On the chilly evening of November 5, Atlanta and its surrounding metropolitan areas were buzzing with excitement. The Atlanta Braves had just won the World Series and the fresh breath of fall had finally arrived after a hot and seemingly endless summer. Amid all the bustle, dk Gallery was having a celebration of its own with its first ever photography-only show. By joining forces with Atlanta Celebrates Photography, the largest photo festival in the country, guests were able to see a wide array of work from  photographers including Corinne Adams, Lauren Chambers, John Kirk, Judy Lampert, Laura Noel, Susan Richman, Beate Sass, and Brooke Shaden.

Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to nurturing the photographic arts and evolving the art community in Atlanta. dk Gallery was honored to headline ACP’s co-founder and photographer Corinne Adams. While on a roadtrip years ago, Adams and her friend Suzanne Katz founded ACP to give people a space to appreciate photography and recognize it as its own art form. “When you look around this gallery, do these pieces look like photos?” Adams inquired. “Photography is in a realm of its own and it continues to evolve in how it’s becoming more surreal; it’s different from a painting because photographers have to be able to see the world the way it’s presented in front of them and find the beauty in that.” The work of Adams without a doubt exudes the surrealism of photography and makes the viewer feel almost as if they are gazing into a dream. Adams achieves this look with methods like ripping up existing images and placing them on the ground to then put other objects on top of them such as animal figurines or seashells. She re-photographs this and later adds extra elements in Photoshop to create a truly distinctive final product. Adams’ point of photography being in its own league was apparent in dk Gallery’s show as the visitors were treated to some truly special pieces that exceeded expectations.

Another photographer was Laura Noel, whose eye-catching pieces were the product of play and experimentation. Her work in the show were images of ancient Greek busts overlapped by vibrant, translucent colors and shapes. She achieved this look by adding the colorful after effects in Photoshop, a technique more and more photographers are using to add dimension to their work. “I was going for a time travel vibe,” Noel said. She undoubtedly captured this feel by pairing ancient work with pops of color that almost conveys a retro 1960’s tone.