Among the six professional photographers recently inducted into Microsoft's new Icons of Imaging program, three were from the western United States: Bambi Cantrell, a portrait photographer based in Pleasant Hills, Calif.; nature and landscape photographer John Shaw, who lives in Colorado Springs, Colo.; and wildlife and nature photographer Art Wolfe, who has a studio in Seattle.

The other photographers honored by Microsoft were Reed Hoffmann of Kansas City, Denis Reggie of Atlanta and Matthew Jordan Smith of New York (see microsoft.com).

Bambi Cantrell, of Walnut Creek, Calif., has been recognized by Wedding Portrait Photographers International with the International Photographic Council Leadership Award.

Cantrell's images have appeared in The New York Times, American Photo and Ebony, as well as a number of other publications. She also teaches workshops and seminars at the Santa Fe Workshops, the WPPI convention and...