ep. 039: Artist Exploration/Anna Atkins

Anna Atkins might be becoming more of a known quantity, but it took concerted effort by some of her superfans after many years in obscurity to put her in the spotlight.

We don’t know much about her personal life, but we do know one important detail: she is the first person to create a photography book EVER. (Kind of a big deal.) But for her, it was simply a way to share her passion of illustrating the natural world and give aid to books that were text heavy.

Tune in as Chris and Amy talk about Anna Atkins, the dilemma of capturing what we see with our eyes, why being generous with our knowledge matters for advances, how science and art work in tandem, and BONUS: learn one simple trick to impress strangers when they ask you to take their picture.

Amy Elizabeth is an artist and film photographer living in Minneapolis, MN. She runs the group The Art Lab for creatives who want to connect and push forward in their artistry. She is also the owner/operator of Film Lab 135, a bespoke lab dedicated to processing experimental film, specializing in film soup. You can find her on Instagram, substack, and bluesky @itsamyliz.