The Photo Society Launches Print Sale Supporting Direct Relief

The Photo Society, a collective of over 170 photographers (working primarily for National Geographic, past and present) launched their first-ever flash print sale May 18, 2020. Collectable, signed prints from 35 photographers are available, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Direct Relief, a charitable organization providing life-saving medical equipment to doctors and nurses around the world, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 20 prints of each image are available.

Each collectable print contains a 6.5” x 9.5” (approx.) image on 8.5” x 11” fine art paper. Epson printing technology was chosen to produce the highest quality and print permanence. Each print is signed with an acid-free, pigment-based pen for the greatest permanence on the front border. 

With each print sold, Direct Relief will receive 50 percent of proceeds. There is an option on the website to donate directly to Direct Relief.

An ensemble of sunken palm trees suggests that the Salton Sea has seen better days. Its serene beauty belies the troubling truth—a fluctuation in sea level and increased salinity has since led to an environmental decay that is now nearing catastrophic dimensions. A victim of geography and hardball politics, the Salton Sea is California’s largest, most troubled lake.

This photograph exemplifies Gerd’s belief that even in the display of environmental distress, the beauty of a composition has to draw the viewer in. At a first glance, these dying palm trees appear irritatingly attractive, provoking the viewer to introspection and sadness—a feeling of innocence lost and a fall from paradise. The aesthetic confronts the viewer with an urge to learn more about the content of the scene, providing a plea for the preservation of our environment.

The above image by Gerd Ludwig is available for purchase in the sale. To purchase the print and learn more about the sale, go to The Photo Society Prints website.