Nikon Owner Issue 21
Editor's Letter
A few months ago, I arrived back at my desk after an early morning appointment, when my attention was drawn to a dark grey envelope amongst the pile of mail. I sliced it open and withdrew a heavy black folder. On the cover were engraved the following words in red:
Your mission, should you decide to accept it…
Inside the folder was a shiny metal invitation inviting myself, the Features Editor, Gillian Greenwood, and the magazine designer, Jesse Reuben Wilson to attend the U.K. Premiere of M:i:III starring Tom Cruise. Cruise returned to one of his signature roles, Secret Agent Ethan Hunt, in Mission: Impossible III.
For anyone who has not seen the film yet, it is a pulse-racing, mind-bending action thriller; Hunt (Cruise) confronts the toughest villain he has ever faced - Owen Davian (Academy Award® winner Philip Seymour Hoffman), an international weapons and information provider with no remorse and no conscience. I left the theatre breathless.
Returning to my office the following day I was reminded of Nikon Owner subscriber Marc Koska who took on a challenge that could only be described as his own impossible mission. He briefed Gillian Greenwood and myself some time ago and had my hair almost standing on end.
Marc Koska: A Mission Impossible?
Marc Koska was presented with an OBE earlier this year by HRH The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, and more recently, Marc's company was awarded The Queen's Award for Enterprise for International Trade. This involved a reception at Buckingham Palace with Her Majesty the Queen, and the Award, a crystal rose bowl, was presented at his company's offices on 13th October by HRH The Princess Royal at a ceremony which we also attended. He has, in fact, saved over a million lives and you will find out how when you turn to Gillian Greenwood's article Marc Koska O.B.E. - A Mission Impossible.
It cannot be disputed that the magical world of Aardman Animations' plasticine figures has become more popular and more successful than anyone could have ever dreamed. As well as Wallace & Gromit The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Aardman has so far won Oscars® for Creature Comforts, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave. Gillian Greenwood and myself visited Aardman Animations a few months ago to meet Martin Shann, the head 'boffin' and spent the day touring the premises with him, which was both enlightening and inspiring. Martin Shann generously agreed to be interviewed for this issue of Nikon Owner magazine, and he explains why Nikon is his kit of choice.
Michael Eleftheriades: The Outer Limits
One of the biggest responses I have witnessed to any photography seminars so far was the series on panoramic photography presented by Michael Eleftheriades at Nikon U.K. Ltd last year. Michael is an architect and photographer, and has been using Nikon equipment for some years. He fuses together his particular passion for architecture, virtual reality, computer graphics and photography in the creation of large-scale panoramic imagery. When not photographing, Michael heads his own media consultancy, Media Synthesis Limited, based in London. In this issue of Nikon Owner, Michael concludes his two-part feature "Stretching The Limits".
Wrapping up the current series of his Earth Mysteries series, Graham Hancock takes us across South Africa to the mountains of Drakensberg and to wilderness areas to show us mysterious painted images that cover the walls and ceilings of rock shelters. The photographs are by his wife, celebrated photographer Santha Faiia.
Being a voracious reader I find books to be a special delight. When I was at school I took every opportunity to get lost in the library. It was there that I dreamed of one day having a library of my own overflowing with books from floor to ceiling. With this very much in mind, I am very pleased to have had the opportunity in this issue to include some of the newest photographic publications involving the Nikon brand. Some of the titles may suggest themselves to you as either a present for a friend, family member or a purchase for yourself. See page 47 entitled 'The Book Page'. I would like to thank everyone for their assistance in sending in images and ideas for potential storylines to Gillian Greenwood, the Production and Features Editor, throughout the year. Please do continue to do so. Winter, in spite of its shorter days and frosty temperatures, can nevertheless be a fruitful period for shooting a whole range of images, and there is much about this season to be enjoyed photographically. We hope that the winter images by Dr Tim King, which we have published in this issue, will inspire you to participate in many hours of interesting and successful photography during the months ahead.
Heather Angel: Pick up a Penguin
Magazines sit upon the shelves of your newsagents and compete for your attention. They feature bright colours, bold type, flashy headlines in order to try and catch your eye. How many times have you picked up and bought a magazine because you just had to read the story behind that riveting, intriguing cover? I know I have bought many a magazine simply because I was attracted to the cover. Perhaps you have too?
What makes a good cover or a bad one? How do we come up with a design or with the headlines that will hopefully make the front cover? It is subject to so many considerations and discussions. In this case the cover shot of an Emperor Penguin family by Heather Angel was chosen by the unanimous 'thumbs up' of the entire picture desk team. I think they were right.
As I sign off for this issue I thought you might like to know of two websites worthy of your attention.:
www.womenphotographers.com
A website designed especially for professional women photographers throughout the world to promote their work has now been running for nearly four years, hosting just over 100 photographers and is currently attracting over 2,000 hits per month.
www.simonmarsden.co.uk
Simon Marsden is an internationally acclaimed photographer of the fantastic and supernatural who has turned the photography of buildings and landscapes into his own art form. His images can be found in many prestigious collections. His latest book Ghosthunter has just been published.
Best wishes
Gray Levett