Nikon Owner magazine blog

Wednesday, 18 August 2010

The new website for Nikon Owner magazine just went live!

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Let us know what you think of the new look via e-mail, Twitter or Facebook

The entire site has been updated and the members' area has also had a makeover. The members-only sections include:

Press Releases
Technical Helpline
Equipment Reviews
Subscriber Reviews
Photo Galleries
Message Board
Buy & Sell Area
Special Articles
Events

If you are not a Nikon Owner member yet, have a look through our website and you'll see it is more than just a magazine subscription.
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Monday, 16 August 2010

Nikon Photo Contest International

Nikon Corporation announces the launch of this year’s Nikon Photo Contest International with a call for entries from photographers of all skill levels around the world. Now in its 33rd year, the global competition is established as one of the world’s most important and inspiring contests.

Entries will be accepted between September 1 and November 30, 2010 and the winners announced in June 2011. The 33rd Nikon Photo Contest International provides an opportunity for photographers to showcase their work and to contribute to photographic culture.

Since it was first held in 1969, the contest has steadily gained popularity with more than 320,000 photographers who have collectively submitted over 1,310,000 photos. In 2008-2009 more than 18,000 photographers from 153 countries submitted over 51,000 photos. These numbers represent records for the largest number of entries by the most applicants from the most countries ever, establishing the Nikon Photo Contest International as a truly international competition.

This year’s categories and awards
Entries for the 2010-2011 contest will be accepted for two categories. The first category is a free subject category (A) and the second is based around the theme, "Energy” (B). Photos of any subject or theme are invited for the free subject category. Entries for the “Energy” category should be photos that capture the energy of sights and subjects that inspire, motivate or excite either the photographer or people who see the image.

The Emerging Talent Award is awarded to provide younger photographers with an opportunity to share their photos and a goal towards which they may work, and many photos are entered by young photographers each time this contest is held.

53 prizes awarded by a panel of international photographers
Entries will be judged by photographers currently active on the world stage. Of a total of 53 prizes awarded, one photo will receive the Grand Prize, 16 photos from each category will receive first, second and third prizes; four photos entered by photographers aged 29 or younger will receive Emerging Talent Awards, and 16 Emerging Talent Award runners up will be selected.

D3S - part of the Grand Prize

Birgitta Olson, General Manager Communications at Nikon Europe B.V. said: “Nikon wants to stimulate people around the world to discover the joy of photography, letting them and others experience the communicative power of images. We are convinced that all contestants will again rise to the exciting challenge.”

Winners will be announced in June 2011 with an exhibition of the winning photographs planned.*

*Exhibition venue and dates to be decided at a later date.

Entry requirements
Any professional or amateur photographer, regardless of age, gender or nationality, may participate.

A single photo may not be entered in both categories.

Entry period
September 1 (Wednesday) through November 30 (Tuesday), 2010

Entry method
Image data will be accepted via the Internet. Fill out the application form on the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 website (http://www.nikon-npci.com) and transmit image data via the form.

Number of entries: 2 photos for each category (total of 4) may be submitted.

Entry format: Image data captured with a digital still camera (excluding that captured by medium-format and larger digital cameras) and image data created by scanning an image captured with a film camera (35mm or APS) will be accepted. Images that have been digitally enhanced or edited with software will also be accepted.

File size: 10 MB or less per file

Image data file format: JPEG only

Fill out the application form on the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 website (http://www.nikon-npci.com) and transmit image data via the form.

Judging and announcement
Entries will be judged by an impartial panel of well-known photographers currently active on the world stage. Winners will be announced by the end of June 2011 on the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 website (http://www.nikon-npci.com)

Awards and prizes

Recipients of a total of 53 awards and prizes will receive Nikon imaging products. In addition to their awards, 21 recipients of the Grand Prize, Emerging Talent Awards and Emerging Talent Awards runners up will be permitted to exhibit their entries in the contest Mini Gallery. The Mini Gallery will be accessible from the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 website (http://www.nikon-npci.com).

Award	Number of Winners	Prize
Grand Prize	1	Nikon D3S digital-SLR camera AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Winning photo to be included in the Mini Gallery on the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 website
First place	1 from each category (2 all together)	Nikon D300S digital-SLR camera SB-900 Speedlight AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR
Second place	5 from each category (10 all together)	Nikon D5000 digital-SLR camera AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR
Third place	10 from each category (20 all together)	Nikon D3000 digital-SLR camera AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
Emerging Talent Award	4 all together, regardless of category	Nikon COOLPIX P6000 digital camera Photos to be included in the Mini Gallery on the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 website
Emerging Talent Award runners up	16 all together, regardless of category	Nikon COOLPIX S1000pj digital camera Photos to be included in the Mini Gallery on the Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011 website

For further details, please access the official Nikon Photo Contest International Web site at:
Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011
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Sunday, 15 August 2010

A Journey into Time-Lapse Photography with Neil Lucas

left to right: Michael Eleftheriades, Nikon Owner London Group Co-Ordinator, with Neil Lucas

On 19th June 2010, Grays of Westminster and the Nikon Owner London Group presented 'A Unique Midsummer Event A Journey into Time-Lapse Photography' with Neil Lucas, producer of the acclaimed BBC 'Life' Series, at Fitzroy House, London.

Neil's presentation took the audience through his career, from the moment he realised he wanted to work in television (when he saw a 1960s episode of Blue Peter explaining how it was filmed), right through to fascinating time-lapse behind-the-scenes details of the BBC documentaries 'Life', 'The Private Life of Plants' and 'Frozen Planet'. Neil also covered the history of time lapse photography itself covering the work of the pioneers of this highly specialised field, including Dr John Ott.

About Neil Lucas
Neil Lucas worked for the BBC Natural History Unit as a producer for over 20 years. During that time, he worked on many internationally acclaimed and award-winning productions, including Sir David Attenborough’s 'The Trials of Life', 'The Private Life of Plants', 'The Life of Mammals' and 'Planet Earth'. In the outstanding 'Life' series, he produced two of the most technically challenging programmes, and many of his programmes have been nominated for BAFTAs and EMMYs. Neil is now working as a freelance film director and photographer specialising in challenging and technical shoots, using the same filming and photographic techniques he has mastered throughout his career.
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Wednesday, 11 August 2010

Images of Russia - Simon Marsden

162 photographs from Simon Marsden's recent travels
in Russia are now available for sale or editorial use.

Find them in the Russia category of the picture library.

www.marsdenarchive.com

Sunday, 8 August 2010

Nikon Owner Photographic Walk and Photo-shoot Sunday, 15th August, 2010

Pryford Lock and the Woking Canal

Karen Hall ARPS, from the London Nikon Owner group, and Adrian Cochrane and Andy Hewson from the South-Coast Group have organized one of their very popular summer photographic walks in the picturesque and historic part of the Woking Canal on Sunday, 15th August.

Woking Canal, courtesy of Kai Hendry

The photographic walk encompasses an area of about three miles around the Woking Canal and will start from the Anchor Inn at Pryford Lock.

Anchor Inn
Pyrford Lock
Wisley
Woking
Surrey
GU23 6QW
(Click here for a map)

Historically, the River Wey provided an essential link with London via the River Thames. It was one of the first rivers in the country to be made navigable; an Act of Parliament in 1651 enabled the stretch from Weybridge to Guildford to become usable and the Wey Navigation opened in 1653. The waterway flows through Woking's villages at West Byfleet, Pyrford and Old Woking. At Pyrford there is a working lock and the Send section has rich wildlife, Triggs Lock and the site of a rural wharf. The river is a conservation area.

Karen Hall, who is very familiar with the area, will be the guide for the afternoon and there will be many opportunities to photograph a range of different subjects including canal boats, the locks themselves and their surroundings, as well as a plethora of wildlife and the nearby Abbey ruins.

After the afternoon walk, everyone who attends (if they would like to) would be able to meet up for a drink and a meal in the Anchor Inn.

Meeting place: 3:00 p. m., Sunday afternoon, the Anchor Inn car park.

Travelling arrangements: the nearest station is West Byfleet. West Byfleet is about one and a half miles from the Anchor Inn; alternatively, Woking Station is a little over two miles from the meeting point.

All Nikon Owner subscribers are welcome to join this summer photographic walk, but please put a message on the message board under the posting South Coast Group August Photo Walk to let us know if you would like to attend and if you are bringing a family member or guest. In addition, it would be appreciated if you would let us know if you would like to stay to the meal after the photographic walk.

With kind regards,

Gillian Greenwood
Features Editor/Events Coordinator

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Nikon Owner magazine
40 Churton Street
Pimlico
London SW1V 2LP
Tel: +44 020 7828 8971
Fax: +44 020 7976 5783
Website: www.nikonownermagazine.com

Thursday, 29 July 2010

Nikon Owner member wins large array of awards

African dancer, Liberian National Peace & Cultural Festival
by Jonathan Banks

We are proud to present Jonathan Banks, a Nikon Owner subscriber and Grays of Westminster customer, who is a selected finalist for the Africa Photographic Awards 2010

Jonathan Banks recently received notification from the Africa Photographic Awards 2010 announcing that he was a finalist in three categories: Africa Culture, Weddings Single Image and the Weddings Portfolio category.

This is a great achievement, as the judges have narrowed down the finalists from thousands of photographers who submitted their images.

The winners will be announced at a gala event at the Vodaworld Dome, Johannesburg on the 12th of August.

Jonathan Banks behind his Nikon F100

About Jonathan Banks

Jonathan Banks graduated with a BA honours in “Photographic Studies” in June 1993. He won the Jessops student of the year award and went on to gain sponsorship with Kodak with whom he produced several bodies of work for a touring exhibition.

He has freelanced with many of the broadsheets, and world class magazines and now divides his work between a stable of blue chip clients and a handful of publications.

His recent achievements include:

July 2010 - Selected for the Foto8 Summer Festival
April 2010 - Featured as a winner in the Top Knots Awards in the PDN magazine
March 2010 - A semi finalist in two categories in the Nikon Africa International Awards
Dec 2009 - Runner up in the Travel Photographer of the Year - Festivals
Dec 2009 - Scooped a Silver in the Photojournalism category of the International Aperture Awards
Dec 2009 - Received a Bronze in the Weddings category of the International Aperture Awards
July 2009 - Achieved an honourable mention in the International Photography Awards in the Culture Pro category

For more information, check out his websites: www.jonathanbanks.co.uk and www.photo-banks.com.

About the Africa Photographic Awards

The Africa Photographic Awards celebrate photography, the most powerful and widely used communication medium in today’s society. It awards professional and aspiring amateur photographers using any make of camera, for photographic excellence, on an international stage.

The distributors of Nikon in South Africa’s support of the Africa Photographic Awards shows its commitment to photography, the public perception of the art, and a commitment to social prosperity via The Tomorrow Trust.

The distributors of Nikon in South Africa’s CEO, Stefan van der Walt elaborates : “We want to create a greater awareness of the importance of the role of photography in our society and to promote it as a career and rewarding hobby for life. Photography is the most powerful and widely used medium of communication today whether for recording history, for capturing memories or as an expressive art form.”

[Africa Photographic Awards information was taken from: www.africaphotographicawards.com]

Monday, 19 July 2010

World Exclusive! Photographers Jim Brandenburg and Mike Maloney interviewed for next issue of Nikon Owner magazine

Advance Sell-Out Notice: It is anticipated that this will be a highly collectable, sell-out issue. So to those who have been thinking of subscribing to Nikon Owner or renewing their subscription, they should consider doing so as soon as possible.

London – In Issue 32, the next unique issue of Nikon Owner magazine, Editor Gray Levett interviews two of the most well-respected photographers in their fields: Jim Brandenburg and Mike Maloney OBE.

Arctic wolf, Ellesmere Island, Canada by Jim Brandenburg

In April of this year, Jim Brandenburg was awarded the prestigious distinction of having his work included in the Top Forty Nature Photographs in the History of Photography by iLCP, the international League of Conservation Photographers.

Jim Brandenburg travelled the globe as a photographer with National Geographic magazine for over three decades. His career resulted in numerous magazine stories, several television features and many National Geographic books. He has been published in a multitude of national and international publications including the New York Times, LIFE, TIME, Audubon, Smithsonian, Natural History, GEO, Modern Maturity, BBC Wildlife, Outdoor Photographer, National Wildlife, and Outside.

He has received a multitude of prestigious national and international honours for his work, including having been named twice by The National Press Photographers Association as Magazine Photographer of the Year for his work with National Geographic magazine, and as Kodak Wildlife Photographer of the Year by BBC Wildlife Magazine and the Natural History Museum, London. In addition, he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the North American Nature Photographers Association.

Dr Mike Maloney OBE

Mike Maloney is Britain’s most highly decorated press-photographer with 105 major prizes to his name. Voted three times Press Photographer of the Year, he has had numerous royal tours to his credit, as well as photographing world leaders such as Clinton, Regan, Gorbachev and Yelstin, with invitations to dine at both the White House and the Kremlin. Mike was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree by the University of Lincoln for ‘a lifetime’s work in photography and his help to young people’. At the ceremony, he was able to read a personal letter of congratulations from The Queen Mother.

In the next issue of Nikon Owner, Mike recalls the pivotal moment which led him to take the road south to London from his humble beginnings at a provincial newspaper in Lincoln. He narrates some of the singular stories from the glittering career that followed, resulting in dozens of awards and an OBE from The Queen.

The interview with Mike Maloney will be followed in subsequent issues by a new series of articles unique to Nikon Owner entitled ‘Mike Maloney’s World’.

What is Nikon Owner?
Nikon Owner Magazine and Interactive Website is considered by many to be the world’s number 1 user group for Nikon owners. It was initially founded with the purpose of assisting Nikon users to make full use of the Nikon equipment they own, to give advice on a wide spectrum of photographic queries and problems, and at the same time to offer ideas to bring about an increase in photographic skills. Subscription to Nikon Owner magazine and interactive website provides a bridge between theory and practical, technical knowledge and accomplishment. As a subscriber to this group, you will receive an array of offers and assistance, as well as the unique photographic publication:

Nikon Owner Magazine
From the cold reaches of the Arctic to the muted ocres of The Palio, from the panoramic sweep of an alien landscape to the microscopic detail of a leaf in bud, Nikon Owner magazine is both inspirational and informative. It is a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly magazine that is 100% Nikon. Each issue delivers bench-mark technical reviews of the very latest Nikon equipment, thought-provoking interviews and articles with world-class images. With its mix of stunning images, illuminating articles to assist and enlighten the photographer, and the very latest reviews on Nikon equipment, it is the essential magazine for the Nikon user.

Nikon Owner subscriber benefits additionally include:

Private user name and password to subscribers’-only website which includes a lively forum, message board, technical equipment reviews, events’ page and use of a photo gallery.

Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline: free technical consultation and support from Simon Stafford who is considered to be one of the top Nikon experts in the UK; you will be able to benefit from his formidable knowledge and have all your technical questions fully answered by email. This service is exclusive to Nikon Owner subscribers.

FREE 3-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster within your year of subscription.

FREE 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster within your year of subscription.

10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster.

Special trips: past visits have included a two-week trip to Japan and a personal tour of the Nikon factory, a visit to Nikon Thailand, Angkor Watt, Cambodia.

Substantial discounts on events and training sessions such as Mike Maloney’s House of Lords Photographic Workshop, Heather Angel’s Wildlife & Natural History Workshops, Neil Lucas's Definitive Time-Lapse Event, Chris Weston’s Photographic Courses, Simon Stafford’s Flash, Portraiture and Macro Seminars.

10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK.

A range of complimentary meetings and outings organized by local Nikon Owner Groups.

Nikon Owner Grand Christmas Dinner at the Institute of Directors, Pall Mall, London.

Please email your name, daytime landline and mobile telephone number to me if you are interested in finding out more or speak to any of my colleagues between 10.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Monday to Friday on 020 7828 4925 or 020 7828 8971; alternatively for International calls, telephone + 44 (0)20 7828 4925. The cost of an annual subscription to Nikon Owner : Special price: £59. Please quote JBMM:59.

With kindest regards,

Gillian Greenwood
(Features Editor and Events & Training Coordinator)
info@graysofwestminster.co.uk
http://www.nikonownermagazine.com