Local photographer up for senior award

Professional photographer Suzzette Ormond has taken pictures for more than 30 years. Her catalogue consists mainly of wedding photos, birthday parties and pictures of  military personnel.

She also enjoys taking photos on location, especially at the Chula Vista Marina and Coronado beach.
Despite her extensive photo experience, Ormond had never competed in a photo contest – until now.

Her two photos “Sunset at the Marina” and “Heavenly” are two of 83 entries in the Senior Photo Contest hosted by the city of San Diego’s Senior Citizen Services.

Contestants’ photos are on display in the lobby of the San Diego City Administration Building at 202 C St. in San Diego until May 12. A reward reception will be held on May 16, with winners and prizes announced at that time.
Ormond submitted two photos to the contest. The first one, called “Sunset at the Marina,” was taken at the foot of J Street Marina.

“The day I took that one, I took it from the time that the sun was high and then I have it all the way down until it goes beyond the horizon,” Ormond said.

Her second photo, titled “Heavenly,” an 18×24-inch size photo, was also taken at the Chula Vista Marina.

“The other one (Heavenly), just looked really exciting to me, almost like God was standing there,” Ormond said.

Ormond takes photos with numerous cameras, but these two she said were taken with a camera and a floppy disc.
She said the marina is one of her prime locations for taking photos.

“I like the marina, it has a lot of good areas to shoot,” she said. “The boats, the water, it is just a beautiful place.”

Ormond, from Chula Vista, entered the contest at the suggestion of a friend who said Ormond’s photos are worthy of winning the contest and also thought it would keep Ormond busy.

“I did the contest for fun,” Ormond said.

Aside from photography, Ormond said she is a skillful painter with oils and water colors. She illustrated the book

“Cuddles Helps Santa Claus Save Christmas” and wrote the book “Forever My Love.”

But it’s photography that she fell in love with.

“I am very artistic, I’m an artist, I’m an author,” she said. “This (photography) was another way to express creativity, artistic ability and I loved it.”

Ormond received a journalism degree with an emphasis on photography and public relations from University of South California.