The Prince William Photography Club was started in the basement of founding member Suhail Mir in December of 2017. Beginning with just seven committed photography enthusiasts, it has since grown to an active membership of more than 40 people and is now officially a registered nonprofit organization with a mission to bring the knowledge and love of photography to all. What began as a small gathering of friends has become a large community of neighbors, friends, and residents from all over Prince William County. We are proud of our commitment and dedication to the art of photography and look forward to sharing our technical knowledge and appreciation with the public.
MEET THE 2023-2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
KIMBERLY STOWELL
PRESIDENT//BOARD MEMBER
Kim is a lifelong artist whose first career was in the theatre. As a professional actor in NYC she began to take her love of photography to the next level by taking classes with the School of Visual Arts.
After moving back home to NOVA she began working professionally part-time as a wedding and portrait photographer. She loves how a camera gives her the opportunity to capture a fleeting moment forever, giving the viewer the chance to be transported back to the beauty and emotion of that moment.
Through the PWPC Kim has participated in local photography exhibits and enjoys the opportunity to grow and learn with fellow photographers.
SUHAIL MIR
VICE PRESIDENT/BOARD MEMBER
Suhail Mir is an immigration and nonprofit law attorney. He loves to take photographs of people and nature. He was voted the Best Artist Prince William County 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. He was also voted the Best Event Photographer 2016 and Best Photographer 2017. Suhail’s work has appeared in New York Times and Washingtonian Magazines.
Suhail established Mir Academy in 2005 where he teaches the art of photography to children and adults. Suhail also teaches advance photography and photo editing course at the ArtFactory, Manassas, VA.
RAINY ISLAND BROOKS
PWPC Contest + Workshops + Photo Safari Director BOARD MEMBER
Rainy was inspired to become a photographer while growing up with a creative dad who also loved photography. After taking photography classes in high school, online, and at the Smithsonian, she met Suhail Mir, a talented and artistic professional photographer who taught her even more about the art and skill of photography. After teaching photography together for nearly 9 years, Rainy and Suhail created the Prince William Photography Club and began meetings in Suhail’s basement. As one of the founding members of the club, Rainy is a capable and enthusiastic person to man the helm as President. Her goal is to make the Prince William Photography Club a fun, exciting, and inspiring place to be. Happy members are the key!
RUSS HEIM
TECH SUPPORT/BOARD MEMBER
Russ is a super easy going guy able to discuss a wide variety of interesting topics… including and especially photography.
Also known as ‘Rusty ~ The Wild Man’ from his self-produced ‘Wildlife Minute’ video series he particularly loves incorporating technology into his passion projects. He loves learning, keeps his ear to the ground and is always down for an exciting new adventure. He is also our resident bird expert and hosts “Bird Walks” every Saturday morning at various locations.
Current Positions:
Chief Invitation Officer for the longest running Photography Podcast on the inter webs “Tips From the Top Floor” – ‘CIO Rusty Russ’ for the TFTTF Slack
Talkin’ Birds Ambassador for Ray Brown’s Talkin’ Birds Radio Show.
He’s also previously held a wide variety of Business and IT related positions with the DoD including but not limited to the following: Business Analyst, Management Analyst, Program Management Analyst, Electronic Commerce Analyst, et al
JAMES (Jamie) SCOWCROFT DIRECTOR MULTIMEDIA/BOARD MEMBER
I am married to my wife Kathy, and we have two children, Brian 36, married and has 7 children and our daughter Katie 32 also married with one son.
I currently am the lead videographer and multimedia contractor for the Continuing Education Program at Marine Corps University’s Continuing Education and Training Program at Quantico, Virginia. I have worked for the distance education program over the past 12 years. Prior to that I ran my own Architectural Rendering Studio for 10 years and managed one for another 10 years prior to that. I learned Architectural Rendering from my father who retired from the Army in 1968 and was part of the Combat Artist Team in Vietnam.
I picked up the DSLR in 2009 to get back into photography and to get outside and explore nature and national parks. Since then, we have visited Shenandoah Valley, Yosemite, Zion, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Costa Rica, Scotland, and most recently Iceland.
This past year I joined the Prince William Photography Club and have thoroughly enjoyed meeting others in Prince William County interested in Photography and sharing our work, tips, and advice on becoming better at our hobby.
Lisa Polgar TREASURER
Lisa has enjoyed photography since the 1980s when she worked as a photographer, writer and on production of the publication of the Impartial Citizen, a newspaper that was initially published for 1 year in 1849 by Samuel Ringgold Gold, an abolitionist black minister in Upstate New York. Those were the days of darkroom processing of black and white photographs using trays and creating PMTs for publication. Lisa grew up and Bolivia and loves returning there to take photographs of the beautiful landscapes. Professionally, she provides financial services, including insurance and retirement planning. She also serves as Associate Director of the Panamerican-Panafrican Association, which promotes cultural exchange in the US and other countries around the world.
Gianna Brooks SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER (Working under the Marketing Director)
Gianna Brooks is a recent graduate of the University of Mary Washington. She established the PWPC Instagram and is the new PWPC social media manager. She creates posts for their Instagram and writes blogs for the website.