Pam Bell was born and raised on the outskirts of London, England. As a child she remembers her mother always had a camera and would take family photos be it on vacation or one of the many day trips her family took. The earliest camera she remembers her mother having was a Kodak brownie box camera, which she herself was very fond of, as her mother encouraged her and her brother and sister to take turns using it. Bell’s first camera was a Kodak Instamatic and although she always enjoyed taking photos she never really took it seriously.

In 1980, Bell immigrated to the United States. Her husband at the time was an aerospace engineer and was recruited from the British Aerospace Program to the booming industry in Southern California.

After arriving sight unseen (there was no Google at that time) to the Redondo Beach/Torrance area with two suitcases and $800 between them, they ended up spending 26 years there. During this time, Bell was lucky enough to travel to many parts of the world due to her career as a corporate travel agent. She was able to capture many wonderful images from these travels and feels very blessed to have had these photographic opportunities.

Bell moved from California to Arizona in 2006 and then to Sun City in 2015. She retired at the end of the Covid lock down after almost a year of furlough. Now she had time to pursue her interests and she joined the Camera Guild of Sun City and began to take full advantage of all the classes it has to offer. So far she has taken Photoshop Elements, Textures and the Basics of Photography.

With so much to learn and many members available to offer their expertise, advice and assistance, Bell says, “for a beginner like me, it is invaluable.”

Bell enjoys the social aspect of the club and the chance to meet new people. She particularly likes the quarterly open gallery, “First Friday,” which allows all members the opportunity to display their photos. Photo shoots (Grab and Go’s) are another one of her favorite functions that is offered for day trips or overnight photo shoots on certain subjects. Bell has found a home at the Camera Guild and, as she puts it, “there is something for everyone in the guild, whether beginner or expert, and I highly recommend checking it out!”

View some of Bell’s images at suncityaz.org/recreation/clubs/camera-guild-of-sun-city.