Mike Eleftheriades our Nikon Owner London Group Coordinator is very pleased to invite you to the next Nikon Owner (London Group) evening "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for Photographers", which will be held on Friday, February 18th at the Hellenic Centre Boardroom. The event is kindly sponsored by Adobe, who have also provided a full copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 for our draw.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is one of the best and most popular solutions for non-destructive image editing, searching and organising images and enables the creation of elegant print layouts, slide shows and web galleries from within a fast and intuitive application. Version 3 added speed improvements, the ability to deal with bigger image libraries and better noise reduction techniques for improving images taken at higher ISO's.

The aim of the evening is to demonstrate how to simplify your photographic workflow using Adobe Lightroom. The seminar will provide a thorough introduction to Adobe Lightroom 3, including organising and cataloguing your images, editing and developing your shots, outputting to print, slideshow and to websites. Throughout the session Debbie Jones will highlight useful tips, tricks and shortcuts to help you spend less time in front of a computer and more time behind the camera!

Debbie Jones, a commercial photographer who specialises in food photography. After 10 years vendor experience in the photographic industry, Debbie set up her own business and shares her personal insight of how you can adapt Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to support your own personal workflow. Debbie is an accredited photographer by the BIPP and an Adobe Certified Expert in Lightroom. She regularly freelances for Adobe, speaking at various seminars and events around the UK about Lightroom as well as providing one-to-one training for other photographers. Space is limited to 50 seats, so please book your places early to avoid disappointment.

Venue Details

Hellenic Centre Boardroom, situated on the first floor, from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, on Friday, February 18th 2011.

Presentations start at 7.00pm, main presentation starts at 7.30pm.

Address:

The Hellenic Centre
16-18 Paddington Street
Marylebone
London W1U 5AS
Location Information:

Paddington Street runs from Baker Street to Marylebone High Street. The nearest underground station to The Hellenic Centre is Baker Street (Bakerloo, Circle, Hammersmith and City, Jubilee and Metropolitan Lines). The closest bus routes are: 2, 13, 30, 74, 82, 113, 139, 159 and 274. Parking is available at Masterpark in Chiltern Street. Parking restrictions are in effect until 6.30pm. Note that the Centre is within the Congestion Zone (ends at 6.00pm).

The last word...

As on previous occasions, we would be grateful for a £5 contribution per person to cover the costs of the room. For those wishing to socialise for longer, there's dinner afterwards at one of the local restaurants. We look forward to seeing you on February 18th; please indicate your attendance by replying to this invitation on the Nikon Owner Message Board.

We look forward to seeing you on the night.

Kind regards,

Gillian Greenwood
Features Editor/Events Coordinator

We ran our first-ever Twitter competition throughout December 2010. All you had to do to enter was to simply include the hashtag "#nikonownermag" anywhere in your tweet and to follow @nikonownermag.

One of the entrants was bicycle dealer and amateur photographer, Karen Hall, and on January 4th, it was Karen's Twitter name -- @kphallmarkPhoto -- that was 'pulled out of the hat' as our winner. Here is her winning tweet:


"Thank you so much for the great news on winning. I am over the moon," she said, on being told that she had won.

It turns out that Karen has not only gained her Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS) but has also had one of her photos published in Nikon Owner magazine (Issue 21) and is, in fact, a long term Nikon Owner magazine subscriber.

Karen, who lives in Woking, Surrey and works at Cycleman in Ashford, Middlesex, prefers infra red, wildlife and landscape photography. Her photos can be seen on her website: www.kphallmark.com

*A ticket to the workshop costs £245 (but only £185 to Nikon Owner subscribers).

South Coast Group regular, Malcolm Granger, will be bringing along his collection of studio equipment to give everyone a chance to try out some portraiture with backdrops, reflectors, and the like. In addition we're delighted that Helen Atkinson from Snapperstuff will be coming along with the Orbis™ ring flash attachment which converts a standard speedlight into a ring flash.


While the emphasis of the evening will be on portraiture we will also have a table-top studio lighting 'tent' set up for close-up and still-life shooting.

So drive off the post-holiday-new-year blues (except for the 'blues' from some speedlights!) and come along for an enjoyable evening... bring your camera, a speedlight (or two) and try out some studio photography.

Food will be available as usual, but can you post a reply on the Nikon Owner Message Board. If you are planning on coming along so we get an idea of numbers.

Date: Saturday 22nd January, 2011

Time: From 18:00 to about 22:00

Venue

The Duke of Wellington
36 Bugle Street
Southampton
Hampshire
SO14 2AH

Telephone no. +44 (0)23 8033 9222

The Duke of Wellington is situated in the centre of Southampton, about a 20-minute walk from the railway station and located close to ample parking available at the nearby shopping centre. Visit their web site for more details.

We look forward to seeing you on the night.

The contents for this issue include:

• Digital Workflow Pt. IV - Clive Carpenter
  
• Mike Maloney's Worlk: Grace Kelly: The Princess & the Photographer
• A Fistful of Nikons - Tony Hurst: The Interview by Gray Levett
• Life, But Not as We Know it - The Neil Lucas Interview by Gillian Greenwood
• Angel Eyes V by Heather Angel
• Nikon Owner Gallery - Haiti Orphans by Felix Kunze
• AF-S 24mm f/1.4G ED Nikkor Review
• Nikon TC-20E Mark III Review by Simon Stafford
  

About Nikon Owner
Nikon Owner magazine (issued quarterly) and its interactive website, www.nikonownermagazine.com 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.

If you are not already a subscriber to Nikon Owner, you can apply for the standard, silver, or gold subscription to Nikon Owner below, by sending Greenwood an email with your full name, daytime mobile and landline. Alternatively, please call between 12.00 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. Monday to Friday on 020 7828 8971 (or 020 7828 4925 if that line is busy).

Gold subscription - launch price £349 (normal price £450)

• 5-year subscription to Nikon Owner
• 5-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• Gold Priority waiting list for all new Nikon releases (top of the waiting list)
• A half-hour tutorial on the phone or face to face, by appointment
• Special offers to Gold subscribers throughout the period of subscription
• A signed copy of Grays of Westminster - In the Company of Legends, or if you have one already, a Nikon Magic Lantern Guide of your choice
• A Grays of Westminster umbrella
• Nikon Owner magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly magazine that is 100% Nikon. Each issue delivers benchmark technical reviews of the very latest Nikon equipment, thought-provoking interviews and articles with world-class images.
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website which includes forum, message board, technical equipment reviews, events page and use of a photo gallery
• Gold subscription card
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Substantial discounts on training sessions organised by Grays of Westminster, including Mike Maloney’s House of Lords Photographic Workshop, Heather Angel’s Wildlife & Natural History Workshops, Simon Stafford’s Definitive Flash, Portraiture and Macro Training Sessions, Michael Eleftheriades’ panoramic and colour-calibration seminars and Chris Weston’s Photographic Courses
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

Silver Subscription - launch price: £129 (normal price: £179)

• 2-year Subscription to Nikon Owner
• 3-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• A half-hour tutorial on the phone or face to face, by appointment
• Nikon Owner quarterly magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly
• magazine as above
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Discounts on training sessions
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

Standard Annual Subscription - special price: £59

• 1-year Subscription to the Nikon Owner
• 3-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• Nikon Owner quarterly magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly
• magazine as above
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Discounts on events and training sessions
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

Over the past three years, more than 400 people have attended Chris Weston’s uniquely informative, inspiring and entertaining Mastering Digital SLR Photography seminars, experiencing what has been described as “the best ever one-day session devoted to photography”.

Covering an extensive range of expert skills, advice and technique tips, Chris shares his many years’ experience on how to shoot like a pro, get the most from your DSLR camera, and take photographs you will be proud of time and again.

Catering for all knowledge levels and unsurpassed in its ability to make you a better photographer, this seminar will prove to be, to quote a previous Nikon Owner delegate: “the most beneficial day you’ll spend not taking pictures.”


Highlights

• Optimise your camera’s menu settings
• Learn better use of white balance and ISO
• Exposed: the truth about JPEG vs. RAW
• Discover the secret to accurate exposures
• Dispelled: the digital exposure myth
• Get the most from your camera’s light meter
• Understand digital histograms
• Master stops, f/numbers & shutter speeds
• Improve AF and focus performance
• Learn best-practice for camera handling
• The art of omission: the secret to successful composition
• Revealed: the techniques and settings behind successful photographs

About Chris Weston

Chris Weston is one of the UK’s most knowledgeable digital photographers and a recognised expert tutor, known for his ability to reach all levels of photographer from novice to advanced user. He has been a Nikon user since the age of 10 and is a distinguished contributor to Nikon Owner magazine. He writes regularly for the photographic press, including Practical Photography and Outdoor Photography, and has authored 30 books.


Attendee feedback

“That must have been one of the best one day sessions on anything that I have attended recently, and certainly the best one devoted to photography. I learned a huge amount and the day could not have been better tailored for me. I also found the structure, format and execution of your workshop to be thoroughly exciting and entertaining; not one sleepy moment in eight hours!” - Michael

“I just wanted to say thank you for a brilliant and information-packed workshop on Saturday. Your passion for the subject and explanation of over-exposure were excellent. Phil and I were full of excitement on our return journey home and couldn’t wait to get our cameras out on Sunday and go through learning from the workshop.” - Julie & Phil

“I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your seminar on Saturday. I really wasn’t sure beforehand how good it would be, especially with such a large number of people and in a lecture theatre. I needn’t have been concerned - it was excellent. I now feel that I actually understand how my camera works, which means that I have a far better chance of getting it right when I take a picture. I don’t think more than five minutes went by without me learning some useful new thing.” - Anna

“Many thanks for yet another satisfying Seminar. My grandson is just 14 but already interested in photography, and he was quite amazed at how much information we got through in the time we were there. Keep up the good work, it gets better each time I go.” - Brian




Free book

The first 35 bookings will also receive a free copy of Chris Weston’s classic book Wildlife through a Nikon Lens* or Heather Angel’s accompanying title Macro through a Nikon Lens*. (*Subject to availability)


If you are not already a subscriber to Nikon Owner, and would like to enrol on this course at the special price, you can apply for the standard, silver, or gold subscription to Nikon Owner below, by sending me, Gillian Greenwood, an email with your full name, daytime mobile and landline. Alternatively, please call between 12.00 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. Monday to Friday on 020 7828 8971 (or 020 7828 4925 if that line is busy) to speak to me or any of my colleagues.


Gold subscription - launch price £349 (normal price £450)

• 5-year subscription to Nikon Owner
• 5-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• Gold Priority waiting list for all new Nikon releases (top of the waiting list)
• A half-hour tutorial on the phone or face to face, by appointment
• Special offers to Gold subscribers throughout the period of subscription
• A signed copy of Grays of Westminster - In the Company of Legends, or if you have one already, a Nikon Magic Lantern Guide of your choice
• A Grays of Westminster umbrella
• Nikon Owner magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly magazine that is 100% Nikon. Each issue delivers benchmark technical reviews of the very latest Nikon equipment, thought-provoking interviews and articles with world-class images.
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website which includes forum, message board, technical equipment reviews, events page and use of a photo gallery
• Gold subscription card
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Substantial discounts on training sessions organised by Grays of Westminster, including Mike Maloney’s House of Lords Photographic Workshop, Heather Angel’s Wildlife & Natural History Workshops, Simon Stafford’s Definitive Flash, Portraiture and Macro Training Sessions, Michael Eleftheriades’ panoramic and colour-calibration seminars and Chris Weston’s Photographic Courses
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

Silver Subscription - launch price: £129 (normal price: £179)

• 2-year Subscription to Nikon Owner
• 3-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• A half-hour tutorial on the phone or face to face, by appointment
• Nikon Owner quarterly magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly
• magazine as above
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Discounts on training sessions
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

Standard Annual Subscription - special price: £59

• 1-year Subscription to the Nikon Owner
• 3-year warranty on all new Nikon products from Grays of Westminster
• Nikon Owner quarterly magazine, a superb, glossy full-colour 60-page quarterly
• magazine as above
• Private user-name and password to subscribers-only website
• Simon Stafford’s Technical Helpline
• 18-month warranty on second-hand Nikon from Grays of Westminster
• 10% off Think-Tank bags purchased at Grays of Westminster
• Special trips and events
• Discounts on events and training sessions
• 10% off any training courses run by Nikon UK

To apply for any of the subscriptions above at the special launch prices, or for more information, please send an email with your full name, daytime mobile and landline, or call between 12.00 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. Monday to Friday on 020 7828 4925 (for International calls telephone + 44 (0)20 7828 4925) to speak to me or any of my colleagues.

With very best wishes

Gillian

Gillian Greenwood

Following his sold-out evening talk on Friday, 10th December at the Grays of Westminster and Nikon Owner magazine Christmas dinner at the Institute of Directors (IoD) on Pall Mall, Jim Brandenburg, one of the world's greatest nature photographers, visited Grays of Westminster on Saturday, 11th December to collect his new Nikon D3S, 20mm f/2.8D AF and AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G VR ED lenses. He is pictured here to the right of Gray Levett, founder of Grays of Westminster, which he described as “the greatest camera store in the world”.

Jim Brandenburg travelled the globe as a photographer with National Geographic Magazine for several decades. His extensive body of work has been published throughout the world and his photographs have won a multitude of national and international awards. He was the recipient of the 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' award by the Natural History Museum, London and BBC Wildlife Magazine, and was twice named 'Magazine Photographer of the Year' by the National Press Photographer's Association (NPPA) for his National Geographic work. He was also presented with the 'World Achievement Award' from the United Nations in recognition of his use of nature photography to raise public awareness for the environment. In addition to publishing several books on wolves, a few years ago he set himself the unique photographic assignment of shooting only one picture per day for an entire autumn season. His book and DVD Chased by the Light followed, as well as the sequel Looking for the Summer.

Jim Brandenburg's presentation at the Grays of Westminster and Nikon Owner magazine Christmas Dinner explored the full circle of his career with highlights starting with his early days and subsequent years with National Geographic Magazine where he worked on assignments all over the world for the magazine, book division and television. He showed the audience a selection of his outstanding work which included breathtaking images of wild arctic and grey wolves.

Jim Brandenburg was part of the production team for the 'Plants' section of the BBC LIFE documentary series with David Attenborough. Jim Brandenburg and BBC Wildlife Producer Neil Lucas spent months filming Minnesota's north woods at Ravenwood, Jim Brandenburg's home near Ely and the prairies of Southwest Minnesota.

His philanthropic work entails saving the remnant native prairies in the land where his ancestors settled after immigrating from Europe and Scandinavia.

Nikon UK is pleased to announce a new firmware update for the Nikon COOLPIX P7000 which is now available to download via the Nikon web site. Please click on the links below for more information about the improvements and instructions on how to download version 1.1.

COOLPIX P7000 Firmware update 1.1 - Windows
http://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/48110/c/648/r_id/150284

COOLPIX P7000 Firmware update 1.1 - Mac
http://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/48111/c/648/r_id/150284

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any queries.