20,000 miles and a new baby.....

One would think by the lack of blog communication in the past two months that Mark had retired to a tropical island and was serving as a cocktail waiter in some tiki hut.  Well I am here to set the record straight as that could be the farthest from the truth.  In reality, since we last updated, Mark has covered over 20,000 miles and I had a baby.  Or more specifically my husband and I welcomed our second child (a little boy) in mid June. So between all of that Mark and I have been a bit hard to pin down, but not to worry folks; Mark has still been capturing some AMAZING imagery and of course clocking tons adventures that I am about to share with you.  

The first and very notable stop in Mark’s journey was Brighton, England for the Airmed Congress 2011.  Mark was not only an attendee, official photographer, but an exhibitor and speaker as well at the May 24-26 event. Scheduled to speak the last day of the lectures, Mark (in typical Mark Mennie form and fashion) waited until the night before to prepare for his 30 minute commitment.  Speaking about the important but un-considered aspects of photographing patient care, Mark certainly was preaching to the choir about patient confidentiality.  Mark also touched on the future of Smartphones that attach an address to any image you take as an added issue in actually breaking the US patient privacy rules (known as HIPAA introduced in 2003) by identifying a patients local. To only further enhance his presentation, Mark showed imagery and gave a few of his heartfelt stories. He concluded with an old story of a terminal young patient he rode with as he flew from a children's hospital, back to his home. There was not a dry eye in the house! Perhaps we'll post that Quicktime movie sometime.

A big thank you to the Airmed 2011 Coordinator Jill Playle, (of Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance) who worked with EHAC (European Helicopter Air-ambulance Commission) to grant Mark space for 18 framed prints in the Scientific Poster display area. They were all well received, which gave Mark some real pep to his step.
  A true family reunion of sorts, Mark loved reconnecting with all the usual suspects as well as getting to know some new faces and welcoming them into the US and Canadian Airmed "family". Mark particularly enjoyed meeting a young Austrian Flight Nurse who has her Doctorate in Psychology.  She was there highlighting her research into the unique emotional connection to rapid transport/rescue that patients and their families experience during a crisis.  This is a tangent that Mark also witnesses when photographing former patients.  Not only a great new connection for Mark, but she even won an award for her scientific poster presentation. Check out her presentation among other images from the entire week in review at  www.airmed2011.com.
 
From there Mark headed to San Diego via a direct flight on British Airways (nice flight- but 2.5 hrs in SAN customs is just d.u.m.b.- ugh)  to the 2011 International Society of Aviation Photographers Conference or ISAP. As Mark has enlightened me on, ISAPs  60+ attendees can really be put into about three and a half categories: 1) The Aviation guys- pro pilots that have an avid interest in Photography- (Can name You every model of aircraft ever made- and can afford expensive gear),  2) The Pros- Camera guys who shoot aviation and other stuff for a living. (Can't always quote the exact aircraft specs like the pilots do in the previous category- their cameras are used- but know they appreciate light), and finally 3) The out of the box guys like Mark-  who shoot Medical EMS related stuff that involves helicopters, medicine and safety...(Whose camera is a bit banged up or can't name a fixed winged aircraft) and 3A) a really unique visitor to ISAP from India, Thakur Dalip Singh, whose traditional attire may have confused the Americans, but his work is great and Mark has yet one more connection to India. Check out his website: www.thakurdalipsingh.com/

At the conclusion of ISAP, Mark stayed in San Diego to work with a new airmed client. Unfortunately he was only able to accompany them on a couple of missions, but someday he'll get that mission to Catalina Island, which is the most South Western US Helicopter accessed hospital/clinic, he hopes one day.  From there Mark then headed back to Calgary, and immediately headed to the Heydlauff Branding in Wildhorse AB.  He was finally able to catch up to David Heydlauff, whom he had not seen since the departures level at the airport in Dubai back in December. Much more on that adventure later as it is just too good to condense in this already lengthy blog entry.

After the branding was over, Mark flew back to San Diego for a couple of days before then heading to St. Louis to shoot another air med program for a week. All the while dodging a few MO thunderstorms along the way.  Concluding his work in St. Louis, Mark then headed east to Maine to shoot yet another air med project, which started in Lewiston, and then a week later- (after a drive up to Ottawa to take in Mark’s Auntie Evelyn's 80th Birthday...and see all the "Cousins"...zoom zoom) ended at a base in Bangor. On the last day, Mark did a mission to Calais ME, which oddly enough is furthest most east Hospital in the US. Mark wrapped up the East Coast leg of his trip by traveling from Bangor to Portland and then jumped on a jet to Atlanta (delayed of course in ATL for 2hrs- what's new about that...ugh) and finally arriving San Diego. A trip so lengthy and complicated for that matter a full US map is required.  Please see below as I have pretty much confused myself…

Once he arrived in San Diego, Mark took in dear friends Sandy and Kevin’s wedding (Boo's Foster Mom...) and will be heading back to Calgary to start the 2012 Outriders Cheerleader Calendar in the next few days.  Stay tuned for more details and more frequent blogs.  Right now this extensive recap (and probably the fact I have been up all night with a newborn) has made me exhausted.

Until then…..

Charli

20,000 miles in 2 months, summary of Mark's worldwide jaunts.





Panoramic view of Airmed Conference 2011

Mark's exhibition at Airmed

Airmed 2011

Airmed 2011

Airmed 2011

ISAP 2011

ISAP 2011

ISAP 2011

ISAP 2011

Thakur Dalip Singh at ISAP 2011

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

Abu Dhabi Adventure.....

On Mark’s latest trip to Dubai, he had the privilege of photographing the Abu Dhabi Police Department’s Agusta Westland 139. They do have more than one AW 139 at the department, but for security reasons Mark cannot disclose just how many or where they are kept*.  This is a follow up mission from 2009 when Mark first photographed their newest AW 139 after meeting with the police department at the 2008 Dubai Helishow.

*In case you did not know already Mark is quite the “Secret Agent Man”!  As last week he was photographing security operations at an undisclosed Canadian Airport.  That project unfortunately cannot be illustrated here, but lets just say your checked bag WILL always be x-rayed thoroughly at the airport. He's not quite as smoothe as James Bond though, as his heart did eventually re-start after a siren started screaming in a secured area; he thought he tripped the radioactivity alarm...Yikes!

The first shoot in 2009 was with only one aircraft so there were no aerials.  Mark wanted to obviously shoot the aircraft on its own in one of his famous “sunset” shots that have become the essence of his style.  The police department  threw a wrench into Mark’s plan by requesting that helicopter be featured in front of the Emirates Palace Hotel.  Mark reluctantly agreed to this as the "hotel" in all it's splendor would most certainly block the sunset! 

It was not long after they arrived at the Palace Hotel and Mark started taking pictures on the manicured helipads as well as capturing a couple of group shots, when hotel security suddenly motored out- explaining that hotel “had specifically owned the rights to the view”.  All Mark knew was Major Mohammed greeted the guards and in no time they drove away.  Guess National Security trumps any copyright infringements!
 
From what Mark describes, the crew included a couple af skeptical pilots. When the sunset behind the hotel and Mark asked to be flown to a non descript - "clean horizon" not far away to sneak in a few more end of the day shots, he was greeted with some Arabic grumbles and puzzelment (but not from his friend Major Mohammed).  It was either the fact that they thought he was crazy or that it was currently the Muslim observance of Ramadan and everyone had been fasting ALL day, waiting for sunset to arrive.  Mark really showed them and you will see below a shot of Major Mohammed holding the flash. At the conclusion of the shoot and sunset, they all flew back immediately to the base where the Base Commander was  hosting “Iftar” feast that night. A reward after a long day of coordinating one final image.

Technically speaking these photographs utilize only the equipment Mark can put in his flight suit pockets or around his neck. Weight for a civilian passenger in most Med-Evac situations limit him to approximately 225lbs including his camera, flashes with booster batteries, steel toed boots, flight helmet and his belly. These two projects were shot with a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III and one Canon 580 EXII flash with an infrared trigger. A sunset filter is partially utilized, but the sunset has a 90 second window that makes the elements of filtration, the power of the flash, recharging time of the flash, the intensity of the sun, and the ideal shutter speed of 125th for the rotors to look in motion to make it all come together. Alot of elements to coordinate, especially when you are dealing with a very hungry crew.
 
Now flash forward to 2010, and Mark finds himself back above the Emirates Palace Hotel.  This time of course there were no altercations with hotel security and Mark was able to complete his shoot with the ADPD Airwing.  And with two aircrafts involved, Mark was able to capture shots of the AW139 flying in front of the hotel.  You will see some of these images below.  A repeat performance out at the original island from 2009 was also achieved. Also included are some amazing views of the city.  Note the fact that is very hard to find any signs of “recession” in Abu Dhabi.  Mark would like to send a special “Thank You” to Maj. Mohammed and Maj. Ali for their assistance with this project.
 
Until next time…"Enshala"
Charli

Original sunset shot 2009

Sunset shot revisited 2010

On the lawn of the Palace Hotel

The crew with their aircraft

Capturing some aerial shots in 2010

I survived my first helicopter convention.....

Wow a week later and I am still trying to recover from Heli-Expo in Orlando, FL.  Not because (as you might be thinking since I was traveling with Mark) of late nights and too many exhibitors' parties, but because there was just SO MUCH to learn and take in.  My head is still spinning…and I am still marveling at the magnitude of the convention and the aircraft that sat center stage and stole the show.

To the Heli-Expo, Mark and I were guests of the Dubai 2012 Heli Show.  Julia Cuthbert (co-owner) and Ahmad Abulhoul (organizer from Dubai) rolled out the red carpet for us and made us feel so at home. We also got to know Lumi Hilchey, from the Dubai Government Tourism Office, who also shared the booth with us. A big thank you to all of them for all their hospitality and support! I eventually want to visit Dubai and see for myself what is it that has inspired Mark to keep going back...
 
By day on Sunday and Monday, Mark and I pounded the pavement, meeting and greeting as many people in the industry as we could.  Again I spent the majority of that time trying to wrap my head around everything….debriefing, debriefing, debriefing seemed to be all I was asking for from Mark.  One thing that was not a surprise to me though was how respected and known Mark was throughout the helicopter community.  EVERYONE seemed to know him, and have a funny story to share of some kind of adventure.  It was great unique moment at one point to be sought out by Elena and Sergei Sikorsky; as his Dad- invented the helicopter...and Sergei always gets one of Mark's other "community based calendars..."
 
By night we dined with our Dubai team, and continued to laugh harder than we all had in a very long time.  We all met up and dined at the Peabody hotel on Sunday.  In case you are not familiar with the Peabody (which most of us were not) they are famous for a “troop of ducks” that entertain guests in the lobby fountain from the hours of 11:00am to 5:00pm, 7 days a week. After their “shift”, the ducks “parade” themselves with an escort in a red jacket - up to their $100,000 plus palace located on the hotel’s observation deck. After visiting their “castle” we were all a bit dumbfounded on what exactly cost $100, 000 as it was not much more than a 6x6 pond, but who are we to judge and it provided us with quite a chuckle.  Back at the restaurant after our tour, Mark was again puzzled as to why there was no “duck” dish on the menu. We all had to muzzle him from inquiring with our waiter.  Only Mark!!
 
After the conclusion of the conference on Tuesday…Mark made his way back to YYC and on Thursday headed to Edmonton to shoot some VIP (very important patient) portraits for Alberta STARS. More details in upcoming posts as to how that adventure turns out.  As always Mark is a busy guy that does not seem to stay put for more than a couple of days.  This activity puts him in yet another state or country (and weather conditions) over the past 4 weekends. At least now I think he does indeed have his wallet…or at least I hope he does.  Let’s just say I have not gotten a call to bail him out yet and like I said I am still trying to recover from last week’s festivities; so that is good!
 
Until next time…
Charli

Our Dubai Team (minus Mark) at the booth. 
Lumi, Ahmad, Julia, & Charli

Mark snapped a shot of myself with Sergei & Elena Sikorsky. 
What an honor!

This is it?  A $100,000 Duck Palace!

Dubai Team (again minus Mark) posing in the Duck Palace.

The Famous Parade of Ducks!

Packing my bags....

Well as we speak I am packing my bags to meet Mark tomorrow morning in sunny Orlando, FL or MCO, for the 2011 Heli-Expo at the Orange County Convention Center.  As his publicist I will be meeting all of Mark’s treasured colleagues & friends, networking and probably making sure Mark does not over sleep!  Looking forward to meeting everyone and getting the lay of the land.  Many more details (and stories I am sure….) to come Tuesday when I return.

Until Next Time…….

Charli