The Consultancy side of Parker Technology is able to tackle problems in a very broad range of Science & Engineering disciplines, but does not address the Biosciences. Professor Greg Parker is an expert in the fields of scientific photography, vacuum deposition processes (UHV), micro/nano photonics, semiconductor devices, and high-power Xenon flash systems. He created the first fully-portable (safe!) high-powered flash systems for nature photographers. In July 2001 he formed the University spin-out company Mesophotonics Ltd. to exploit photonic crystal circuits and devices for commercial applications.
Greg’s undergraduate textbook on “Introductory Semiconductor Device Physics” was reprinted by the Institute of Physics Publishing group (IOPP) in September 2004 and is now published by Taylor & Francis [CRC] Ltd.
A book on CCD astrophotography decribing how to take deep-sky images was published by Springer [Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series] in September 2007.
A third book, this time a large-format coffee-table book of deep-sky images created with Noel Carboni [Florida, U.S.A.] was published by Springer in March 2009. As an extra incentive to look out for this book – the Foreword is written by (the late) Sir Arthur C Clarke, Sir Patrick Moore and Dr. Brian May!!! Get your pre-orders in for what will quickly become a collector’s item!
A contract has recently been signed for a fourth book. This one is on Biomimetics and will include a lot of the research I have carried out looking into Nature’s solutions to optical problems. Keep watching this space for more details.
Greg also carries out assignments in deep-sky astrophotography, conventional photography, macrophotography, high-speed photography and high-definition video recording. You can purchase high quality prints of deep-space objects from his New Forest Observatory web site, and you can purchase landscape panoramas, high-speed images, and macrophotographs from his Flickr site. Contact greg@concept2innovation.com for information regarding high-definition video recording services.
March 2009 – new Parker Technology product:
Parker Technology introduces a new product for photojournalists and semi-professionals – a quick release handle to take the weight of your bulky DSLR/zoom lens combo off your neck. The quick release attachment has a safety device to prevent unwanted accidental disconnection of the handle – but we do advise that you also always carry the camera with the safety strap wrapped around your wrist as well! You can never be too careful with your expensive gear. The handle is manufactured in smooth black-anodised aluminium and is a nice ergonomic fit essential when carrying your photographic kit for extended periods of time.
If you have any questions, wish to purchase your own quick-release camera handle, or require any further information, then please contact Greg at:
February 2010 – yet another new Parker Technology product!
Discussions with high-speed video guru Tony Allen showed me a gaping hole in the market for another light-based product. Conventional lighting sources give a clear and unwanted modulation of the light intensity of illuminated subjects that are being video recorded at high speed. Parker Technology has a completely flicker-free light source for your high speed videography. Available with individual heads rated at 300W (you can have as many heads as you want illuminating the subject) Parker Technology can provide you with a high-tech solution to this particular problem. Interested? Contact Greg on:
April 2010 – exciting new photography courses on offer!
The New Forest Observatory has been offering courses in deep-sky imaging for a few years now and has many satisfied customers, some from as far away as Kuwait! However following a number of talks in Hampshire on the subject “The Magic of Photography” I have received requests to create a number of beginner’s courses for enthusiastic DSLR owners. Always happy to oblige – Parker Technology now offers the following (non deep-sky!) photographic courses for the novice digital photographer:
1) Photography in the New Forest. A full day course with packed-lunch provided. Bring all your lenses along to this one. A specialism of this course will be an introduction to the techniques required for taking stunning Panoramic images. You shall be shown how to create and assemble panoramas back at base where we have a suite of computers available for image processing. The forest route we shall take will be dependent on the weather conditions and the time of year. Arrive at the NFO by 9:30 a.m. for a coffee/tea to start the day, collect your packed lunch and off we go for a day’s photography of flora, fauna, and views over the magnificent New Forest. We arrive back at the New Forest Observatory by 3:00 p.m. where we continue the course with some image data processing on the computer. Cost for this course is £145 plus VAT at the current rate. Course is limited to 5 persons. Please note that the course cost does not include Insurance cover for any accident that may occur whilst photographing in the New Forest. Please arrange for your own personal Insurance Cover if you feel this might be necessary.
2) A beginner’s guide to macrophotography. A half-day course beginning at 9:30 a.m. and concluding at 12:30 p.m. with refreshments provided throughout. We shall cover the basics of macrophotography and the equipment required to carry out macro work. You need not provide your own equipment for this course but please feel free to bring your own gear along if you are already set up for macro work. Samples will be provided to take macromosaics and computer facilities will be available to construct your own macromosaics using Photoshop CS3. Cost for this course is £65 plus VAT at the current rate. Course is limited to 3 persons.
3) Setting up for digital microphotography. A half-day course beginning at 9:30 a.m. and concluding at 12:30 p.m. with refreshments provided throughout. We shall discuss the equipment requirements to undertake microphotography and we shall use the NFO’s trinocular research microscope during this course, you do not need to bring along your own camera for this course. We shall use the “Helicon Focus” software to create deep depth-of-focus images that resemble scanning electron microscope images – but ours are in colour!! We shall also see how to create and assemble micromosaics using a combination of Helicon Focus and Photoshop CS3 software. Cost for this course is £75 plus VAT at the current rate. Course is limited to 3 persons.
4) Basic Ultra-High-Speed flash photography. A half-day course beginning at 9:30 a.m. and concluding at 12:30 p.m. with refreshments provided throughout. We shall use highspeedflash dot com’s “Ultra” units which provide ultra fast light pulses of just 9-microseconds [1/111,111th second] to create fantastic high-speed images of fast events. You do not need to provide your own equipment for this course, but you are welcome to bring your own camera along to take HSF images – just be sure you know how to operate your camera on the “bulb” setting and make sure you have a remote shutter controller. You will see how to set up a studio high-speed flash system to create stunning HSF images as seen on my Flickr site. We shall process our HSF images on NFO’s computers using Photoshop CS3 software, and you can take home processed images on a CD for further processing/manipulation in your own time. Cost for this course is £75 plus VAT at the current rate. Course is limited to 3 persons.
The New Forest Observatory offers ample off-road car-parking space 
We are always updating course content and developing new courses so please check back here regularly for details of all courses available at the NFO. We are also happy to develop new courses to meet your own requirements or develop a bespoke course for you, your group, or your company.
If you have an interest in any of the above courses, or if you would like a bespoke course arranged on a different topic, please contact courses@newforestobservatory.com and we will be happy to discuss your requirements.
Or, if you would prefer to discuss your requirements on the phone, please call 01590 622775 between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.