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Board Members

Stephanie Drake President  

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I was first introduced to photography through the newspaper and yearbook staff in high school, but really fell in love with the craft after buying my first digital camera in college and taking it with me on a senior trip to Italy. Since then, photography has served me as an occasional hobby to a full-time job and everything in between. I’ve photographed concerts and other live events, sports, weddings, portraits, pets, wildlife, nature, and architecture to name a few, and have had images featured in magazines, newspapers and other publications, as well as have prints displayed in private and public collections. I would describe myself as having a photojournalistic approach to most of my subjects but lately have started experimenting more with small studio setups at home. My gear of choice is currently a Fuji mirrorless system, but I still love the full frame look of my old Canon 6D. Since moving to Orlando 6 years ago, I’ve found myself drawn to photographing the abundance of birds and wildlife that call Florida home. My focus for the past few years has been primarily on raising my young family, but joining the Orlando Camera Club in 2020 has given me the space to explore photography as a hobby again in new and interesting ways. The quality and variety of field trips, guest speakers, competitions, and other educational opportunities offered through the Club are exceptional and I am thrilled and humbled to be serving on the Board of Directors.
 

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President Elect

 

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Vicepresident

Francisco
Gonzalez
 

Vice President

 

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Laura Howell Secretary  

 

 

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Laura Howell began pursuing her interest in photography in 2002.  Since her focus on photography, she has become a distinguished and award-winning photographic artist.

Her pursuit of the photographic arts is “a search for those powerful opportunities when light, detail and perspective unite to produce an evocative image of moment and meaning.”  She works in both color and black and white to create images that encompass a diverse variety of styles and subjects.

Originally from Northern Virginia, Laura was an active member of the League of Reston Artists, the Vienna Photographic Society and the Northern Virginia Photographic Society.  She now resides in Clermont, Florida and is currently a member of the South Lake Art League, the South Lake Photo Club, the Orlando Camera Club and the In-Focus Camera Club.

Primarily a self-taught photographer, her education includes photography courses from the Northern Virginia Community College as well as several workshops from well-respected photographers.

Her unique images have won numerous awards with the Vienna Photographic Society, the Northern Virginia Photographic Society the League of Reston Artists, the South Lake Photo Club, the Orlando Camera Club and the Florida Camera Club Council. Her image, “Hidden Egret”, won The Image of the Year award 2019 at the Orlando Camera Club’s year-end Banquet.

She is currently a member of the Artisans gallery in Mount Dora, Florida.

Her work has also been chosen for various exhibits with the Winter Garden Art Association’s SoBo Art Gallery in Winter Garden, FL.

George Stedronsky Treasurer

F3C liaison

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Brian Miller

 

Sponsorship Chair [email protected]
 

 

Jack Berkstresser Director At Large  

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Carol Winardi Librarian

Community Service

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Originally from Rhode Island I moved to Florida in 1985 with my husband.  I began in photography with a Pentax K1000 and ME Super.  Landscape, travel and family photography were the things I focused on at that time.  I began using digital when my son began rowing for the Edgewater Crew team.  I became one of the team photographers and have continued to expand and improve my photography skills ever since.  As a member of the Orlando Camera Club I became involved in Community Service photography for various groups including Ronald McDonald House, Volunteers for Community Impact, Dreamflight, and numerous other charitable organizations. I have been involved with Community Service since as the Chairperson and have a wonderful group of photographers who regularly help me out with those projects.  I recently have developed an interest in wildlife photography and love to take weekend trips to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. I continue to improve my skills with the help of those at the club and lots of practice.
 

Misty Bozzacco

 

Competitions  

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Randy Seaman

Judging [email protected]
 

Betty Walden

 

Programs and Events [email protected]
After a 35-year career as a high school science teacher, I decided to buy an entry level DSLR and learn photography.  The first thing I did was to enroll in a beginning photography class at Crealde School of Art, where I literally learned to turn the camera on and use it.  I continued to take a new class each semester and grew to absolutely love photography.  I’m still pretty new to photography, so I joined OCC to meet other photographers and continue to learn.  My favorite subjects are wildlife, coastal environments and natural light dog photography.  Photography is a great excuse to be outdoors!  I am happiest in the muddy wetlands photographing birds, trying to capture the subtle beauty of Florida’s landscape, or chasing wet sandy dogs down the beach.  It’s always an adventure!
 

Mike Vincent

 

Audio Visual [email protected]
 Kathy Bargar  

Kathy Bargar

 

Communications

 

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My interest in photography started when I earned my girl scout badge for photography and was inspired by my Dad’s interest in photography.  After moving to Orlando, I discovered Crealde School of Art, where I took every photography course available and spent many hours in the dark room developing black and white images.  After a long break from photography, I returned to my passion when digital DSLR cameras became mainstream.  With a used camera and a couple of lenses, I joined the Orlando Camera Club to take advantage of all the learning opportunities they had to offer.  It is just incredible how much knowledge is being shared today through social media that was not available in the film days.  What I most love about photography is how it opens your eyes to the world around you while you take a closer look.  I love to go off to new places to discover what may appear before my lens.  I am always looking to learn new things and improve my photography.  My favorite subjects are wildlife, sports, and landscapes.

My images can be seen on Kathy’s Flickr Account

 

 

Mary Wood

 

Director of Membership

 

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After a 35 year career as a corporate pilot/flight instructor I was looking for a new challenge in my retirement. I was introduced to digital photography thru a friend. I love the technical aspects of shooting plus the fact that it forces you to ‘live in the moment’. Each picture is unique and never the same. My favorite genre is studio glamour shots of pet rabbits although I have broadened my talents thru the Orlando Camera Club which I have been a member of for 10 years.
 

 

Rita Ritner

 

Field Trips

 

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I have been a photography enthusiast since I received my first “Brownie Camera” in elementary school. I have always been interested in all forms of art, and now I’m adding “digital art” to the list. I graduated from FSU in 1981, and started my Masters Degree in Art History in Florence, Italy…never finished it as life got in the way.

I am now elevating my passion for photography, and taking it to the next level, and that started when I joined the Orlando Camera Club in 2015. I recently retired from my career as a legal receptionist for the last 25 years, and am trading in my headset for a Sony A7iii Mirrorless with all the accoutrements…I like to say that I’m now “unplugged and rewired!”

I like all genres of photography, but my personal favorites are macro (flowers), landscapes, nature and architecture. There is no better place to explore this passion than with OCC.

 

 

Shara Abel

 

Social Media

 

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Shara Abel invites viewers on journeys of the imagination, beyond traditional photography.

Each piece begins with her imagination and multiple layers of her original photos. Incorporating a detailed process of dismantling, editing, and reconstruction Shara creates a new, unique piece of art which then tells a story of its own.

These stories are offered to viewers as an opportunity to pause, reflect and connect with the emotional and spiritual dimensions within themselves and others.

Shara has always sensed a kindred spirit to surrealism, as well the blending of different patterns, colors, and elements.  Add in the unusual and thought-provoking aspects of life and it seemed a natural progression to merge these styles together into her own work.

In 2019 Shara completed the New York Institute of Photography program and continues to learn by persistent study and experimentation.  She is very grateful to the artists and photographers who have shared their knowledge along the way.

Her work has been well received and won many awards. It has appeared in multiple exhibits, at museums and galleries, used commercially and is held in private collections.

Inspiration comes to Shara in many forms… things she sees, feels, dreams, imagines, and believes in.  She states that an exciting part of the adventure is never knowing what the next story will be.

 

 

Annette Khaled

 

Education

 

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Mike Vincent

 

Parliamentarian

 

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Pat Husband

 

Director of IT and Webmaster

Past President (2021-2022)

 

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  Pat is a third generation Floridian whom has spend her professional life as a software engineer working on training and simulation software systems for the military as a defense contractor. Pat is currently retired and taken up photography as a hobby.  Pat is a novice but passionate photographer who does not yet call herself a photographer.  She is striving to improve her photography thru education and practice.  She mostly focuses on nature but practices with all subject matter.  Pat’s photography history can be seen here Pat’s Flickr Account
 

Deborah Seaman

 

Past President (2022-2023)

My journey with photography began on the other side of the camera as a fashion model in my teens and twenties. I was fascinated by the lighting, color, and the composition of a fashion shoot. I had always been active in artistic pursuits such as painting and design, but I had never used a camera for more than snapshots. Luckily, one of the photographers that I was working with saw my interest and loaned me his Nikon F2. Of course, as were all cameras at that time, it was a film format. I learned a lot during that period and later was given a Pentax K1000, which I still have today. When the first Nikon DSLR came out, I decided to switch formats to digital and with the advent of the mirrorless format, I now use the Nikon Z6 as my main camera.

Before the pandemic I shot a lot of events and street photography with my husband and muse, Randy. I like to catch interesting people being themselves. What draws me to a subject is texture and detail whether it is in color or black and white. I love to capture macro images, abstracts, people, and architecture in a way that conveys an emotion or story. Some have said that my work is dark and moody which I take as a compliment.

Ansa du Toit
 

Past President (2020-2021)

Ansa du Toit, who grew up in South Africa, resides in Orlando, Florida, with her husband and two children.  Originally inspired by her father’s enthusiasm for photography, Ansa now works as a professional photographer, shooting creative portraits, headshots and weddings.  She also produces fine art images that includes landscapes, abstracts, macro and amazing high-speed water photography.  Ansa’s work has been exhibited at Crealdè School of Art, Osceola Arts, the Winter Garden Art Gallery and a show titled ‘Composing with Color’ in Paris.  She is a certified Florida Camera Club Council (F3C) judge and has taught high school photography.

As an artist, Ansa feels that capturing the light is everything!  Its elusive quality can transform a figure or a landscape in just a matter of seconds.  She strives to convey that sense of place and emotion by capturing its fleeting magic with her camera.  Her work wins many awards from the Orlando Camera Club and achieves high scores in F3C competitions.  Samples of her work can be viewed at www.AnsaduToit.com.

  Matt Klinger  

Past President (2019-2020)

Matt worked in the food service/hospitality industry for over 27 years, followed by another 5 years in the luxury transportation field.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Shippensburg University, and is originally from south central Pennsylvania. He now works full time growing his photography business and lives with his wife Julie in Winter Garden.
Although a photography enthusiast for many years, Matt only began shooting seriously within the last ten years.  He has photographed weddings, business conventions/meetings, portraits, real estate/architecture, fine art images, and digital composites, and sold work to various clients in all of those genres.
Samples of his work can be viewed at http://www.mattklingerphotography.com/
Ron Lawrence Past President (2018-2019)
George Crudo Past President (2017-2018)
George specializes in food, real estate and architectural photography.  He is a food photography instructor for the Bryan Peterson School of Photography and was recently ranked in the top 18 real estate photographers in Orlando, Fl.  His food images are sold internationally for use in cookbooks, restaurant menus, advertising and on the web.   He is represented by agencies such as Getty Images and Stockfoodhttp://www.georgecrudo.com/
   

Julie Lee

 

Past President (2016-2017)

Julie has broad photographic experience from portraiture, events and sports to nature/landscapes, to abstracts.  She likes to find beauty in her subjects and strives to create still images that portray what it felt like to be present in the moment of capture.  Her long-term personal projects include macro flower and infrared photography.  Julie’s images can be viewed and purchased via her website www.julieleephoto.com, at 500px.com/julielee or on occasion at 127 SOBO Art Gallery in Winter Garden, Florida.   Follow her on Instagram  @julieleeusa and on Facebook at facebook.com/julieleephoto.
   

Barry Kirsch

 

Past President (2015-2016)

 

Photographer Barry Kirsch, is a veteran photojournalist and commercial photographer with over four decades’ experience behind the lens.  Barry says his early photojournalism days helped imbibe him with a deep love of story.

“I find that the smallest details are often what reveal the biggest and most intriguing facets of a story,” says Barry.  “My work leverages those often over-looked details to create stunning images that captivate viewers and beckon them to lean in and discover more.”

Barry’s signature style is anchored in: his mastery of unconventional lighting techniques; his use of uncommon angles and composition; and his artful ability to powerfully communicate complex feeling and mood with a single photographic image.

Barry is a member of the National Press Photographers Association, WPPI, Lightstalkers and founder of iPress News and Iron Robot Films.  His new role as Director of the feature film, “Chasing Photons” is the logical next step in his career.

 

 

Cliff Morris Jr.

 

Past President (2014-2015)

 

I am Dean Emeritus of the Department of Mathematics at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. I retired in April of 2005 after 30 years both teaching and managing the Department of Mathematics.  I continue to teach Mathematics both in the US and abroad annually in Cape Town, South Africa.

I am a photography hobbyist who enjoys taking lifestyle images, landscapes, and occasional portraits.  I began a more serious photographic journey while raising my children with my wife Angela.  My first camera was an Olympus OM-10 film camera.  We made beautiful images over a significant period of our younger lives.  With teaching and continuing my graduate schooling, I fell away from photography.

I was invited by People to People International to visit the country of South Africa with 37 Mathematics colleagues in the year 2000. Digital photography was just seriously hitting the markets.  A great friend and manager of the Valencia bookstore Dee Dee Tighe first offered, then sold me a Sony digital camera to take to South Africa.  It was an immediate hit with both the travelers (we viewed the daily images at an internet café each evening and sent 10 – 15 images over the web to my wife, an elementary school teacher) and the children and school staff we encountered.  Our colleagues on the trip, Angela’s faculty cohorts, and I were enthralled with this burgeoning technology and I was hooked. Needless to say, I have collected as of this date, over 37,000 images taken over the last several years. I currently own a Nikon D700 and Fujifilm xt-1.

Orlando Camera Club

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Winter Park, FL 32790

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