Across the pond he goes....

So what is our favorite International Man of Mystery up to lately?  Well as we speak he is aboard a plane en route to the UK.  Mark will be speaking at the 2011 AIRMED World Congress this year in Brighton, England.  Below you will find the official press release on his exciting engagement.  Please let me know if anyone would be interested in the transcript of the speech after the conference?

Until then....

Charli

For Immediate Release                                                                 Media Contact:

May19, 2011                                                                                     Charli LeGette

                                                                                                            Mobile: 832.752.1948

                                                                                                            Email: Charli@mennie.com

Mark Mennie, photographer, will speak at the 2011 AIRMED World Congress

Brighton, England: Mark Mennie, renowned air medical photographer, has been selected as a speaker at the 2011 AIRMED World Congress in Brighton, England (May 24-27, 2011).  Speaking on May 26, at 10:00am in Room 2, Mennie will illustrate in depth “Best Practices in the US” of medical evacuation photography in a manner that will resonate with medical professionals, media and the general public alike.  In addition to discussing his uniquely developed technique in capturing accurate air medical imagery, he will include personal reflections on portrayal of the med evac community professionally or in social media.  Also highlighting patient care, privacy, and aviation safety, Mennie will do so in a visual way to give his audience insight into this highly specialized form of health care.

In addition to speaking, Mark Mennie will also be displaying his photography during the conference.  Hoping to have a show of at least 10 to 15 prints of his one of a kind imagery, Mennie will be selling these prints at the conclusion of the conference. 

Spanning the globe, Mark Mennie is a commercial photographer, more specifically specializing in on-site medical trauma/helicopter EMS documentary photography, for close to 20 years.  Uniquely documenting “code blue” on-the-job emergency medical situations or the “airside” of high security airport environments, Mark is unique in his field and approach.  In addition to numerous affiliations and volunteer work with the MedEvac Foundation International and the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), Mark has also been a part of exhibitions such as the Dubai Heli Show 2010 and the AirMed Congress 2008 in Prague.  For more information please visit Mennie’s website or blog www.mennie.com or www.markmennie.blogspot.com.

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All for a good cause....

Mark just graciously donated the photograph above to Talisman Energy for their annual fundraising campaign for the United Way of Calgary.  His infamous fog over Dubai image will be auction off during Talisman’s week long internal online auction, running May 16-19, 2011.  Below you will find an exert from Mark’s Artist Statement.  If you would like to make this image yours as well, please contact me at charli@mennie.com, as prints are for sale. 

“This image was captured from the pool level of the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Sheik Zayed Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is a view that is available to all guests of the hotel- and has been photographed by amateurs and professionals countless times, but on the morning of November 6th, 2009, Mark Mennie returned to this location after heavy fog had settled upon the city the evening before. Exiting the elevator on the 41st floor, and stepping into a cloud of light rain, Mark and only one hotel maintenance worker attending to the deck; were present. After 45 minutes- the fog briefly cleared, and only a few images were captured before rolling back in- leaving the view with a heavy haze for the rest of the day.

The timing of this image- illustrates numerous techniques and architectural accomplishments in this country on the Arabian Gulf; as it was only two days prior that the construction crane had been taken down from the worlds’ tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which was topped out with it’s mast- at 818 meters. Months later the mast was was actually extended and the tower is now noted at it’s world record height of 828 meters, over a half mile or referenced as 160+ occupied stories. The observation deck  is on the 124th floor- only a 58 second elevator ride. In contrast- the CN tower in Toronto is 515 meters; the new “Bow” in Calgary is only a mere 58 stories.

The Chelsea Apartment hotel is on the right side of the image, and the recently opened Rose Rayhaan Hotel is the distinctive building on the left- which Mark has now also accessed and photographed from the 68th floor in 2010.”

Until then….

Charli 

Has Mark Fallen Off the Face of the Earth (?)..........

No ladies and gents, Mark has not fallen off the face of the Earth, nor was he mobbed by the crowds at the Royal Wedding.  He in fact has been HARD at work capturing amazing imagery.  For almost a month and a half Mark has spent many days (and long nights) creating portraits of  Alberta STARS VIP's (Very Important Patients) or being “on call”.  As the "Mission Photographer", he was tasked with capturing candid, accurate and artistic med evac photos for the 2012 STARS Calendar.  In order to accomplish this task, Mark has been riding along with the crews in the aircraft and staying on base in Grand Prairie, Edmonton and Calgary, where he continued to be considered part of the STARS family. Unfortunately all of his images are regarded as UBER confidential and will have to debut with the Calendar 2012 release in July of this year.

Don’t worry though, it has not been ALL work and NO play for Mark.  He has found some time to work (two weekends) with the Calgary Stampeder’s cheer team.  Considered as "grueling work", Mark spent time documenting the Outriders tryout process.  I know poor guy!  Mark also took a time out and traveled to Vancouver for a weekend to attend his long time friend Waldy Martens’ photography show opening "Private Parts" at the Lumen Gallery.  The price of admission for Mark was assistance lighting and hanging Waldy's show,  and as you can see the two buddies did a fantastic job.  Below you will find shots of both the tryouts and the opening.  Enjoy and more to come as Mark is a man of the go and is off to his next big adventure as we speak.
Until then…

Charli