BetterPhoto.com Staff
Get to know Team BetterPhoto! This excellent group of people help keep BetterPhoto.com going and growing strong.
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Jim Miotke
Hi - I'm Jim Miotke and I would like to welcome you to BetterPhoto.com! If you love photography, you've come to the right place! My wife Denise and I, along with our great team of friends, have been running BetterPhoto.com for over a dozen years. Denise and I are both photographers, and our three children are our favorite subjects. But above all our shooting, our number one hope is that BetterPhoto will help you say "YES!" to your creative dreams. Our biggest problem is that BetterPhoto is simply too big, too rich, too full of great features and resources. And the BetterPhoto community is - if this is possible - too loving and appreciative! Not a bad problem to have! The good news is that, if you're new to BetterPhoto, getting started is easy. You simply have to know where to start first: Again, welcome to BetterPhoto. Enjoy creating photos and discussing pictures with people who share your passion for photography! It's all here at BetterPhoto - enjoy the site!Jim Miotke
President, BetterPhoto.com, Inc.
Author of:
The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography
The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Nature Photography
The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Taking Great Photos
DVDs: Digital Photography Unleashed and Photographing Kids
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Denise H. Miotke
Since the beginning of time, well... the beginning of the web, at least, I've been working with Jim to help photographers make better photos. Our aim has been to provide honest answers, helpful advice, and encouragement to photography students of all skill levels. It has been a fun and rewarding adventure. I love to see the BetterPhoto members progress and am thrilled to be a part of their photographic success in some small way.Until the advent of digital SLRs, I enjoyed working with a Pentax 645. Now, I really enjoy shooting with a Canon 5D and a Leica D-Lux 3. I often take my favorite scenic photos and paint large versions of them with oils. I love to take photos of our travels, but my very favorite photographic subjects are of my 3 lovely children.
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Jay Wadley
I met Jim Miotke while working together at a Seattle high tech company in 1997. At that time he had a small photography site that has since grown into what it is today. I worked in the stock photography industry for several years and in 2003 I was fortunate enough to join BetterPhoto as a developer. I have never enjoyed a job more. Shortly after I started working for BetterPhoto I was able to go on two photo trips with Jim where I got hands on instruction on photography techniques. One trip was to Vermont during the Fall and the other was to the slot canyons in northern Arizona. You can see photos from each trip in my Pro Betterpholio, jaywadley.com. Ever since, I have loved photography and am absolutely amazed at the quality of photos that our members produce.
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Amy Wadley
I am 30 years old and have been happily married to my best friend, Jay,  for almost 9 years. We just had our first baby girl in February 2006 and are so excited!!  We also have two puppies whom we adore.  
We have lived in Arizona for over three years and love it! 
We've known Jim and Denise Miotke for over 8 years and they are some of our most favorite people.
Jay and I love to travel and have been to over seven countries together and 14 countries combined. 
I am an extreme novice as far as photography is concerned, but very much enjoy it. I love looking at beautiful pictures which is why I love BetterPhoto so much.
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Kerry Drager
The content manager and an instructor for BetterPhoto.com, Kerry Drager is also the author of Scenic Photography 101. In addition, he teaches two online photography courses at BetterPhoto: Creative Light & Composition and Creative Close-ups. A sampling of reviews for Scenic Photography 101: "Beautifully illustrated" (Outdoor Photographer magazine); "uniformly excellent" (Shutterbug magazine); "beautiful, inspiring images ... friendly writing style" (BetterPhoto.com); "highly recommended" (Library Journal); "filled with tips and inspiration" (The Globe and Mail, Toronto); "easy to read ... beautifully printed" (Vivid Light online magazine); "concisely written with excellent photos" (Webaperture.com). And from Profotos.com: "Your images will definitely improve once you read Scenic Photography 101." Kerry's Pro BetterPholio Web site offers an assortment of galleries and illustrated how-to articles on photography. In addition, kerrydrager.com was featured in Shutterbug magazine. In addition, his work has appeared in Outdoor Photographer and other major magazines; Hallmark cards and Sierra Club Calendars; and in advertising campaigns for American Express and Sinar Bron Imaging. He is also the photographer of the photo-essay books The Golden Dream: California from Gold Rush to Statehood and California Desert, and is a contributing photographer for the books Daybreak 2000 and Portrait of California. He lives with his wife, Mary, in the country near Sacramento, California, with their six Newfoundland dogs, a Himalayan cat, a Bengal cat, a Siamese cat, two mixed-breed cats, a horse, and a mixed terrier.
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Karen Orr
I have always enjoyed taking photos and have a deep appreciation for the arts. My day is enhanced by all the beautiful images submitted by our members. As our membership grows, it is our goal to maintain the sense of community our members have come to know and love. As Director of Events and Promotions, my focus is to continue to provide outstanding service to our BetterPhoto members both online and at our yearly Photography Conference and other in person events. At any given time I might be involved in order processing, student support, or working on the many details of site administration. Please continue to submit your suggestions and feedback - we are here for you!
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Brian E. Hauf
Twice retired, 40 year federal employee from the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA Ames Research Center with 4 years military. Last position with the FAA as Airspace and Procedures Manager at Oakland ARTCC, Fremont, Ca. With NASA as subcontractor Program Manager for the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS); responsible for aviation analyst's and project administration. Married since 1967. Two girls, Melody (pastry chef; multiple degree academic archivist) and Denise (Vice President and wife to Jim Miotke, President of BetterPhoto.com). One grandchild, Julian. Novice photographer. Always working on customizing the house. Finally got to Europe for the first time in 2003 and been back 2 more times. Planning for the next trip by years end.
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Brian Lobdell
Hello to you all! I'm a long time amateur enthusiast, living in Spokane WA. here in the beautiful Northwest with my wife, five cats and two dogs! I began my photographic experiences in college, working on the campus newspaper where I had access to the darkroom and many hours developing and printing B&W images taken with my 35mm film Nikon. My professional career has been spent as owner of a commercial printing company, with valuable experience working with photos - from cropping & retouching, to the printing of 4-color separations on sheet fed, offset printing presses. My hobby evolved with my step into the digital arena with my first P&S camera, where I discovered a
whole new world to embrace! I upgraded to a Nikon D-50 early in 2006, which has provided me with a broad realm of options and techniques to learn and conquer! I'm also immersed in mastering Photoshop, which compliments the digital photo world so well. BetterPhoto.com has been a wonderful source of inspiration and learning tools ... I'm constantly re-energized
by studying the astonishing creations I find from those souls who live and breathe this wonderful medium.
I look forward to hearing from those in the BetterPhoto community, and viewing the continuing, striking & artistic images presented here through the great photographic eyes of our world wide membership! Regards! Brian
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Tori Ashe
My favorite childhood memories are of family gatherings where my grandmother would bring out the big box of photos. She would bring out a few at a time and everyone would gather around the kitchen table and laugh or groan or just take a few quiet seconds to themselves to go back in time. Before too long these cherished images (faded, torn, or blurry-no matter) were spread out all over the table bringing smiles, sighs and sometimes tears to all. Eventually the photos would all go back in the big box but we were okay with that knowing we would add to them and bring them out and go back in time again. I have been interested in photography ever since those old days in my Grandma's kitchen and now I love being a part of BetterPhoto both as a staff member and community member. BetterPhoto has so much to offer that I really hope you take your time browsing the site. Here are some of my favorite BetterPhoto pages to go see:
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Peter Whitmore
Growing up, I can remember going to museums, and always being drawn to photography exhibits. I was particularly inspired by black and white photographs. I've always been fascinated with the human condition - why people think the way they do; how and why their lives unfold as they do, unique from one another. I love studying a wonderful black and white photo, and feeling like I can (at least partly) understand something new about the world, or what the photographer was trying to capture. Working for BetterPhoto.com® as an Editorial Assistant, I'm surrounded by people who love this form of expression, and have slowly started to pick up on some of the techniques that lead to great photographs. Now if I can only put them into practice... I have a very nice point-and-shoot digital camera (Gateway T50), and would like to take more photos when I'm in nature, and at sporting events. I'm a sports enthusiast. I love to write. Above all, I'm a passionate lover of art - music, film, and now photography!
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Ricardo Chavez
Photography plays such a large part in everyone’s life. From being used as part of a marketing tool, helping tell the company's story, to filling up family albums with joyful memories. My experience with photography has been no different.I have fond memories of my sisters, my brother and I gathered around an old suitcase my parents had filled with photos and family albums. We would spend hours pouring over pictures of family members that lived thousands of miles away, trips, graduations and the odd vehicles my father had a knack of acquiring. Today, photography touches on many aspects of my life; in my career, as inspiration and to add those special memories to my own photo albums.
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Jeff Moore
Hello and thanks for visiting the BetterPhoto Staff Page!My interest in photography has been fueled by the advent of the digital camera. I suppose it's the immediate gratification of seeing the results without having to go through the time and effort required by film photography. Or maybe it's the ability to immediately review and delete my less-than-stellar shots! Either way, I'm still very much the novice photographer. When the weather permits, you will frequently find me on the golf course. I'm pretty much a novice here, too, but I am passionate about the game and I continue to improve with (nearly) every round I play. My wife Kathy, myself, and our three dogs - Murphy, Hannah, and Sarge - thoroughly enjoy living in the Pacific Northwest. We relocated from the desert Southwest in 2004 and haven't looked back. As the Information Technology Manager for BetterPhoto, it's my responsibility to ensure that the technology behind BetterPhoto.com provides you, our BetterPhoto.com community, the best experience possible. And it's a job I take very seriously. I feel very fortunate to be a member of the BetterPhoto team. I've rarely worked with such an enthusiastic bunch. Everyone is truly excited about working here.
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Celia A. Burkhart
I am looking forward to exploring photography for the first time through my job at BetterPhoto.com. I am seeing that I can learn new things each day and that it's never too late to start! I will be posting some photos soon.My work at BetterPhoto is in Sales Support - helping with tech support for our customers, running our bookstore and processing orders. I am enjoying being a part of this creative, dynamic team that encourages photographers of all skill levels to pursue their creative frontiers and to make friends along the way!
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