Steve Simonsen’s Photography Featured in 2007 St. John Calendar

Cover: A sneak peak of the 2007 St. John Calendar.

Keep an eye out for a new calendar featuring the beauty of St. John as captured by one of the island’s most renowned photographers due to hit stores next month.

A combined effort with Chris Shatzman, a graphic designer who owns Studio Equinox in the Lumberyard Complex, and Steve Simonsen, the  St. John 2007 calendar featuring Simonsen’s photography will be available across the island next month.

The idea of making a St. John-specific calendar was not a new one, Steve’s wife Janet Simonsen explained.

Discussed for Years
“Basically people have been asking us for years to do a St. John calendar, but we never seemed to be able to find the time,” she said. “When Chris approached us with the idea, we said ‘this is it.’ We went ahead with it and we’re so glad that we did — we really needed someone to take care of all the details.”

“It’s going to be a great calendar,” Janet Simonsen added.

Shatzman, who is publishing the calendar, had worked with Steve Simonsen in the past.

“We had started working on a project for a dive shop and I had been thinking about doing a calendar for a while, so it just clicked,” he said. “I thought Steve’s photos would do great on a calendar and we’re all really excited about this.”

Shatzman screened more than 500 of Steve Simonsen’s photographs to select the 12 which will be featured in the calendar.

Representing St. John
“I went though literally hundreds of photographs,”  said Shatzman. “There are other calendars out there, but none that represent St. John well. This will really show the beauty of the island.”

For anyone who is familiar with Steve Simonsen’s work or his “Living Art, St. John,” photography book, having 12 14-inch by 11-inch high quality glossy pictures for a mere $15 to $20, is a steal.

Steve Simonsen Fans
“So many people love Steve’s photography to begin with and now they can take the calendar home and have these substantial wall hangings even after the year is through,” Shatzman said.

Cinnamon Bay, Maho Bay and Trunk Bay are featured as well as the view of the British Virgin Islands from Bordeaux during a morning rainstorm, which Shatzman called “exquisite.”

“There is a one shot looking south toward St. Croix and you see nothing but the whole Caribbean Ocean out there, the impressive sky and a four-masted sail boat which puts it in perspective,” he said. “We really tried to represent everything. We have Ram’s Head for April, because April is the month of Aries and a picture from Carnival for July.”

St. John’s rich underwater life is represented as well, with a picture of scad fish taken near Caravel Rock, Shatzman added.

Full-color Map, History
In addition to Steve Simon-sen’s photography, the calendar includes a full-color topographical map with V.I. Na-tional Park points of interest and the names of all the bays which surround Love City, a brief history of St. John and a biography of the photographer.

The calendar is also filled with the dates of national and St. John-specific holidays, Shatzman added.

Local Holidays Included
“We included the a lot of the ‘local holidays,’” he said. “We have the dates of 8 Tuff Miles, the Beach to Beach Power Swim, the Coral Bay Thanks-giving Regatta, Hurricane Supplication Day and a lot of other island holidays.”’

The calendar, which should arrive on island in early November, will be available at Book & Bean, Keep Me Posted, St. John Spice Company and a number of other retail outlets across St. John. It will also be available through Steve Simonsen’s Web site at www.stevesimonsen.com.

Yearly Project Possible
And, keep an eye out next year for a 2008 St. John calendar as well as at least one other calendar, Shatzman added.

“We’re thinking about doing this yearly,” he said. “We’re working with a representative and actually trying to do a St. Croix calendar next year as well. It’s a very exciting project.”