Member Bios
Carolyn Todd-Larson, PPSA, AFIAP
Even as a child, Carolyn Todd-Larson always enjoyed taking photos. It was the advent of digital photography that caused her to become serious about moving beyond snapshots and automatic cameras. She bought her first digital camera in 2002, and joined the State College Photo Club a few years later. Numerous courses, workshops, competitions, and cameras since then have helped her fine tune her skills. Not to mention software upgrades…as the art of photography has become even more dependent on mastering editing techniques!
Travel photography is her strongest interest areas, especially as retirement from Penn State has allowed more time to visit other countries and cultures. Another strong interest is documentary photography such as street scenes, sports or community events. Landscapes and macro photography are also passions, and she experiments with creative abstracts from natural surroundings as well as black and white conversions.
Carolyn currently serves as President of the State College Photo Club and has recently been appointed PA Membership Director for the Photographic Society of America. She is a dedicated Penn State football fan who followed the team wherever they played for over two decades, visiting over 40 stadiums in the process. She lives in Park Forest with two cats, a miniature poodle, and her husband John Larson.
Arunima Chattopadhyay
Photography is my interest since my childhood days when I watched my father taking photographs of family, friends etc . Back then , print photography was very much a costly affair to enter. But with the advent of digital world in the field of photography, it opened up new opportunities for amateurs like me. My interest grew with social media connections. But the true learning started after I joined a photography club. I got exposure to many genres of photography due to my club activities. I started developing a strong craving of photography, mainly street. Then I started entering my works in few salons which later helped me to achieve honor with AFIP and AFIAP in the year 2018, EFIP in the year 2019 and EFIAP in the year 2020. But my experience says that I still have a lot and lot to learn, as the saying goes, learning is a journey that never ends.
Group Administrator
Birgit Langmann
My dad gave me my first camera when I was about 10 or 12. I got hooked and have been carrying one ever since. I love my Canon but for spur of the moment, my phone is great.
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<br />I have been a nurse for the last 10 plus years. I currently work in cardiac care and medicine floor as both staff nurse and charge nurse.
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<br />My husband and I have been married since 1997 and our daughters are adulting. My husband is a flight nurse. Our oldest is a civil engineer working seasonally in Fairbanks and our youngest is the manager of a coffee house. We also have Oliver, our German Shepard, and now a cat named Jasper (who I call Cat).
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<br />You will notice I am do a fair amount of biking and hiking, some BC and XC skiing. Rafting/boating when we get the chance. I also love winter and glaciers.
Judith Ponti-Sgargi, QPSA, BPSA
I grew up and worked in Toronto, retired from a career in provincial government and moved to Vancouver Island to enjoy sailing. Then we moved to London Ontario be live close to family.
In my 30s I did some photography but put this aside to complete my MBA studies and concentrate on my career.
In 2016, I joined the London Camera Club and in October 2017 PSA. I am a member of DSG 52 Competitive Images, DSG 28 Street Photography, DSG 23 Portraits and PJ IDG 3 and 5. I earned my QPSA in June 2022, and BPSA in Dec. 2023.
I use a variety of editing software: LR, PS, Nik, and Topaz, and luminosity masking/
Edward Goldenberg
I am pleased to join the PJD discussion group. I am a retired interventional cardiologist. Retiring has allowed me to pursue a passion I have enjoyed since I purchased my first camera at 13 yoa. Although I am attempting to become an expert in post processing, my real interest is in taking images of people both during travel and as a street photographer. I am treasurer and chairman of PSA-PJ inter club competition for Delaware Photographic Society.
Laurie Bergner
Laurie Bergner is an avid traveler. She loves to photograph people and their cultures and in her next life would like to be a photojournalist. Originally from New York, she lives in central Illinois with her husband, traveling to DC to see her two grown children and 5 grandchildren, while keeping busy at home as a clinical psychologist with lots of volunteer activities (including president of her local travel club) as well. Good thing she’s a high energy gal!
Karl Leck
Karl Leck
Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, USA
Karl has been photographing for more than fifty years, half of which were spent photographing international equestrian sports, including six summer Olympic Games and world championships in North America and Europe. A world-traveler, Karl has photographed on every continent. His photographs have appeared on more than fifty magazine covers and in numerous equestrian sport and photography books. Credits include Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, USA Today, US News & World Report, Olympian, L’Ainee Hippique, M, EQUUS, Chronicle of the Horse, Practical Horseman, Horse Play, Horse Illustrated, Classic, Horse Classics, Dressage & CT, Pittsburgh Press, and Carnegie Technical.
Karl has twice won PSA’s Smith Award for Photojournalist of the Year. He is a Fellow of the Delaware Photographic Society and the sole Master Fellow of the Wilmington International Exhibition of Photography. Karl currently serves as Print Director for both organizations. He speaks and judges competitions at meetings of many Delaware Valley organizations.
Since retiring from editorial photography, Karl continues to expand his photographic knowledge and experience. He participates in several regional solo and group fine art print exhibits each year, believing that the lasting form of great photographs is in the print.