Nikon Owner Issue 14
EDITOR’S LETTER
I tend to pace about my office a lot whenever I am faced with the task of writing. I stare at a blank sheet of paper or, as often as not, a blank computer screen, and the ensuing blankness stares back at me with a reproachful stare daring me to ‘start something’. And start something I must. As editor my biggest challenge is to keep our magazine fresh and a surprise to our readers. I hope that in this new issue we have done just that.
In this issue we have turned our spotlight on sports photographer Delly Carr. Officially recognised in Australia as one of the country’s top freelance sports photographers, Delly Carr’s list of clients reads like a Who’s Who in the Australian sporting scene. He is currently commissioned as the official photographer to the Kellogg’s NutriGrain Ironman & Ironwoman Super Series, the Vodafone Beach Volleyball Tour, the Accenture Formula One Triathlon Tour, the N.S.W. Men’s and Women’s Cricket Team, the Planet X Summer Games, Triathlon Australia, Volleyball Australia, and Canoe Australia. He has been exclusively commissioned to photograph sporting events such as the UCI Track World Cup, 2003 Whitewater World Cup, the Red Bull Ride, Urban Corruption 2003, Mountain Dew Test of The Toughest Series, the Gatorade Endurance Challenge, and the Sydney Water Ocean Classic.
Delly Carr is also accredited to photograph most of the major sporting events and competitions, such as the past four Commonwealth Games, and the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. His award-winning work has been published world-wide. Photographer and Nikon Owner subscriber Mike Eleftheriades met up with Dell Carr to discuss his impressive career.
As I have mentioned in previous letters, a huge selection of books and manuals regularly come my way. For camera users seeking a guide that goes beyond the camera’s instruction manual is something that many photographers demand, particularly when a new model of camera appears. Case in point – the award-winning Nikon D70 digital SLR was an immediate hit with photographers the world over. The runaway success of the D70 was such that by Autumn 2004, production was raised to 90,000 units per month with a projected total run of over 800,000 units for the first year. Keeping to this pace of production will soon elevate the D70 to the most multitudinous Nikon SLR.
Well-known photographer and author, Chris Weston has written and had published the PIP Expanded Guide to the Nikon D70. He has stripped down the D70’s immense specification into logical and understandable chunks, enabling photographers to get the most from this digital SLR camera in every situation. This is an invaluable user’s guide, which includes a detailed description of functions and features, a comprehensive review of lenses and accessories, advice on camera care and tips on using the D70 with a computer. Price: £14.95.
Technical editor, Simon Stafford has recently produced the new 240 page Magic Lantern Guide – Nikon D70 which is now on sale also costing £14.95. With this accessible guide, you can fully utilise the D70’s many functions and gain an understanding of all its fundamentals, including information not covered in the camera’s instruction manual. Photographers at all levels will be able to master the features that distinguish this revolutionary model and to work with digital technology.
Heather Angel Wildlife & Natural History Workshop July 2005 with Nikon U.K.
The 9th Annual Heather Angel Wildlife and Natural History Nikon Workshop will take place on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th July 2005 at Saint Hill Manor in West Sussex, England from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. These hugely popular two one-day workshops conducted by world famous wildlife photographer Heather Angel are perfect for both the newcomer and experienced photographer alike. The workshops include lectures, demonstrations and the chance to handle and use a huge range of new Nikon digital and film equipment, and attract visitors from all over the U.K., Europe and throughout the world. You can book a place (£150 per person) by telephoning 0207 828 4925 or book online www.graysofwestminster.co.uk For full details please turn to page 33.
Beginning on page 16, technical editor Simon Stafford begins Part I of a three-part article, the Facts of Filters. If you have ever been puzzled as to what filters are and what they do, then Simon Stafford has the answer for you.
Against All Odds
Following the news that Jo Gambi’s husband, Roy, had been declared in remission for cancer for the second time they both decided to take a journey into the unknown and enjoy life together while they could. Their quest took them on an incredible journey through every continent of the globe, from the death zone of Everest’s summit in Asia to the chilling freezer of the Antarctic polar plateau.
I was deeply saddened by the news last October of the passing of John Peel. You may be wondering why this personal loss is being mentioned in a photographic magazine. Well, in many ways John Peel was responsible for my interest in the type of music he pioneered on his groundbreaking radio shows, and a desire on my part not only to catch these acts live but to capture them on film.
It was his Radio 1 late night programme Top Gear into which I tuned whilst lying in my bedroom at my parents home as a teenager. It was here that I first heard The Incredible String Band, Nick Drake, The Pink Floyd, Ravi Shankar, John Mayall, Jimi Hendrix, The Third Ear Band, The Nice featuring Keith Emerson and many others that simply hadn’t a prayer of being played elsewhere on the radio.
Every Friday evening I went to a local club, which was held in the unlikely named Ritz Ballroom in Bournemouth. There cannot have been a less Ritz-like venue for what was about to occur in music. Moreover, hardly anyone ever turned up to hear what was on offer. A local band The Room played to a mostly empty room. With not much hope of success, I took it upon myself to write to the manager of the club suggesting that they not only change the name of these evening events, but also book a list of acts that I had heard on John Peel’s shows. Much to my great surprise and delight, he wrote back informing me that he was willing to follow my suggestion, as catering for thirteen impoverished students every Friday night was not exactly going to create a roaring success for the club. He went on to explain that he had booked Jethro Tull for the following Friday. As I was used to turning up and walking into the club at any old time, it did not occur to me that things were about to alter dramatically by his change of booking policy, but it did. From thirteen people in a large empty Ballroom to turning several hundred away at the door, it was a miracle that I got through the door that Friday night. But get in I did. The club was packed, the crowd noisy and enthusiastic, and the band, on one of its first tours of the U.K., took the place apart.
It was an exciting time. You felt as though you had discovered a strange and wonderful new world: a world full of new paths to travel, and in which anything was possible. I wrote to John Peel too, and again I was to be surprised – he wrote back a handwritten letter. Here was a different sort of man. John Peel was a person with the common touch who never lost that rare ability to connect with his audience across the generations. I always thought that in those early days when I first heard him broadcasting in the small hours of the morning that he was speaking just to me.
Those wonderful times spent listening to John Peel formed the basis of an enduring interest in music and would eventually lead to my shooting images of bands and solo performers and making firm friends within the industry that I would not have remotely conceived possible in my teenage years. My interest in photography burgeoned alongside my love of music. So I feel that I owe a debt of gratitude to John Peel for a lifetime of wonderful music and the inspiration that it engendered in me to record those moments on film.
John was with Radio 1 from the beginning in 1967, establishing himself with the late night programme Top Gear. He was the first DJ to give exposure to punk, reggae and hip-hop, long before they crossed over into the mainstream. Almost anyone who is anyone in the world of music has recorded a session for Peel. John added a new string to his bow when in 1998 he became the presenter of a new magazine programme called Home Truths on Radio 4. The programme reflected on the trials, tribulations and delights of family life. He and it became firm favourites with the audience. John regularly topped music paper Best DJ polls. In 1998 John was awarded an O.B.E.. In 2002 he received the industry’s highest accolade, when he was awarded the Sony Gold, marking his outstanding contribution to radio over 35 years of broadcasting, and was awarded a host of Honorary Degrees.
Another band on my list from that period that played at the Ritz Ballroom was Black Sabbath, and their former lead singer Ozzy Osbourne said of John Peel’s demise: “It was a terrible loss to the music industry – he was a pioneer in his own right. ... If it wasn’t for John Peel, Black Sabbath wouldn’t have got played on the radio. ... A huge loss to music in general – he was a good guy.”
John Peel’s impact on music was huge as was his impact on my life for which I shall always be thankful. Almost every time I pick up a camera I have many people to thank and one of these is John Peel. Everyone touches someone in some way as they pass through the world. Photography, like music, can create many effects. It can, at its highest communication, create an emotional response and lift the spirit. I think any photographer can achieve this. There are many avenues to make your images seen by others. One of these vehicles is our online Gallery. Why not share your images with other photographers in over 100 countries around the world. Log onto our website and click on the menu bar Photo Galleries.
Gray Levett