This is an issue I’ve been looking forward to since last summer. While on a nature photography road trip from Seattle to Grand Teton National Park, I stumbled on a photo gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyo. It was a Sunday night, so the gallery was closed, but I was transfixed by the photos displayed inside. I was heading back on the road early the next morning, so would not have a chance to enter the gallery, but I grabbed a courtesy catalog from a dispenser outside the door.
Continuing on my trip, the memory of those photos stayed with me. As I looked over the catalog along the way, I knew we had to share those photos—and this photographer—with our readers. One of the highlights of this issue on nature and wildlife photography has been getting to view more of the work of, and getting to know more about, the life of our profile subject, Tom Mangelsen. He’s a thoughtful, intriguing and talented photographer whom we are delighted to finally present to you.
The five couples profiled in our feature story, "Wild at Heart," also evidence the true spirit of nature photographers, a dedicated breed driven to create powerful images of the great outdoors by capturing the awe-inspiring power of nature and its creatures. And happily, they’ve found lifelong companions with whom to share those special moments.
In this issue, we are pleased to profile and congratulate our 1999 PhotoMedia Photography Person of the Year, Reid Callanan, founder of the Santa Fe Workshops. He is our fourth honoree and first educator to be so recognized. I first met Reid about eight years ago and continue to cross paths with him. He has always impressed me with his integrity and vision. As you read our story, we believe you’ll agree that he is entirely deserving of the honor.
On the technological front, my February trip to the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) show in Las Vegas heralded the arrival of 6-megapixel digital cameras, mini-DV digital camcorders with sophisticated still-photo capability, and a multitude of Internet services for photographers. It’s a brave new world out there! Get a taste of it in our Market section.
And as always, please mention PhotoMedia to our advertisers. Their support makes the depth of our industry coverage possible, and they want to know you’re noticing.
As we were wrapping this issue, two late-breaking news items came to our attention. The first was that PhotoMedia has won a prestigious Maggie Award for publishing excellence from the Western Publications Association. The award was in the category of Best Interview or Profile in a Trade Publication, and was given for our Fall 1999 cover story on Ed Kashi, written by our editor, John Callan. This Spring 2000 issue begins our 13th year of publishing PhotoMedia, and it is reaffirming and humbling to be singled out for such recognition. Our congratulations to John.
The second item was the announcement that the Denver Rocky Mountain News photo department received the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Columbine tragedy. We were pleased to profile those efforts in our Fall 1999 issue, and we salute the photographers and editors of the News for this special honor.
As we wind down for our summer break, we invite you to peruse our expanded Calendar section and consider all the photo opportunities available to you in the months ahead. For another option, you’ll also enjoy Mark Lembersky’s guided tour of Mount St. Helens National Park. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the mountain’s 1980 eruption, and as Mark’s story and photos demonstrate, there’s much more to nature and wildlife photography than first meets the eye.
Gary Halpern, Publisher
