Melinda Hughes-Berland is a bay area native and has lived here most of her life. Not being concerned with the mundane aspects of her early childhood, she would eventually graduate from Sonoma State University (Granola U, to us old-timers) with a B.A. in Psychology in 1973.

Shortly thereafter she met her soon-to-be husband, Paul and they began Hughes Photography, a top equestrian photography company specializing in shooting Grand Prix events throughout California, into the early 1990s. They also began shooting the prestigeous Tevis Cup Ride, a 100 mile endurance ride from Squaw Valley to Auburn.

In 1976, she won the top 18 and over hunter jumper equestrian event in CSHA (Yes, she rode a horse in the event).

In 1977, Melinda and Paul had a baby boy, David. Now 32, David is a journeyman carpenter.

As a neophyte photographer, she took her first portrait class through West Coast Photography School at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara in 1988. In that same year she joined the Professional Photographers of the Redwood Empire and won the prestigious "Print of the Month" competition at her very first meeting.

In the ensuing years, Melinda sat on the PPRE board of directors for 6 years, and was president of that organization in 1995, 1999 and again in 2005.

In 1990, her wedding album submission was voted "Album of the Year by the members of PPRE.

In late 1990, her then husband, Paul succumbed to brain cancer.

In 2000 she earned $100K all by herself with one part-time photo assistant.

In 2000, while surfing the internet, she met Ed Berland. As luck would have it, the two of them began dating as they discovered they had similar interests and shared a number of friends and acquaintances. They also discovered they were at Sonoma State at the same time, but in different departments.

In 2001, at Ed's suggestion, she joined the Santa Rosa Kiwanis Club, where she has sat on the board of directors for many years.

In 2003, she received her Masters and National Certification thru the Professional Photographers of America.



Later that year she acquiesced to Ed's proposal onboard the SS Norway (SS France), took pity on the poor sod and married him.

Married life with Ed had its challenges. He was into motorcycles, traveling, cruises and historical re-enactment.

He took her to Australia, where they toured via motorcycle. He took her to England, where she photographed people beating the bejabbers out of each other in the name of history. They went to Alaska where they flew in a helocopter and took pictures at the top of the Mendenhall Glacier.

Melinda also was the Photographer of the Year in 2006 thru PPRE, and also won the print of the year competition in that group.

In 2006, she won the "Portrait of the Year" through the Professional Photographers of the Greater Bay Area, a 500 member organization. In that same year she launched www.HorsesRArt.com, an Equine Art Gallery on the internet.

In 2008, Melinda won the Marin County Fair "Best of Show Award" in creative digital art. (This prestigious fair has over 2000 entries with only 600 accepted.)

At this point, Melinda was fast acquiring Bengal cats, discovered that Ed was not allergic to them, and acquired even more. At last count, there were 3 males and one female. Ever tried to herd cats? Ever tried to herd a husband? Anyway, in Melinda's spare time, she trains her thoroughbred horse, Charlie, does faux painting on woodwork and paints on ceramics.

For her business, Melinda is currently shooting many family, children and classy glamour portraits for women and weddings. Her favorite subject are mother and baby Renoir style, and Madonna and child portraits. She is a recognized award winning professional photographer with over 35 years of experience, including weddings and portraiture.

You can reach Melinda at Hughes Photography, 707.575.8301 or 707.799.5008. You can also contact her at mel@hughes-photography.com or info@horsesrart.com