Our club’s membership runs from beginner to professional. Every member has a story to tell. Each month the CABLE RELEASE will shine the spotlight on some of our members.
Edited by Marc Auerbach
Focus on Andre Rein
What brought you to SSCC? I joined the club many years ago because I enjoy photography and socializing with the members and guests. I started taking pictures when I was about 8, I think my first camera was a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye “box” camera that took roll film. See https://www.brownie-camera.com/27.shtml.
One of my photography goals is to capture an image with minimal fuss and post-processing. I really have no interest in tweaking images to remove trees, nor do I expect to make art, etc. Capturing a place or people is more in my realm. I’ve also learned the hard way that more expensive equipment does not improve my skills.
Hobbies outside of photography? Listening to and thinking about music. Mostly alternative pop music, but also classical, dance, British folk-rock, world, and minimalist genres. I’ve been thinking about creating a music appreciation blog since 2018. So far I have about 60 pages of notes for my ideas, but only a few test blog pages.
Career? I have had many different careers. The most recent was as an instructional designer/project manager for the University of Maryland University College (UMUC), now renamed the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). It was a great experience, leading a team to help develop courses for distance learning, including the MBA program. I worked there for over 20 years on many undergraduate and graduate school courses.
Travel? I like visiting new places and seeing new sights and cultures. I prefer visiting places where it is safe to drink tap water.
Focus on Phil Mandel
I was born and raised in Yonkers, NY, and attended the U of MD (BA Political Science). I worked for the Federal Government for 38 years, in the Departments of Defense, HEW, and Energy. Moved in retirement to the Lewes/Rehoboth area for 15 years, where I substitute taught, coached basketball, was involved in state and local politics, and was a member of the Coastal Camera Club. Then I moved back to Montgomery County (currently in Germantown) to be with family, including 6 grandchildren. I spend my time volunteering in the Montgomery County School System’s Dialogues Across the Ages Program, going to museums, attending concerts, traveling overseas (Europe, Caribbean, Mexico, and Israel). I’m a big fan of the University of Maryland men’s basketball and football teams. I substituted iPhone photography instead of using a DSLR. My friend Larry Brauer told him about the club, and I know that my photography will improve by being a member.
Focus on Catherine Honigsberg
Photography can be a lonely pursuit and I was looking for some like minded people to share this hobby. I love research, so I looked up photo clubs in Silver Spring and voila – I found my people.
I started taking pictures with my Mother’s Brownie. I borrowed it for a field trip in the second grade and took pictures, in my stars and stripes hot pants, of my friends. That is probably the last time I took pictures of people. I now take a lot of wildlife and pictures of the Eastern Shore and a disappearing way of life. I am also interested in abstract, macro, and “street” – but not necessarily in a city.
Other hobbies include painting, hiking/exploring, and gardening. I studied horticulture and landscape design with the USDA graduate school and have a business called Artful Garden LLC. I am not very active with this because for my day job, I am the GM of a residential roofing company where I have been for 22 years, and the Director of Operations for Certified Contractors Network where I train other contractors Business Operations and Financial Literacy by teaching how to set up their accounting systems. I also put together all of our conferences and trainings, and oversee operations. I have a BS in Business from U of MD.
I love exploring, and my travels take me all over for work and play. I always tack on a few days of wherever we travel for conferences and have traveled to Europe, Australia, and Mexico. My dream is Paris. Someday….