Certain events in one’s life can be pivotal to what lies ahead. In my case, it was the loss of my father in a heartbeat (or lack of one) when I was 16 years old that would prompt me to reevaluate my destiny. His passion for photography as a hobby would, along with other influences, inspire me to later make photography my career. After his passing, my mother and two older sisters provided their continued guidance to keep me on a positive track, while also instilling within me an appreciation for women’s issues and their struggle for gender equality in our society. I shall be forever grateful for their insight and wisdom.

With that in mind, it always gives me great pleasure to present the work of deserving women who have excelled in a heavily male-dominated industry. In this issue of PhotoMedia...

This issue marks the start of our 19th year of publishing PhotoMedia. All things considered, it’s something of a miracle that we’ve managed to persevere all these years.

Throughout that time the photography industry has changed dramatically, with an almost complete transition from a traditional to a digital workflow. In the world at large, terrorism, wars, natural disasters and economic struggles – including, most recently, rapidly escalating gas prices — challenge the survival of all businesses.

Especially over the last five years or so, it seems that most people are busier and working harder than ever before just to maintain their lifestyles, while the cost of living spirals upward...

Everything is moving so fast. And the advent and evolution of digital technologies has made it all possible. Think back to a time without laptop computers, e-mail, the Internet, cell phones and digital cameras. It seems like lifetimes ago, but it is, amazingly, a mere 15 years past – less than a generation. Yet now digital technology seems so commonplace that we often take it for granted.

The lightning speed of today’s world has dramatically transformed the photography industry in every channel – manufacturing, retailing, photofinishing, education, creative workflow and distribution of images. The photo industry is rapidly merging into the electronics industry, as Sony’s recent takeover of Konica Minolta’s photo division illustrates. The crystal ball suggests that more mergers will occur soon, as companies position themselves to capitalize on the digital boom ahead...

As we were preparing this issue’s biennial coverage on photojournalism, Hurricane Katrina was, unfortunately, right on cue, providing one of the biggest stories for photo coverage since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

One of our features already in progress was to profile three of the leading independent photo news agencies in the business — Polaris Images, World Picture News and ZUMA Press — and concentrate on the most notable news stories since our last photojournalism issue. Their cooperation was key to making this story possible.

When Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast and left New Orleans underwater, that cooperation extended to helping us present our four-page pictorial of the biggest natural disaster in American history...

As we enter our 18th year of publishing PhotoMedia, it is awe-inspiring to consider the more than 160 years of collective experience of our four feature subjects in this issue. It certainly gives us a better appreciation for the meaning of stamina, dedication and commitment, with an eye on excellence.

Our cover story on David Muench is long overdue and about four years in the planning. I first became aware of David while I was just starting out as a photography student at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1972. He already had established himself as an icon in landscape photography and was well on his way to becoming perhaps the world’s foremost living landscape photographer. He has devoted more than 50 years in the field (literally and figuratively)...

As fate would have it, we were in production on this issue of PhotoMedia — the one time every two years that we focus on the subject of travel photography — when, on Dec. 26, 2004, a natural disaster of immense proportions occurred, which would dominate the news for weeks to come. The early reports of the South Asian tsunami could only give a hint of the magnitude of the resulting destruction, death and injuries.

At press time, the total deaths were approaching 300,000 and still counting. In my entire life, I can’t remember another naturally occurring event that even comes close to the scale of this catastrophe in terms of immediacy, devastation to life and infrastructure, and number of countries involved. The rapid response by world governments, businesses and individuals to provide aid has been truly encouraging...

With the recent passing of photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson at age 95, I had an interesting realization. It was the power of Cartier-Bresson’s work that almost single-handedly influenced me (as I’m sure it did many others) to examine the creative possibilities and opportunities of the medium. I first saw his book, The Decisive Moment, when starting college at age 17, and it changed the course of my life.

As the years passed, I became familiar with the works of many other celebrated shooters, but Cartier-Bresson was the one who remained my model for the kind of photography and photographer I wanted to emulate: a humble observer of humanity adventuring to some of the most interesting and exotic countries...

It’s been months since our last issue, and much has transpired: American soldiers keep dying in Iraq; Saddam Hussein was captured; John Kerry overtook Howard Dean in the Democratic race for the presidency; unemployment remained high; gas prices spiraled through the roof; the president insisted America is in good shape; Mars was explored; Hobbits made a clean-sweep at the Oscars; and Martha Stewart was found guilty on all charges. The world has been spinning — and spinning fast.

During this time, I visited the North American Nature Photographers Summit in Oregon and the Photo Marketing Convention in Las Vegas to monitor the pulse of the photo industry. And while everyone was sharing war-stories about how hard it was to survive financially in 2003, there was an incredible buzz...

It was the last weekend in July when I received a phone call from a photographer on a cell phone in Alaska. He was out in the wild, but wanted to follow up on a conversation we’d had three weeks earlier, that time on his cell phone from the wilds of Montana. I was in the early stages of planning World in Focus, an event designed to bring together some of the industry’s foremost photographers of nature and endangered cultures. Including him in the mix of presenters seemed like a no-brainer. I had attended one of his seminars years before and considered him one of the most inspirational speakers on the circuit.

It was more than five years since his last visit to Seattle. Not only was he excited about the event and being a part of it, he was looking forward to the chance to reconnect with the many friends...

This issue of PhotoMedia marks the beginning of our 15th year of publishing. That is no small feat in an industry that typically sees titles fail within two years. Considering that PhotoMedia is the only regional publication (Western states and British Columbia) of its sort in the entire United States, and that it has been free to readers throughout our distribution network since its inception, our continuity is something of a miracle.

Looking through past issues recently, I was reminded of our humble beginnings and the evolution to the publication you are now reading. Since our first issue in 1988, it always has been our goal to educate, inspire and make every new issue better than the last, pushing the creative and content envelope a little further. From a black-and-white newsprint tabloid to a four-color, coated-stock magazine, PhotoMedia has...