Member Bios
Group Admin
Vincent Cochain, EPSA
Born in 1964 in Belgium, I began to have interest in photography in 2009… and I bought a Nikon D90. I didn't know anything about photography.
I tried to take pictures, but it was "souvenirs" pictures.
I liked to take pictures of dance (my daughter) and of the nature (animals).
In 2013 I joined a photo club. There were some people with a lot of experience. This was very useful for me, fi, I learned the necessity to work in RAW and to "develop" the picture. Indeed it was necessary...
In 2015 I began to participate at international contests, just to try.
In 2017, I participated at a lot of contests, with some results. I will ask my first star in four Divisions soon this year.
My favorite themes are still spectacles, natures, and when it is possible, some street pictures.
I participated two times at photo trip organized by the Nikon School of France, in Tanzania in 2013 and In India in 2016. Marvelous experience.
There are still so many beautiful subjects to photograph and I want to improve my pictures. These are my objectives.
Murphy Hektner, APSA
About myself: I am a retired construction superintendent, I live with my wife Marilyn in northwest Washington State. We have two grown sons and three grandsons. Along with photography I enjoy nature, gardening, hiking in the Cascade Mountains, traveling, fine restaurants, and spending time with good friends.
About my photography: I am a long time member of both PSA having joined in 1968 and the Mt. Baker Camera Club. In past years I entered PSA International Exhibitions in both Open and Nature Divisions and that was a very good learning experience. Today I am active in PSA Digital Dialogue groups #11 Monochrome -- #63 Close-up and #75 Flowers and Plants.
I started out using Pentax film cameras and with the arrival of the digital age acquired some full frame Nikon gear. My primary focus is on nature photography and close-up photography is a special interest, then I also enjoy other types of photography. I use Elements for post-processing. I like the challenges of creativity offered in digital photography.
Alison Johnson
British/American located in Mid West. New to digital photography; Spring 2024. Shoot with a Nikon Z6ii. Like shooting across several categories, macro, street, sports, architecture and landscapes.
John Helmer
I was born in NE Indiana and currently live in West Michigan near the shores of Lake Michigan.
I am retired from the field of Medical Imaging focused to Cardiology having worked 20 years in Nuclear Cardiology and 20 years as a Sales Manager for a Cardiology products Company.
I was first introduced to Photography as a young child by my Grandfather who is also my namesake. We would travel around the State of Indiana taking photos of old covered bridges with a glass plate camera which I enjoyed tremendously.
Since retiring I am spending more time in Photography specifically focused to Flowers and Landscapes. I am a new member of PSA having learned of the organization from another attendee at a recent Landscape Photography Class in Banff National Park in Alberta Canada.
I currently shoot with a Nikon D850 but recently added the Nikon 7ii mirrorless camera to my bag. I primarily utilize Lightroom for processing and enjoy the challenge in fine-tuning digital images.
I truly enjoy the art of Photography and capturing all the aspects of Nature.
Gaetan Manuel
I am Gaetan Manuel and I am from Mauritius, a small island in the south-west Indian Ocean. I retired end of March of this year. I worked at the Mauritius Meteorological Service as a Meteorological Technician for almost 43 years. I have two children and a grandson. One of my hobby since my retirement is photography but unfortunately, because of Covid-19, access to many sites is limited or prohibited.
It was about 18 years ago when I went to Singapore with my wife and had brought with me a Minolta AF Zoom 65 film camera, just to get some snapshots. Unfortunately, the camera started to have problems and I decided to buy a small digital camera. I opted for a small Vivitar 1.3MP as I was short of money. It soon proved inadequate and I changed first to a Canon Power Shot A95, then a Samsung point and shoot and finally to my first DSLR - a Nikon D60. Today, I own a Nikon D7200 and a D750 together with some lenses, among which the Nikon 28-300mm, Sigma 70-200mm and the Nikon 50mm f1.4 AF. When I bought my D60, I joined the 'Cercle des Artistes Photographes', a group of pro and amateur photographers in Mauritius. I am a member of the Cape Town Photographic Society. I like landscape and macro and would also be interested in doing some street photography and still life, but I am afraid to go out in the streets alone. Wild life? Well, in Mauritius, we do not have much wild life.
Mo Devlin
A seasoned photographer with roughly 50 years of diverse experience, Morrell 'MO Devlin continues to experiment and push his creative core.
He first became interested in photography as a high school student in Tamaqua (class of 73) and honed his craft while serving for a decade in the US Army working in the American Forces Radio and Television division. He has explored many photographic subjects, from tropical fish to presidents and celebrities and has published and exhibited work internationally.
Mo worked for NBC for 21 years, then left to create his own advertising agency, which he owns and operates today. Mo’s points of interest are very eclectic, ranging from tropical fish to frozen flowers.
Mo shoots all Nikon from speedlights to camera and lens. The majority of his recent work is with the new Z9 and 105 macro lens.