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About Me
 Paula is a lifelong Midwesterner, currently living in the Quad-Cities area, located along the Mississippi River on the Iowa and Illinois state border. Most of her adult life’s work has been in the health care industry. Throughout the years she has had various involvements with photography, working with her first professional level photography equipment as far back as the late 1970’s. Today her photographic endeavors include wildlife, landscape, travel, client’s special moments and Quad-Cities events for a local monthly publication.
It could be said that Second Exposure is the direct result of a potentially serious loss of Paula’s vision. In September 2001 Paula incurred a detached retina that almost left her blind in one eye. Several surgeries later her vision has been almost fully restored. It is as if the near loss of vision re-ignited old interests and created a strong passion for the visual arts. The name Second Exposure is a reference to both Paula’s restored vision and a second life revolving around the photographic arts.
The majority of Paula’s photography is nature focused. Travels with a nature theme to remote places throughout the world have provided more than its share of exhilarating moments. During the past decade she has traveled to many of nature’s spectacular places. Her travels include: Yellowstone and Glacier National Park in Montana and Wyoming; Waterton, Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta, Canada; Katmai, Glacier Bay and Denali National Parks in Alaska; the Victoria Falls region of Zambia; plus Chobe National Park and the Okavanga Delta region of Botswana. Her current residence along the Mississippi River offers some of the best opportunities for wintertime bald eagle photography.
In June of 2005 Paula traveled to Uganda and Tanzania. While in Uganda she trekked mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, with her husband, and friends Steve and Pat Bergman. A visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda revealed many rare animal sightings. Wild chimpanzees were discovered in the Chumbura Gorge, while tree climbing lions were found in Isasha lying in a fig tree. After an incredible visit to Uganda, next on the itinerary were the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti in Tanzania. There were numerous encounters in both areas with a variety of African mammals, primates, and birds. In December of 2005 Paula visited the Jackson Hole and Yellowstone area of Wyoming in search of the elusive gray wolf. You will see photographs from all of these remote places in my photo gallery.
In September 2006 Paula traveled again to Tanzania, Africa. While in Tanzania, she and her husband Scott traveled to Zanzibar Island and the remote areas of Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park. While in Zanzibar photos were captured in Jozani Forest of the endangered red colobus monkeys, endemic to Zanzibar Archipelago. Selous brought many adventures along the Rifiji River. Hippo’s fighting for territorial rights, and crocks galore. In Ruaha National Park we encountered our first cooperative hunt and kill by a pride of 18 lions taking on a herd of cape buffalo. In all the chaos and confusion the lions deftly snatched two buffalo calves. The entire time the dominate male quietly watched and waited in a bush 20 feet from our vehicle.
Paula traveled on a photography expedition to Manitoba, Canada with wildlife photographer Mark Lissick during November 2007. The trip's focus was photographing the magnificent polar bears, North of Churchill, between the shores of Dymond Lake and Hudson Bay. Cape Town, Mala Mala Reserve in South Africa, and the Savuti area in Botswana
is Paula's most recent destination. The wildlife viewing was
incredible. The highlight of the trip was viewing a pack of 17 wild
dogs in Savuti. Paula and Scott were very lucky to see the adult dogs
hunting impala and also witness the "pack greeting" that happened to
include their new 8 pups. Leopards were abundant in the Mala Mala area.
Watching a leopard carry prey up a tree is an astonishing sight. The
entire experience of this trip focused on the interaction of the
animals in their natural habitat. Nonetheless we have never been
disappointed in any of our bush adventures and hope to have many more
in the future.
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