Bio
As a photojournalist, my career has been dedicated to documenting some of humanity’s most intimate truths. Visual reportage has the power to open our minds by transporting us into another person’s life situation, ideally with compassion, eschewing any sensationalism. This is our most noble role: to be the voice for those who traditionally have no voice.
There are moments that need no explanation; the moments that can be humorous, or ironic, sentimental or pure poetry. These moments reveal the humanity in all of us. Recognizing these moments and recording them is the highest goal for myself and other dyed in the wool photojournalists. Over 30 years I have seen many changes in the profession, and never lost my love for the art of visual storytelling. I miss the thrill of watching black-and-white images appear in the darkroom trays, yet embrace the opportunities for enhanced storytelling that I have learned using sound and video as well as digital color stills.
Work Experience:
1998-present Staff Photographer, San Diego Union-Tribune
2008 Photography Instructor; Wounded Marine Career Foundation
1992-1996 Staff Photographer, The State (newspaper), Columbia, South Carolina
1991-1992 Staff Photographer, The Daily Breeze (newspaper) Torrance, CA.
1986-1991 Staff Photographer, Long Beach (CA) Press-Telegram
1985-1986 Staff Photographer/writer San Pedro (CA) News-Pilot
1984-1985 Staff Photographer/writer West Seattle (WA) Herald
Professional Involvement:
2011 Faculty, Missouri Photo Workshop; Clinton, MO.
2011 Speaker at College of Journalism; Photojournalism; Thessaloniki, Greece
2010 Faculty, Missouri Photo Workshop; Macon, MO.
2008 Faculty, Missouri Photo Workshop; St. James, MO.
2004 Organizer, Women in Photojournalism Conference Photo Contest Coordinator
2003 Speaker, Women in Photojournalism Conference, Phoenix
2002–2006 Member, Board of Directors for AjA Project, an organization that teaches immigrant youth
photography in San Diego, Laos, Cambodia, Burma and Somalia
2002 Participant, Unity Journalists Conference, Washington, D.C.
2002 Faculty, (week-long) Pinnacle Workshop in San Jose, CA
2001 Faculty, Pinnacle Workshop
2001 Judge, National Press Photographers’ Assn. Pictures of the Year International (POYi) contest
2000–present Member, Society of Environmental Journalists
2000–2005 Member, National Association of Hispanic Journalists
2000–2005 Union-Tribune Summer Intern mentor
2000 Judge and Speaker, Arizona/Nevada Press Photographers Association annual contest
1999-present, member of Asian American Journalists’ Association
1999 Participant, Unity Journalists Conference, Seattle, WA.
1998 Instructor, Ohio University, undergraduate photography
1997 Instructor, Ohio University, undergraduate beginning photography and graduate seminar preparing students
for internships
1997 Keynote Speaker, Women in Photojournalism Conference, Seattle
1996 Judge and Speaker, Illinois/Michigan Press Photographers Association annual contest
1995 Faculty, (week-long) Western Kentucky University’s Mountain People’s Workshop
1994 Speaker, Southern Photography Short Course
1994 Participant, Unity Journalists Association, Atlanta, GA.
1993 Judge, NPPA – POY contest
1992 Judge and Speaker, Wisconsin Press Photographers Association annual contest
1992 Faculty/Speaker, Flying Short Course in Photography
1992 Faculty, (three week long) International Photojournalism Workshop (Hungary) with University of Missouri,
Reuters of London, National Geographic
1991 Judge, NPPA – College POY contest
1991 Faculty, International Photojournalism Workshop (Bulgaria)
1991 Faculty, WKU Mountain People’s Workshop
1987 – 1992 Region 10 Freedom of Information Committee Chairperson
1985 – 1990 Co-editor, F-10 Forum, regional publication for professional photographers
Books:
2007 Staff photographer, America at Home published by DK (Rick Smolan and David Cohen)
2005 Staff photographer, Day in the Life of the American Woman published by EpiCom Media
2005 contributing photographer, In Search of America published by Peter Jennings
2003 Self-published book Down In Dixie, a photo documentary
2003 Staff photographer, America 24/7, California 24/7 (published by DK (Rick Smolan and David Cohen)
1991 Photo exhibit “Who You Are I Am” at Homeland Cultural Center, Long Beach, CA.
1986 contributing photographer, Day in the Life of Washington (WA state)
magazines contributed to:
Tages Antzeigen (Zurich), Stern Magazine (Germany), Time Magazine, Newsweek Magazine, People Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Reportage Magazine (London)
Awards:
2006 National Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) First Place Feature Photo
2005 National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) First Place Picture Story
2003 National Association Hispanic Journalists; First Place Feature Pictures
2001 National Headliner News Photo
2001 National Association Asian Journalists; First Place Feature Pictures
2001 APNEC (Associated Press News Executive Council) Second Place National Picture Story
2001 National Press Photographers’ Assn. (NPPA) Regional Photographer of the Year
1998 NPPA – Pictures of the Year (POY) First Place Feature Picture Story
1998 Winner of Alexia Foundation for World Peace and Cultural Understanding Professional Photographer’s Grant
1995 NPPA – POY Judges Special Recognition Community Awareness Award
1995 Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar Photographer of the Year
1995 Southern Photographer of the Year
1994 NPPA – POY Second Place One Week’s Work
1994 Southern Photographer of the Year (runner-up)
1992 Greater L.A. Press Photographer’s Assn. (GLAPPA) Photographer of the Year
1991 GLAPPA Photographer of the Year
1991 California Press Photographers’ Association Photographer of the Year (second place)
1990 CPPA Photographer of the Year (second place)
1990 NPPA – POY First Place One Week’s Work
1990 NPPA – POY Second Place One Week’s Work
1990 GLAPPA Photographer of the Year (second place)
1989 CPPA Photographer of the Year (third place)
1989 GLAPPA Photographer of the Year
1988 NPPA – POY Second Place One Week’s Work
1988 NPPA – POY Third Place One Week’s Work
1988 GLAPPA Photographer of the Year
1988 NPPA – POY First Place One Week’s Work
1987 GLAPPA Photographer of the Year
1986 NPPA – POY Honorable Mention Sports Action Photo
Education:
2007 UCSD Extension courses in multi-media; Flash and web design
2006 Knight Fellowship to USC – Annenberg School of Journalism, U.C. Berkeley; week-long Convergence
Workshop on Converging new multimedia technology within the newsroom
2004 Knight Fellowship to USC – Annenberg School of Journalism at USC campus, week-long seminar on Water
in the new West
1998 Ohio University, M.S. in Visual Communication Management/Journalism
(awarded Most Outstanding Journalism Student from Scripps School of Journalism)
1996 – 1997 Knight Fellowship to Ohio University
1984 University of Washington, B.A. in Journalism, minor in Art
1983 Bellevue Journal-American (WA.), writing internship
1982 Tacoma News Tribune (WA.), photo internship
1980 San Francisco Art Institute, one year concentration in art
Other interests:
In my spare time I’m an avid kayaker and hiker. That means everything from exploring sea caves off the Mendocino coast or paddling a 20-mile ocean race to hiking the Grand Canyon in winter. My blog is an attempt to present photographs and prose from experiences in the world of Nature so that others might also enjoy them. I somehow believe I’m following in his footsteps of my father’s uncle, Donald Culross Peattie, a well-respected naturalist in his day.