Member Bios
Group Admin
Dr V G Mohanan Nair, APSA, QPSA
I belong to Trivandrum, Kerala state ("God's Own Country"), the southern part of India. Did my post-graduation from Kerala University and Doctorate from Kurukshetra University. I was working as a Chief Scientist at the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvanathapuram, till April 2016. Photography, travel and listening to music are my hobbies
Even though I was attracted towards photography from childhood, I purchased my first camera, an Agfa-Isolly-II (120mm fixed focus) from my first salary in 1980. After 13 years, in 1993 I got a professional camera Pentax K1000. Two more digital cameras and one 3D camera were added to my small collection subsequently. In May 2022, I got a new Canon R5 camera with RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye lens.
The interest in photography as an art started after my visit to XXIII All India Salon of Photography by the Lucknow Camera Club. I joined this club to learn more about photography and started participating in local as well as national salons. I took PSA membership in 2003. I do not have much dark room experience as my photographs are developed and printed at professional studios. Digital images are processed by self using Photoshop (Ver. 6 & CS). From 2012, I am mainly concentrating on 3D photography. Received the Associate of PSA (APSA) in 2016. I consider myself as a student of photography as well as Photoshop and look forward to learning these from other experienced members of PSA.
Renee Nalley
I first got into photography back in middle school when my parents got me a simple Kodak point & shoot camera. From there on I really enjoyed taking pictures of animals and random nature around the house or when we went on a trip. In high school I got involved in the school's yearbook committee where I took the majority of the pictures of the different school events.
After college I started getting back into taking pictures, taking a few classes at the Cleveland Photographic Society in my free time. Now since I have a lot more time than I did in school, I would like to spend more time learning how to be a better photographer.
I currently use a Sony A3000. This past year I started learning how to use photoshop to apply simple adjustments to photographs making them look better and to crop images. Taking pictures of animals and nature are most enjoyable to me, and I've started to delve into the world of macro photography.
My educational background is in Computer Science, and I currently work as an Network Engineer for a local Electric Company where I manage microwave radio systems and different types of computer networks.
Joan Funk
I got my first SLR when I graduated from college and headed to Europe on $3 a day for 10 weeks. Returning to the U.S. and giving birth to 2 children, I took endless snapshots of their well-documented childhoods. After they were grown, I got more serious about photography and took classes for 4 years at the Delray School of the Arts (formerly Old School Square) with the amazing Jack Wild, until he retired. I belong to the Boynton Beach Camera Club and the Valencia Palms Photo Club, and enjoy participating in both (and help to run the latter). Although I am happy photographing most anything, I seem to have gravitated to photojournalism and travel photography, though striving to make my photos “fine art.”
My Nikon D7100 got to be too heavy for me and has morphed into a Sony A6300, not the same quality, but still a good camera. I use Lightroom 6 as my home base, and go to Photoshop CS6 and NIK software as needed when I am editing photos.
My education includes a Masters in Computers in Education, followed by a job at IBM in their K-12 Education Department, developing curriculum and software for using computers in classrooms. After IBM mostly pulled out of education and South Florida, I worked for several technology start-ups that didn’t succeed, and then retired to become a photographer. Six years later, I am still becoming a photographer. I have much to learn and lots of room for improvement, but am grateful to have a consuming interest that provides exciting life-long learning for me.
Walter Naumann
Other than borrowing my father’s Brownie I started photography with a Kodak Retina, a German made folding bellows pocket 35mm camera with iris aperture and shutter. My college roommate dropped it in salt water and threw it away. I soaked it a sink of fresh water while I attended classes and then completely disassembled, cleaned and reassembled it. I used it for years after. I couldn’t afford a light meter so I learned light the hard way and my physics education helped with the technical details. I could not afford to print the photos until years later and just looked at the black and white negatives.
Later I obtained a BS in physics, married Kay, then worked up to Director of Engineering developing instrumentation. I had a series of range finder cameras and a Pentax K1000 SLR with a good set of lenses trying to do available-light action photos of my son and daughter ballet dancing. I switched to digital early with a 1 megapixel Agfa in about 1995. In 2003 I needed a camera for large depth of field photos for a product development business in a hurry. Samy’s Camera recommended a Canon D350, Rebel XT so I bought it. After a series of avocations from commercial license, instrument flying in our Beechcraft Bonanza airplane, to sailing with a Macgregor 26, home remodeling, getting a general contractor license, and a stint at cooking, I moved on to better photography.
I took two community college classes, joined the Channel Cities Camera Club, and bought a Canon 5D MkII in 2011. I used to think I was a pretty good photographer but after perhaps the largest quantity of rejected images I now know better. Most recently I joined the PSA in 2012, I have enrolled in a PSA individualized instruction class and the PSA EID Study Group 16.
Barath Karthi R K
Bio Coming Soon . . .
Bogdan Bricelj, MPSA, GMPSA, EFIAP/p
I was born in the year 1958 in town Jesenice, Slovenia. I graduated at Faculty of electrical engineering in Ljubljana. I was working for 9 years in steel factory as service engineer. Since the year 1990 I'm manager and co-owner of a computer company.
I was learning the art of photography and developing of black and white photos in the photo school in primary school. After that I pass over to slides. In 1973 my first slide was accepted on a state exhibition. More than thirty years I had an ordinary Praktica without any electronics on all my journeys.
I bought my first digital camera in the year 2004. All these years I use compact cameras with large zoom. In my opinion photographer is more important then the camera like driver is more important than the car. Although digital photography allows a lot of possibilities of photo modifying, my photos are as much as possible pure representation of moments captured. I prefer to make photos of nature: animals, flowers and landscape. I also like macro and underwater photography. The other preferred theme is sports, especially outdoor sports like skiing, ski jumping, kayak and swimming. Mostly I go photographing together with my wife Danila.
In the year 2005 I joined to the photographic club Fotografsko drustvo Jesenice. I'm sending photos to many exhibitions worldwide. In the year 2018 I've got title EFIAP/p and in 2019 GMPSA. Until now I have made 29 exhibitions of my own. I was the president of photographic club since 2009 to 2017. In these years the club was first or second most successful club in Slovenia.
My photographs were published in many Slovenian and foreign books, magazines and other publications. I've written also four articles for PSA Journal. I'm especially proud, that also National Geographic has published my photos.
Terry Campanella
I am a retired teacher that is still passionate about learning. When I retired in 2012, I joined the Coral Springs Camera Club and purchased my first DSLR. I feel I am still very much in the exploration stage of learning to use my camera, edit pictures and choosing subjects to photograph. Traveling, playing with my nine grandchildren and finding little adventures close to home keep me very busy.