Meet Our Members

Our members have a wide variety of photographic interests, makes and models of camera equipment, and artistic styles, but the one thing that unites us is our love and passion for nature photography.

Please explore our Member Galleries to learn more about the talented photographers in our club.

Matt Sparapani, President

Matt Sparapani joined Riverwoods 15 years ago in search of fellow nature photographers when he was just beginning to hone his craft. Over the years he has used his Canon camera to explore natural subjects all over the world. His favorites are alpine landscapes, African wildlife and, lately, birds wherever he can find them. Together with his wife Alison, Matt has published a Plan & Go Guide to the Wonderland Trail (Mt. Rainier National Park) and Hiking Photography, a guide to improving shots along the trail. Together they write a blog and maintain an Instagram account, both titled Take a Hike Photography. For Matt, the camera offers the perfect medium to slow down, listen, observe and find joy in the beauty of nature. Matt is a high school teacher of Latin and ancient Greek and a soccer coach in Chicago. Henry David Thoreau said it best, “It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.”

Alison Newberry, Membership Chair

Alison has enjoyed photography for as long as she can remember. In addition to nature photography, she and her husband Matt enjoy traveling, photographing and hiking in far-flung corners of the planet. They are avid backpackers and are currently on a mission to hike the "classic hikes of the world." They keep a blog on their journeys that can be viewed at www.takeahikephotography.com. You can also follow along on their adventures on Instagram @takeahikephotography.

Sheri Sparks, CACCA Delegate, Co-Vice President Competitions (DPI)

Sheri enjoys photographing the world around her, especially nature. She has been a member of Riverwoods Nature Photographic Society since 1984. Sheri has won numerous awards for her photography through her local club and the Chicago Area Camera Clubs association including Photographer of the Year and the Kohout Nature Photography Award for excellence in nature photography and teaching of nature and nature photography. She has sold a number of her pictures to the hospital where she worked and doctors offices and clinics. She has published her own calendars and a wildflower book called “Wildflowers from A to Z.” Sheri has a blog on blogspot.com called “Sheri with an “Eye.” In the blog she shares how she sees the world from her eye.

Follow her on social media: Blog Flickr, Instagram

Rich Fisher

Marty Winn

I joined Riverwoods Nature Photo Society in 1986 and Garden Photo Society in 2011.

I started photography in 1962 when I started touring national parks. I have now photographed most of the national parks in the USA and several in Canada. I was there with my wife and kids so photography was secondary.

Living near the Chicago Botanic Gardens led me to flower photography. I learned a lot from Riverwoods photographers. In 2005 I retired from Abbott Laboratories and volunteered at the CBG, collecting, drying and arranging flowers, and as a docent in the butterfly exhibit.

In the meantime I went on many tours outside the USA, including 10 with Overseas Adventure Travel. This tour company limits the group to 16. It not only visits the major monuments, but makes an effort to interact with the local people, visit farms, villages and eating in local restaurants and in local people's homes.

Places that I have visited with OAT and other tour companies that are great for people photography are India, Indonesia, China, southeast Asia, and the Danube - Rhine river cruise. I especially like photographing children.

I have been on four African Safaris - Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana - Zimbabwe, and South Africa. The best was South Africa , (not an OAT trip) to Mala Mala, Phinda, Madikwe, and Mashatu (actually in Botswana across the S.A border). Animals are very used to seeing people. Th following photos were from there in May 2018.

Karen Frischman

Karen has enjoyed photography as long as she can remember but only got serious about it in the 1990's. She also enjoys traveling and has been on all 7 continents. Her favorite places are the Galapagos, Kenya and China. Her favorite images to photograph are anything in good light and a good situation with a preference for animals.