feature where you can “pre-approve” a member, so now we don’t have to approve members posts. However we are finding that Facebook occasionally automatically approves posts for non-members, so we must keep a constant eye on the new posts and remove ones like this.
Members of the public can apply to join the Public page and when they do, they are asked four questions.
Q1 - Have you done, or are you doing, any of the online courses from Sebastian Michaels?
Q2 - If the answer to question one is yes, then which course(s)?
Q3 - Are you an Australian or New Zealand citizen?
Q4 - Will you please read, and agree to, the group rules?
If it appears the person requesting group membership qualifies to be an ADU member then one of us will message them to get an email address. I will then email them an information packet including a membership form.
If they decide to join, return the form and pay the fee, I forward more information, add them to the Private page, and pre-approve them for posting.
If they do not appear to qualify for full ADU membership, we will approve their group member ship, but not mark them as “pre-approved” for posting. This is done only after examining their Facebook profile, as many applications are from obvious scammers. We haven’t had very many scammers “get through” this process, only one or two I think, and they have been quickly identified and removed once they start spammy comments.
Attempted posts by any non-approved member will cause a notification that Maureen or I will need to approve. This is a pain, but it seems the only way to host a public group on Facebook where you only want certain approved members to be able to post.
Managing Membership Information spreadsheet
This is only when members join, leave or notify us of changes in their details.
ANDREW HAYSOM
Managing the Annual Fee Payment process
Along with Pam (who manages the Australian bank account and PayPal account) I also am responsible for managing the annual fee payments, notifying members that fees are due, following up unpaid members and updating payment information into the Membership Information Spreadsheet.
This year I also established a New Zealand bank account for the group when the holder of our previous account decided to leave the administration team.
Managing the ADU Admin Email Account
We have an email account for ADU that we use to contact potential members and handle things like the fee payment process. This email account needs to be checked regularly.
Maintaining the “ADU Video Index”
I maintain a list of the videos we produce of our monthly Zoom meetings.
Creating / Updating the “ADU Members by Location” list
I will occasionally update the ADU Members by Location list, this is a simple manipulation of the Membership Information spreadsheet.
Magazine Related tasks
I post the monthly magazine announcement posts in the Public and Private pages and post the new Challenge Theme in the Private page once notified of the topic by Pam.
I am currently Pam’s proofreader for the magazine.
I write a monthly Photoshop or Photography related article for the magazine.
Zoom
Related tasks
I established the Zoom account for ADU and currently create the monthly Facebook Event for the Zoom catch-up.
I am a member of the small team that manages the Zoom meetings with Julie and Maureen.
PAM HENDERSON
Creating the Artists Down Under magazine.
1. Work out the next Featured Artist & email them, have a backup plan just in case
2. Collate images from emails received & stored into individual artists folders or relevant months ADU mag folders if images are for challenge, achievements or any articles or interviews are sent.
3. Go onto the internet & search Competitions, Magazines & Challenges for any ADU winning artists, write them down, then email those artists requesting the images to be sent. i.e. Fusion Art, Light Space & Time, Shift Art, Living the Photo Artistic Life magazine.
4. For any other winning images or exhibitions that have been sent in, go to the internet & search those comps or exhibitions & gather any information that will help.
5. Sort out images from artists that will be used in the current month’s magazine & make sure all information has been received for the Featured Artist section.
6. Double check I have all information required for the articles, interviews or Featured sections of the mag, if not email requesting this additional information.
7. Open last month’s Magazine in InDesign & save as current month.
8. Remove all old information & images so that I start with a clean slate.
9. Add all this month’s artists images & titles.
10. Add all articles, Interviews & Special Features onto the relevant pages.
11. Sort the magazine so that I have images with articles/interviews placed in between.
12. Write up the Contents page
13. Write up the Editors report.
14. Double check each page for any mistakes e.g. each image has a border, each hyperlink has been added & works, page numbers are correct & in the correct position, Interview pages that the text word wraps correctly etc.
15. Add Facebook Winners
16. Double check & resize all images, they must be 150dpi & 2500 pixels on the largest size. Currently 60% of all images must be resized.
17. Export & Save the magazine as a PDF & send to proofreader.
18. Add changes from the proofreader when sent.
19. Add any images that I may have been waiting for re achievement comps.
20. Export & Save the magazine as a PDF for Issuu – special setting for Issuu
21. Export & Save the magazine as a PDF for Peecho – special setting for Peecho
22. On the last day of the month, upload the magazine to Issuu & add all details – Publish
23. On the last day of the month, upload the magazine to Peecho & add all details -Publish
24. Email Andrew & Maureen with the links so they can publish onto Facebook along with the following month’s Artists Challenge.
25. Email Sebastian with the links so he can publish onto his Facebook site.
26. Email the links to anyone who doesn’t have Facebook access (as the newsletter containing magazine links is no longer sent out)
27. Email the winning Facebook winners with their gift
28. Breathe, then Pray to God I haven’t made any mistakes
Managing the Main Artists Down Under Email Accounts
I have three email account for Artists Down Under that we use for members to keep in contact and to send their information in for the magazine. These email accounts needs to be checked regularly and all images sent in need to be stored in the relevant artists folder for future use or replied to with answers to any queries.
Website
I created a website for the Artists Down Under members images. Each artist has their own page and I upload their images to showcase their work. For those members that do not have their own website, it is a great place for them to send people that would like to view their art.
JULIE POWELL
ZOOM MEETINGS
• Approach members about doing a presentation for ADU Zoom
• Once someone says yes, go over outline, asking for a brief intro and image for banner
• Setup a trial if required
• Setup the Zoom details
• Place Event on Facebook (although Andrew usually does this)
• Host and Record the Zoom meeting
• Edit and check audio/video, render video and upload to YouTube
• Place YouTube link on FB
• Andrew keeps an up-to-date list and links of all meetings
MAUREEN MAXWELL
My role within the admin team is to assist where I can - a type of roving administrator.
I also conduct interviews each month with various members. The aim of these interviews is to enable members to get to know each other a little more. A further aim is to support the promotion of our members. I endeavour to interview a mix of longer-term members with those who’ve not been with us for very long, and from each country.
I approach a relevant member and when they accept, I research available information and displayed art so I can compose a series of questions to best create an interesting and informative interview.
When I receive the completed interview, it is then formatted and sent to Pam. The interviewee will have already sent Pam 6-10 images to accompany the interview.
I contribute articles from time to time on topics I think our members, (and other readers) may find interesting. Some of them involve considerable research.
I also offer support and encouragement to help members with any technical or informational issues they may have.
CLOSING REMARKS
I personally would like to thank my colleagues for all they do to keep our group running, and especially for their friendship. They are a joy to work with.
Similarly, all the other members who give their time and expertise to our group. I have made many friends within our group whom I truly value.
If you have any ideas to make our group more interesting and inclusive, please let one of us know - either directly or through the Private Facebook page.
My personal thoughts are that we should all be very proud of our group and what we achieve. Over the last seven years we have seen many past and present members go on to create their own creative businesses, achieve wonderful success in competitions around the world, hold highly successful exhibitions and be featured in international magazines and groups. Many have gone in different directions to explore a wide variety of creative ideas.
The creative output has never stalled - in every issue of our magazine we see innovation and talent with the art on display. The variety of art is broad and always interesting.
We hope you enjoy this look behind the scenes of running our group.
Maureen Maxwell
Andrew Haysom
Julie Powell
Pam Henderson
https://www.facebook.com/snapnshootdesigns/ http://www.artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/pam-henderson/
IN THE CITY
https://www.zolof.net/ https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-2/ilona-abou-zolof/
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-3/kye-thompson/
This series, The Crimson Veil, explores the haunting beauty of the gothic realm, where ethereal figures draped in lace embody the delicate and the macabre. These images blend mystery with elegance, inviting viewers into a world where darkness and beauty converge.
https://rosa-perry.myportfolio.com/artwork
https://artistsdownunder.com.au/artist-4/rosa-perry/
GOTHIC #1
CROWS NEST
GOTHIC #3
GOTHIC #4
GOTHIC #5
GOTHIC #6
artists kids photographic challenge theme: monthly artistic down under
Christina Brunton - Circus Skool
Jan Hannasky - Princess Pugsley
Penny De Jong - If We Could Swing Amongst The Clouds
Ilona Abou-Zolof - Seashell Princess
Denise Hunter Logan - Just A Boy Who Loves Chickens
Maureen Maxwell - Warriors To The Rescue
Karen Waalwyk - Kids
Rosa Perry - My Soccer Kids
Prue Wright - Gracie And Lachie
Pam Henderson - Rockin It
artists
DOWN UNDER
Australia and New Zealand
adu artists business advertisements
E L F - P A C E D & O N L I N E
L e a r n t o u s e t h e
M i x e r B r u s h
I n t h i s c l a s s , y o u w i l l l e a r n h o w t o
e f f e c t i v e l y u s e t h e M i x e r B r u s h t o o l i n
A d o b e P h o t o s h o p t o c r e a t e b e a u t i f u l a n d
u n i q u e s t i l l - l i f e & f l o r a l s
L e a r n t e c h n i q u e s
T h e c l a s s i s s u i t a b l e f o r b o t h b e g i n n e r s a n d
a d v a n c e d a r t i s t s , a n d I w i l l c o v e r e v e r y t h i n g
f r o m t h e b a s i c s o f M i x e r B r u s h t o a d v a n c e d
t e c h n i q u e s l i k e c r e a t i n g c u s t o m b r u s h e s a n d
t e x t u r e s
M a s t e r & C r e a t e
W h e t h e r y o u a r e l o o k i n g t o e x p l o r e a n e w
m e d i u m , e x p a n d y o u r d i g i t a l a r t s k i l l s , o r
s i m p l y e n j o y t h e p r o c e s s o f c r e a t i n g a r t , m y
S t i l l - l i f e & F l o w e r s M i x e r B r u s h A r t C l a s s i s
t h e p e r f e c t p l a c e t o s t a r t
S i x b a n d n e w p r o j e c t s
S i x b r a n d n e w p r o j e c t s i n c l u d i n g t h r e e s t i l l -
l i f e s c e n e s a n d t h r e e f l o w e r s A l l b a s e
i m a g e s , b o n u s p r a c t i c e i m a g e s , t e x t u r e s ,
E - B o o k a n d c u s t o m b r u s h e s p r o v i d e d
julie powell@outlook com www.juliepowellphotography.com
I d e l i c a t e l y u n r a v e l t h e
e f f e c t s o f t i m e ,
m e t i c u l o u s l y r e p a i r i n g
c r a c k s , h e a l i n g
d i s c o l o u r a t i o n , a n d
e r a s i n g y e a r s o f w e a r
a n d t e a r T h r o u g h t h e
m a g i c o f d i g i t a l a r t i s t r y ,
I r e s t o r e n o t o n l y t h e
i m a g e b u t a l s o t h e
e m o t i o n s a n d m e m o r i e s
e n c a p s u l a t e d w i t h i n i t
D o n ' t l e t t i m e
e r a s e t h e b e a u t y
o f y o u r
m e m o r i e s !
C o n t a c t m e t o d a y
t o g i v e y o u r
c h e r i s h e d p h o t o s
t h e g i f t o f
r e s t o r a t i o n
WEBSITE: http://artistsdownunder.com.au/
http://tinyurl.com/artisitsdownunderpublic