Meet the Makers
Hi, I’m Kathleen from Medicine Hat Alberta Canada. I spent much of my professional career in Austral-Asia. With project files, computers and printers to carry along, the camera was often left behind. Memories were captured with a cellphone. I retired and met a fantastic photographer and again picked up a camera. I started with Canon, then moved to Sony and, as I aged and found the long lens to heavy, switched to the OM System. My primary interest is wildlife photography. I can spend hours watching animals either in remote locations of the globe or in my back yard. The long lens allows me to be close up and personal without disturbing the critters. I also enjoy travel photography, astrophotography and occasionally landscapes
Veronica Silva. - Hello! I am a San Diego based photographer with experience dating back to the Flagship Canon 35mm film camera from 1998. Currently photographing musicians and entertainers in the Southern California region. I have a preference for monochrome and an edgier art style, however, having transitioned from film, to digital dslr's, to mirrorless, I have come to appreciate the craft of photography on its varying artistic levels. Capturing all aspects of people and life who dare to be rebels and live unapologetically.
Melanie Cullen - I reside in Encinitas, California, but I travel extensively in our RV approximately ten months a year. This freedom of travel allows me to explore some breathtaking and beautiful locations across the United States and Canada. My photography encompasses both landscapes and wildlife. I have a particular fondness for stormy skies, but I also cherish sunsets and sunrises. Wildlife of any kind captures my attention, but larger animals such as bears and moose hold a special place in my heart. I’m thrilled to share my travel experiences through my website, enabling “armchair” travelers to immerse themselves in the diverse and often remote places I visit.
Jim Loge - I started my journey with a Kodak Instamatic and advanced to black and white darkroom exploration in the mid 80's then life got busy and I set my camera down for too long. I picked it back up in 2021 and have not looked back. Growing up, splitting my summers on the beach in my home town of Carlsbad CA and June Loke in the Eastern Sierra. I have develop a love of both the mountains and coast. I primarily shoot landscape and cityscapes. The past couple of years I have started to explore Astro Photography, primarily Milky Way and Star Trails so far. I love contrast and am drawn to monochrome more and more.
For 30 years, Laine Gonzales taught environmental education and high school science. She simultaneously accrued a lifetime of experience working on conservation projects at home and abroad. In Antarctica, she waded frigid Southern Ocean to collect Plankton. She helped ;lasso Nile crocodiles in South Africa, fed captive sun bears in Borneo, tagged nesting sea turtles in Costa Rica. She consistently used her experiences to create engaging classroom activities to challenge her students to think critically about real-world issues. Now that she has retired from teaching, she devotes more energy to her passions: travel, writing and photography.
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Brian Jolliffe- I am primarily a landscape and cityscape photographer. I occasionally do portraits and wildlife. My main photography love is Fireworks photography, of which I have been engaged with since the beginning. I also love to travel, for photography, and have been to Italy, New England in the Fall, Hawaii and the Cayman Islands. I also travel to the Eastern Sierra's in the winter every year, and go to various areas in the Southwest, and also the East coast. I have received an honorable mention at the AAA Westway's annual photo contest. I have received a few honorable mentions at the San Diego County Fair international photography exhibit. Photography is a huge passion for me.
Mike Reardon - I am a 30 year resident of Fallbrook. I am a retired firefighter a former surfer and home remodeler. I started taking photos in my early 20s. I gave it up for many years. 20 Years ago I went to Europe for the first time with a simple point and shoot camera. I was hooked! I striated upgrading my equipment and joined a couple of camera groups including the Fallbrook Camera Club. In the last 20 years I have received numerous awards from the Camera Club, San Diego County Fair, Fallbrook Art Center and Westways magazine. I do a variety of different types of photos: landscape, ocean sunsets, surfing and lots of music photography. I get a great deal of satisfaction of being a photographer.
I am an Iowa-based photographer, artist, and retired graphic designer with a career spanning more than 30 years. A camera has been a constant companion throughout my life, capturing the beauty of the world around me. Landscape photography is my greatest passion, though I also enjoy architecture and travel photography.
In 2020, my husband encouraged me to pursue photography more seriously, leading me to take a master class to strengthen my technical skills and artistic vision. Since then, photography has become both a creative outlet and the place where I am happiest. I enjoy traveling throughout the United States and abroad, capturing the beauty and character of the places I visit while meeting fellow photographers and making lasting connections along the way.
Kathy King - My photographic journey began with my grandfather's Polaroid and a patient mother who eventually gave up her laundry room to my makeshift darkroom. As a kid I lugged a Kodak Brownie everywhere—some of those shots are still "horrific"—but I was hooked on the magic of developing a story in the dark.
Life took a detour: I traded National Geographic dreams for a Chemical Engineering degree, then after a decade of engineering (and a first husband) that didn't click, I opened a coffee, bakery, and bookstore in Borrego Springs, trading shutter speed for caffeine and carbs for ten years.
After closing the shop and studying for my real estate license, I picked up my camera again. When the pandemic hit, I needed a creative outlet and started photographing the hummingbirds in my yard—a spark that reignited everything, including a renewed friendship with my frequent shooting partner, Paulette Donnellon.
Today my heart belongs to wildlife photography, though I'm always chasing new perspectives in landscapes and macros—whether stalking a leopard in the Serengeti or waiting for golden hour on the desert floor. It's never too late to develop the life you want—no chemicals required.
Wendy Perl - My passion for photography began in childhood and led to a degree in Industrial Arts and Photography from SDSU, where I photographed for the university yearbook. I went on to spend over 25 years at NBC in Burbank, starting as a Page and expanding into developing film and shooting for NBC shows and events—including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, as well as Bob Hope’s 90th Birthday Celebration. Throughout my career, I have also shot for Lifetime TV, Fox News, movie sets, high school and college sports, headshots, website media, engagements, weddings, and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.
As I approach 65, I am shifting my focus toward fine art photography—exploring new places, capturing details, and creating images purely for the joy of it. I look forward to connecting with fellow photographers and sharing this next chapter with the club.
Mary Schrader - My focus is wildlife photography. My background is actually in theatre and design, and I think that still influences the way I see the world through a camera. I am drawn to light, composition, atmosphere and, most of all, emotion. For me, the most memorable wildlife photographs are not simply about documenting an animal. They are about capturing the animal's character, emotion, and presence.
My work has been recognized in international wildlife photography competitions and published around the world, but what means the most to me is when someone tells me that one of my images made them stop, look a little longer, and feel a connection.
Janie Anderson - Based in San Diego, I use photography to honor and celebrate the world around me. Whether I’m photographing wildlife and other creatures, people, or the unexpected moments that catch my eye, I’m drawn to images that tell a story, reveal character, or simply invite the viewer to pause and look a little closer. My photography takes me throughout San Diego and around the world, always looking for the next subject that inspires me.
I’m an active member of several photography and philanthropy groups, and I especially enjoy the camaraderie, learning, and creative exchange that come from being part of a photography community. My work has received awards and has been published in both local and national publications. For me, photography is an ongoing adventure—one that continually gives me new ways to see and appreciate the world.
Patrick Maurer, I am San Diego-based. I’ve had a camera within reach for as
long as I can remember, and like many photographers, my journey has ebbed
and flowed. Over the years, I’ve tried just about everything: documentary, clubs,
abstract, underwater, or whatever I could point a lens at. I thought landscapes
would be my focus until wildlife photography found me. Being outdoors,
photographing mammals in their natural environment, fills my soul. I love sharing
the stories of animals and conservation, currently on Instagram.
https//www.instagram.com/patrickmaurerphotography