Reeling in the superlatives

David Hall’s gorgeous collection of underwater photography has continued to reel in some of the most dazzling reviews we’ve ever seen for any photography book. February’s issue of Undercurrent, for example, concentrates on Hall’s technical achievement: “It’s hard enough to take a first-rate photo of reef life in the best of conditions. Try doing it in murky, bone-numbingly cold water while wearing a dry suit with 40-plus pounds of weights around your waist, and thick, insulating gloves making it hard to use the camera controls. That’s what David Hall had to endure while photographing in Canadian waters, but those physical disadvantages make his 160-page book, Beneath Cold Seas: The UnderwaterWilderness of the Pacific Northwest, all the more amazing.” But Hall’s writing is also praised as being as eloquent as his photography. Undercurrentis a highly respected newsletter/magazine for divers that accepts no advertising and publishes thoughtful reviews of equipment, dive destinations and books related to diving; it has sometimes been called “the Consumer Reports of diving”, and most serious divers subscribe to it. Peter Symes, editor of X-Ray Magazine, is perhaps the strongest proponent of Hall’s work we’ve heard from to date: “Hall has consistently managed to capture patterns, textures and colors…as if they were created on an easel. David Hall is an inspirational master who clearly hasn’t yet gotten all of the recognition that he deserves,” says Symes. And he should know: he has been in the underwater photography business a long time, and freely confesses that he’s pretty hard to impress. He calls the photographer “in a class of his own” and says that the book is “a rare piece of art. Or rather, it is full of them.” He likens the photos to works by the great Impressionists. Outdoor Photography Magazine‘s Jemima Greaves is amazed not just by the shots but by the richness and beauty of the underwater life he reveals: “Dispelling the myth that cold, murky waters equal boring waters, Hall has captured the staggering beauty and variety of marine life found in the Pacific Northwest. Although the animals themselves are truly amazing, it is Hall’s creative eye and masterful photographic technique that really sets this book apart…” Beneath Cold Seas has also appealed to people outside the world of photography, marine conservation and diving. Queens Quarterly‘s reviewer also focuses on the unsung brilliance of the colours and variety of the underwater life in these cold, dark waters. “When we think of vibrant sea creatures, we tend to envision coral reefs and tropical waters. But although temperate oceans are colder and darker, life within them is still bright. Consider the dazzling yellow stripes splashing the flanks of China rockfish or the neon feathered tips of the clown nudibranch.” Blogger Bensozia agrees: “David Hall’s astonishing photographs show the vibrant colors and teeming life of a part of the world [where]… I never suspected these spectacular wonders. I have never looked through a book of nature photographs that wowed me so consistently. From brilliant anemones to illuminated squid to rococo sea slugs, Hall has documented an Aladdin’s Cave worth of visual wonders.”

Reasons to be Cheerful…

…One, two, three! – with a nod to the late Ian Dury. As Blue Monday takes over Twitter, we have at least three reasons to go against the trend today.

ONE
With January 25th less than two weeks away, our Burns Night app has become a hit! From one iTunes download to nearly four thousand in a few short days, we could hardly have hoped for such an overwhelming response. Much of this is no doubt due to a mention in Guardian blogger Stuart Dredge’s apps roundup, and then to getting on to the title screen of the iTunes app store under ‘New & Noteworthy’.  Perfect timing!

Exposure aside, we’re happy that we could include such stellar content (see behind-the-scenes video on Youtube). The app includes Burns songs from acclaimed Scottish singers Annie Grace, Karine Polwart and Corrina Hewat, and a rousing performance of Tam o’ Shanter from Herald Angel winner Aly Macrae. Our very own Kirsty sings the traditional melody of Auld Lang Syne, too. Annie, Aly and Kirsty are now rehearsing for the Burns Supper at the Scottish Parliament. We’re not implying that the app secured them the invitation to sing for our leaders, but we’re very proud to have featured them first!

On top of the songs and performances, Scott Smyth’s design makes the app stand out, and developers Spot Specific built us a compass to point to Burns’ birthplace, which is proving a big hit, and an autocue in case you need prompting when you try reciting Tam o’ Shanter for yourself. And for those who didn’t realise how popular Burns is around the world, we included some voices of non-Scots too. We now discover that no less than the King of Pop himself was a fan! It seems that Michael Jackson recorded his own version of several top Burns songs, and there will be donations to the Burns Birthplace Museum from the proceeds.

For anyone throwing their own party, going to a Burns Supper or otherwise commemorating Burns Night, the app is rich with history, music and poetry. The new update also allows you to tweet our very own @Burns_Night with your interpretations of his poetry, to translate lines of Auld Lang Syne in whatever language takes your fancy (be it indigenous, fictitious or intergalactic), and to tell the world what Burns means to you. So “hope springs exulting on a triumphant wing” for all at Saraband on this ‘blue’ Monday, but what else is there to celebrate?

TWO

This month sees the launch of David Hall’s Beneath Cold Seas, which features breathtaking photography of the marine life of the Pacific Northwest. Having spent over fifteen years in often life-threatening underwater conditions, Hall “combines the inquiring and exacting eye of a scientist with the soul and vision of an artists to produce uniquely beautiful images that educate as much as they inspire” (Christopher Newbert). Today we were sent a glowing review from Outdoor Photography, whose editor said, “Hall’s creative eye and masterful photographic technique really set this book apart… Imaginative shots that capture both the under and above water worlds in a single image take the reader beyond the eerie and transfixing beauty of marine life, hinting instead at the interconnectedness of both environments and our responsibilities for them.”

We’ve also just received a review from the Editor-in-Chief of X-Ray magazine, who called the book “a rare piece of art”. He describes Hall as “an inspirational master” who is  “in a class of his own”: “Like no other photographer I am aware of, Hall has consistently managed to capture patterns, textures and colors and used all of these skillfully in compositions in such a tight and controlled manner, as if they were created on an easel.”

We quite agree!

THREE

©Zhou Mengqi

From marine conservation to black and white bears: We’ve just learned that the editors of BBC Wildlife Magazine have named Panda: Back from the Brink as their Book of the Month for their February issue, saying: “Astonishing photos of giant pandas in their native habitat grace an absorbing overview… [it] is a fitting tribute to these global mascots of conservation”. Outdoor Photography’s editor also gives it the thumbs up in their February 2012 issue: “Featuring wonderful images by Zhou Mengqi – taken at the famous Wolong research centre and in the wilds of the magnificent Qionglai Mountains, in the Sichuan region of China – and insightful text covering their history, behaviour and the conservation effort around them, this book feels like the complete story.”

Panda: Back From the Brink is now the number one best seller at Edinburgh Zoo (on sale from their online shop). Pandas are a hot topic at the moment. As France’s Vincennes Zoo acquires two bears of their own, Edinburgh’s Tian Tian and Yang Guang have settled in nicely, though a dose of colic has meant one of our furry friends has had to take a few days rest from entertaining the public. Get well soon Yang Guang!

A New Year

As 2012 blows in with almost hurricane-force winds, here’s a snapshot of our New Year news.

Burns Night

Our brand new app for Burns Night is now live on app stores. It features an autocue to help you deliver your own dazzling Tam o’ Shanter performance. The compass will point you to Alloway: use it to face the Bard’s birthplace when raising your toast to his Immortal Memory. Top singers Annie Grace, Corrina Hewat and Karine Polwart have recorded two of their favourite Burns arrangements, and Tam o’ Shanter is brought to life by the inimitable Aly MacRae.

For anyone who thinks Burns Suppers are only for aficionados, download the app and get ready to order your haggis. We had some *interesting* responses when we invited people to translate some of the more impenetrable lines! They help to underline that Burns is for all, and his celebration should be fun. So, tak a right good willie-waught and get ready for Burns Night 2012. (Big thanks to Graeme at Spot Specific for all his work on the app, and to Scott for the design & illustration.)

Beneath Cold Seas

With the launch this month of David Hall’s Beneath Cold Seas, featuring superb photographs of the underwater life of the Pacific Northwest, it’s nice to start the year reading favourable reviews. Peter Rowlands, Publisher/editor of Underwater Photography Magazine, calls the photography “quite exceptional”:  “Beneath Cold Seas has taken more than 15 years to achieve, but the hard work has been worthwhile and it is difficult to imagine that there will ever be a better collection of photographs to come out of this area.” This comes after a top rating from Shelf Awareness: “David Hall has created a dazzling book filled with dazzling sea creatures, showing us an astonishing marine domain.”

The importance of marine conservation is becoming more and more widely recognised. I hope this incredible glimpse of the underwater world will contribute to the cause.

Our tribute to the world’s favourite bear, Panda: Back from the Brink has been a hit with visitors to Edinburgh Zoo (available from their online shop), who have at last been able to meet Tian Tian and Yang Guang. The book is now available as a fixed-layout ebook with exclusive video and audio from the iBookstore, as well as for Kindle, both digital versions featuring HD images.

Just before Christmas, we went to visit the new arrivals for ourselves. The head keeper, Alison Maclean, gave us behind-the-scenes privileges, so we watched Yang Guang having his weight monitored and munching on panda cake. As the new year begins, we hear from China that six captive-bred pandas will be released into the wild from Sichuan’s Chengdu Panda Base, on or around 11th January. This, after all, is the point of the conservation efforts.

Pioneer Women - cover

Continuously in print for more than 15 years, Pioneer Women, by Peavy & Smith, is now due to be published in translation for the first time. Gerstenberg Verlag are shortly to announce their own edition: Westwärts mit gerafften Röcken, which translates to “Women with gathered-up skirts”. The book owes its longevity both to a fascinating text and an outstanding collection of photos, which in themselves tell us stories of women’s resilience and resourcefulness. The English-language edition is available from the University of Oklahoma Press, where a preview can be seen.

‘A new chapter opens for Scots literary entrepreneurs’, announced Louisa McLennan, the Herald’s Assistant Digital Editor, as she presented a round-up of Scotland’s digital publishing scene last month. Along with describing some of our own adventures in ebooks and apps, she included interviews with Blasted Heath, Cargo, Ewan Morrison and Marc Lambert, chief executive of the Scottish Book Trust. It’s great to innovate, but I still love the printed book, too. I hope our volumes on the giant panda and the amazing underwater world Beneath Cold Seas will stand as testament to that.

So here’s to 2012, both for Auld Lang Syne and with an eye to the future!

Blooming Jellyfish

Relatively neglected until recently, issues of marine conservation have been more widely discussed during the last few years. Hugh’s Fish Fight has helped bring the issue of overfishing to public attention; yet we’ve all known for many years about collapsing fish stocks, such as occurred in the once-teeming cod banks off Newfoundland, and we know that ocean temperatures and other environmental conditions have been changing – not to mention reports now widely circulated of horrendous marine litter, like the large drifts of plastic in mid-ocean.

But it’s easy to forget in our conservation-conscious world that not all species are threatened by changing conditions: some, by contrast, are thriving in places where they were once scarce, or even not found at all.

A recent BBC website article reported on a significant rise in jellyfish in UK waters this summer, as a result (maybe) of overfishing, pollution or climate change.

Whatever the cause, one of the species that is increasing in numbers is the lion’s mane jellyfish – the largest known jellyfish species, whose tentacles, with their potent (but not deadly) sting, can measure up to an incredible 36m (120 feet)! This colourful creature features on the front cover of our forthcoming marine conservation book, Beneath Cold Seas, by award-winning photographer David Hall.

Beneath Cold Seas book cover

To monitor these changes in our seas, the Marine Conservation Society is running a jellyfish survey and asks for the help of the public in identifying and recording the incidence of jellyfish species. An identification (and safety!) guide can be found here with the survey details.

So if you’re interested in helping keep an eye on the seas that surround us – it’s time to take to the water!