BRIEFS: September 19

Olympus gets fresh team…Leica gets akademic…Joby gets a grip…Tony Hewitt gets the gong…

Olympus rings the changes
Popular Olympus Imaging Australia managing director, Marc Radatt (pictured right), is leaving Australia to take up the new position of general manager of Olympus Corporation Asia Pacific’s Imaging Business, from October 1. Ichiro Nagata, current managing director of Olympus Australia’s Medical Business, will assume the added responsibility as managing director for the Imaging business unit.

Lucas Tan, well-known marcom executive and always-approachable media contact, will join Mr Radatt in Singapore in the role of regional product manager.

Other movements at Olympus include Joe Tizzone, who has been promoted to sales and marketing manager. Joe Tizzone will be supported by Jason Borg and Kristie Galea, who have been promoted to national sales manager and marketing manager respectively.

Leica gets akademic
Leica Australia is the latest camera distributor to jump into the photo education business, establishing the ‘Leica Akademie Australia‘.

Well-credentialled professional photographer Nick Rains is to head ‘the Akademie’. He is a Master of Photography with the Australian Institute for Professional Photography (AIPP) and a regular judge at the annual Australian Professional Photographer of the Year (APPA) awards.

Leica Akademie is not only for Leica owners, says Leica Camera Australia’s general manager, Ryan Williams.

There are currently three types of events listed on the Leica Akademie website, starting from 3-hour evening workshops on Leica cameras($149), through to full-day workshops $299), and the highlight event for 2014, the Kimberley Experience, featuring cattle mustering, aerial (helicopter), landscape and people photography. It’s scheduled to take place May 30 – June 4 next year – allowing prospective participants enough time to save up the $5,500 to attend the five-day event!

Joby gets a grip
Joby has introduced two new camera straps, the Joby UltraFit Hand Strap with UltraPlate ($44.95) and the Joby DSLR Wrist Strap ($18.95).

The UltraFit strap ‘allows photographers to seamlessly transition from comfortable, handheld shooting to capturing composed shots on a tripod’. It is compatible with standard and pro DSLRs with or without a battery grip. Photographers can keep the hand strap attached to their camera while mounting it to a tripod or even using another camera strap. The UltraPlate features a universal tripod quick-release plate with two additional 1/4-inch screw mounts.

Joby says the hand strap conforms to the shape of your hand and never gets in the way of camera controls, ensuring you never miss your shot.

The DSLR Wrist Strap is a simple cinching wrist strap designed for DSLRs or mirrorless interchangeables. It weighs only 10 grams. The strap is designed to automatically tighten around the wrist if the camera is dropped. It comes in one adjustable size to fit most wrists and in two colours: charcoal and neon green.

 Tony Hewitt gets the gong

Landscape photographer Tony Hewitt has been named as the Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year for 2013 at a gala dinner in Melbourne on Monday night, September 16.

In addition to the Canon AIPP Professional Photography award, Mr Hewitt’s portfolio won the 2013 AIPP Australian Landscape Photographer of the Year Award. His prize included $20,000 in Canon EOS professional photography equipment. Now in their 37th year, the Canon AIPP APPAs attract a prize pool of more than $40,000 in cash and prizes.

Click here for the full list of 2013 winners.