Members Gallery on September 22nd will include Prints by Angelique Raptakis & Digital Projection by Nikhil Bahl. Join us for their presentations immediately followed by September's Forum presentation. The following are the biographies of the members presenting on September 22nd:

Angelique Raptakis has been an avid photographer for over five years. She joined NVPS in 2008. Her primary interest is the natural world, with a focus on wildlife, flowers, insects, and the elements. She has also been involved with corporate/event photography. She tries to capture the beauty in the world around us, particularly the commonplace that is easily overlooked: from the colors of the setting sun, to the intricate patterns in the eye of a butterfly, to the grace of a withering floral bloom. She believes beauty is everywhere once we fully open our eyes to it.

To create her images, Angelique uses both the Canon 1D Mark IIN and Canon 30D Digital SLR camera bodies with an assortment of Canon professional lenses. All her prints are created using RAW format, digitally optimized, and printed using archival materials.

Angelique's photographs have recently been on display at VisArts' Kaplan Gallery, BlackRock Center for the Arts, Rockville Innovations Center, the Washington Gallery of Photography, Locust Grove Nature Center, Kentlands Mansion, and the Community Art Gallery at Holy Cross Hospital. Her photographs have been published in various professional publications, including newsletters and websites, and are on display in several private collections. She has also won several awards and photo contests. Angelique is a volunteer photographer for the National Park Service.

Nikhil Bahl joined NVPS in 2008. After he bought his first Digital SLR camera (a Nikon D70) in 2003 Nikhil photographed corporate events, award functions, weddings, and even delved in portraiture and studio photography but his primary interests remain fine art nature, landscape, and wildlife photography. He currently uses the Nikon D300 and D200 camera bodies and an assortment of lenses with focal lengths ranging from 10mm to 400mm.

Nikhil leads location workshops and photo tours and also teaches photography at the Metropolitan Center for the Visual Arts (VisArts), in Rockville, Maryland and at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia. His instruction is focused on in-camera interpretation and developing personal vision rather than simply following "the rules". 

Nikhil's fine art prints are part of many private collections and have been in several exhibits in the Washington Metropolitan area.  While he does most of his photography in the DC area, his travels have taken him around the country, where he has photographed major national parks and other scenic areas. He is also a volunteer photographer for the National Park Service.

Nikhil is a Senior Web Designer for an information and marketing company and moonlights as a photographer. Please visit www.NikhilBahl.com for more.