That pretty lady with the blond hair is Barbara Fritts.  Although Barbara was an art major in college she never took pictures until moving to North Carolina about 20 years ago.  There she felt inspired by the beauty of the natural environment surrounding her. She was especially fond of photographing snow scenes. After a friend of hers built a chapel in the mountains, Barbara photographed the chapel in the snow. She made cards of her photograph and put them up for sale in the local cafe.  The sales were so successful that Barbara was encouraged to branch out even further.  She made many other cards but the chapel photo has remained one of her favorites.

Barbara grew up in the Midwest in Peoria, Illinois. After marriage she lived in Germany for two and one half years and had her first child there. She has lived a varied life in Oklahoma, Florida, Washington State, North Carolina, with activities ranging from  teaching children with dyslexia, owning and working in a garden center, to selling real estate.  She and her husband Wesley are now retired and live in Palm Desert.

“One of the best things about being a camera club member is being pushed to excel,”says Barbara.  Most of her good photography to date has been as an emotional response to what she is seeing.  Now she wants to learn more of the basics and the technical aspects of photography.  Right now Barbara is shooting with a Minolta film camera and a Hewlet Packard digital.  She is hoping to upgrade to a digital SLR soon.