Sandy Richards-Brown is a retired Advanced-Practice Public Health/Pediatric Oncology Nurse. She lives with her husband, Jim, on the southern Oregon Coast, after 40 years in the East Bay San Francisco area and (Sandy) 8 in Southern California. They spend much of the winter in Arizona, Hawaii, Florida, and other warmer places. Dr. Jim Brown is an Environmental Sciences and Biology/Zoology Professor Emeritus from a major West Coast University, where he taught for 37 years.
Jim is the BEST "spotter", Sherpa for heavy long lenses and heavier camera bags, an exceptional plant/bird/mammal ID'er, and an excellent personal driver ("Dear, please pull ahead slowly about 6 inches so that branch is not across the Bateleur Eagle's face")
Jim and Sandy travel often for photography and have visited, either together or separately, Africa a total of 7 times, (usually on their own), the Cayman Islands, the Galapagos several times, Hawaii, the SW National Parks, New England, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Hungary, Copenhagen, Brazil, Australia, Ecuador, Alaska, the Canadian National Parks, Nova Scotia, Sanibel Island and the East coast of Florida regularly, US Civil War sites, The Great Lakes and Midwest, and more.
In 2014, they spent a wonderful 2 months in Africa - Johannesburg South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and the Caprivi Strip. Since they know Africa very well, they just rent a 4-wheel-drive small diesel Toyota truck and booked their own lodges and itinerary. They always hook up with their wonderful personal guide, Ifacio "Face" Sambo, an indigenous Bushman. With his extensive knowledge of his homeland, he always finds us unforgettable non-tourist wildlife areas. The birds and wildlife are just exquisite.
Jim and Sandy were fortunate to travel to Australia for 2 months in 2016, before the wildfires ravaged many of the national parks. They spent 6 weeks in Hawaii at Christmas 2019 and 2022, and another 2 months in Africa in May 2022.
The next adventure will be several weeks in Brazil in August 2024, 3 weeks in Japan in February 2025, 6 weeks in New Zealand in March-April 2025, and Africa again in spring 2026. Then - who knows?
Jim and Sandy greatly enjoy sharing their adventures through digital photographs and prints, and describing their treks. She is a very active member of NPN for the last 22 years.
Sandy does her best at keeping the photo albums on this site current, but regularly falls behind...
Sandy and Jim are active members of:
- NPN https://www.naturephotographers.network/
- NatureScapes http://www.naturescapes.net/
- NANPA (North America Nature Photographer's Association) http://www.nanpa.org/
- BPN (Bird Photographer's Net) http://www.birdphotographers.net/
- the Sony professional photographer's group
- Nature Photographer's Magazine, Field Contributor http://www.naturephotographermag.com/
- Deviant Art: www.DeviantArt.com/
- The Audubon Society of Oregon
- Birds and Blooms
- The Nature Conservancy
- World Wildlife Fund
- Sierra Club
- The Yosemite Fund
- Wild Rescue www.WildRescue.org/ , where Sandy is a Certified Wildlife Rehabber.
Sandy's work has been published on a number of online web groups, and printed or hung in several Local and National and International Galleries, the Oregon Coast Magazine, newspapers, calendars, and more. She has won recognition with a number of Editor's Picks and regular Yearly Picks on NPN, "Editor's Picks" on Naturescapes.Net, and has won several "Judge's Choice " and top 250 yearly awards from NANPA and other International photo contests. Her photos are often on the front page of the local Oregon and Washington newspapers, and several hang in the Brookings, OR Coast Guard Station and local and European Art Galleries.
She regularly donates use of her images to local, State, and National magazines, publications, brochures, and avian/wildlife-related causes.
You may contact Sandy to order prints or custom work at: [email protected]