Simon Nathan, James Bond film stills photographer, dies aged 82

Simon Nathan, a photographer and writer whose "Simon Sez" columns in popular photography magazines kept professionals and hobbyists up to date with the innovations of camera makers after World War II, died May 19 in the Bronx. He was 82.

Nathan began writing his column in the 1950s, when Japanese cameras were making their way to America to challenge advanced German models. Appearing in Popular Photography, Modern Photography and other magazines, the column was an opinionated guide to new equipment that also offered tips on how to shoot various subjects.

He was particularly interested in panoramic photography, a field that caught his attention while he worked for the Flying Tigers freight line. Faced with the challenge of photographing cargo planes, he worked with camera builders on a hand-held camera to take undistorted large-format pictures.

He later applied his panoramic techniques to make photographic stills for Hollywood epics such as "Waterloo" and "Khartoum," as well as for nine James Bond films.

Thanks to `Moore` for the alert.

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