Member Bios
Andres Valdespino
My interest in photography started in high school and has only increased with time. I have been shooting with a digital SLR for over 20 years. Now that I am retired, I hope to spend more time both shooting and processing with the many tools now at our disposal. My wife and I live in Amenia, New York. We love to travel, where I have done the bulk of my shooting, and spend time in New York City.
Michael Hrankowski
Michael is a life-long resident of the Seattle area. His interest in photography dates back to high school in the 1970s. In college, Michael was the official photographer for his fraternity, Delta Chi. After graduating from Dental School in 1982, the bulk of his photography was dental-related for patient documentation and presentation purposes. His "for fun" photography was limited to vacation travel.
Now mostly retired, Michael has been immersing himself in photography as an art form. He does not yet have a favorite genre, so Michael's photos span the gamut. Stylistically speaking, though, he is drawn to altering his images to give them a different "look" utilizing the myriad of available editing applications.
Robert Coleman
I am a recently retired physician and now have time to devote to his hobbies of photography, fishing, and beekeeping. In addition my wife and I hope to travel during this work-optional phase of our lives. Our current plans include visits to National Parks and enjoying time at our home in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC.
Although, I have enjoyed photography for years, I still consider myself to be an "advanced beginner." My current interests are travel photography and documenting the wonders of nature that exist in our suburban backyard.
I look forward to honing my skills while working with this digital dialogue group.
Group Admin
Ruth Sprain
I live in Loveland, Colorado with my husband. We have two married children and three adorable grandchildren. I retired from teaching and have pursued an interest in photography ever since. My husband and I love to travel and take photos of new places. I have found that as a member of a Digital Dialogue group, I am further developing my photographic skills. I also enjoy watercolor painting and Plein Aire sketching in the natural areas near my home.
Kieu-Hanh Vu
(La biographie en français suit.) I am currently a Systems Analyst working in Washington DC. I learned to use Photoshop via a Computer Graphics course in college back in 2002 and was very interested in the power of Photoshop tools before starting to learn about photography. I started in photography by joining Vietnamese Photographic Society (VNPS) in 2006, using point-and-shoot camera, and slowly moved to SLR digital camera - Canon EOS 30D. I currently use Canon EOS 50D to capture my images. Photojournalism and nature photography are my main interests. I have been a member of Northern Virginia Photographic Society (NVPS) since 2008. I learned about PSA via VNPS and I am looking forward to improve my photography skills through this program.
J'ai découvert la photographie d’une manière non-conventionnelle. J'ai pris un cours informatique graphique au collège et été très intéressé par la puissance des outils d’Illustrator et Photoshop que j'ai appris pour appliquer mes compétences. Je me suis jointe au Vietnamese Photographic Society (VNPS) en 2006, et je suis membre de la Northern Virginia Photographic Society (NVPS) depuis 2008.
Mes intérêts sont principalement la photographie de nature et le photojournalisme. Quand je prends une image, je suis intéressée par les gens et leurs histoires, et les thèmes de la vie car ils sont toujours plus importants pour moi que le processus de la photographie elle-même.
Je travaille à Washington, DC, en tant qu’analyste de système. J'utilise la photographie pour me détendre et réduire le stress de mon style de vie très occupée. Comme le français n'est pas ma langue maternelle, j'espère que l'adhésion à ce groupe m'aidera à améliorer mes compétences en photographie ainsi que mon français.
Mary Ann Carrasco
I live in Sacramento, CA. Photography has always been an interest but I did not seriously pursue it until I retired in 2013. Currently, I am using a Nikon D500 and my lenses consist of a wide angle (10-20); Tamron 18-400 and Tamron 150-600. I like shooting wildlife, landscapes, flowers and whatever I come across. Lately, I have explored some astro photography, including the recent comet and the milky way. I look forward to participating in this dialogue, continuing to learn and explore.
Joan Field, FPSA
Joan Field and her husband, George, lived in New Jersey for 26 years before moving to CA, George's home state, in 1989. They spent four + years in Danville (near San Francisco) and another four years in the Los Angeles (Orange County) area, when in 1997 they returned to Danville.
Joan has been a member of various camera clubs since 1984 when she purchased her first 35 mm camera. The Contra Costa Camera Club is her current affiliation, but she has also been a member of the ACES (Anaheim Camera Enthusiasts Club) in Orange County, CA and the West Essex Camera Club in New Jersey. Joan had been a member of several slide circuits since 1985 and is now administrator of the Digital Imaging Print Circuit #4 and DD circuits #21 and 15. She was the chair for the PSA Newsletter Contest for five years.
She is a generalist in photography. Today her primary interest is in correcting and creating images using Photoshop and printing, her favorite being monochrome.
Her digital camera is the Nikon D750. She uses an iMac 27″, Bridge and Photoshop 2021 nd also has an Intel based PowerBook Pro. Her lenses include the Nikkor 29-300 VR and the Rokinon 14mm wide angle lens, an 80-400 mm Nikkor VR, a Tamron 150 - 600mm lens and a 90 mm Tamron macro lens.
She received her FPSA in OIctober of 2021.