Raymond Ordway epitomizes the essence of “The Legacy of the California Vaquero.” As a participant in one of the film shoots on that project, Ray demonstrated the timeless and graceful style that began in the 1700’s in California.

Ray and his wife of 50 years, LaVerne, quickly became supporters of the Essential Image Source Foundation’s documentary particularly recognizing the need of such a project for younger generations. As Ray stated, “This documentary needs to be made because the traditions and heritage, along with the older vaqueros are slowly disappearing.” Ray said he treasured being a part of the historical gathering of some of our country’s best vaqueros at the October 2007 film shoot and was proud to see the respect these horsemen had for one another during those days. "That same respect is tantamount to the identity of a vaquero" said Ray.

Rusty Chinnis is the quintessential Florida “location scout”. With the foundation’s “Guardians of the Gulf” red tide documentary, Rusty assisted EISF President, Susan Sember, in mapping out some of Florida’s most breathtaking Gulf locations to compile a production shot list. Rusty also supported the high definition video production by taking Susan and her crew to some of the Gulf’s most picturesque venues on the water, while he personally captained the boat donated by Cannons Marina, along with additional captaining and travel on Rusty’s personal boat for further filming.

The Essential Image Source Foundation’s film members come from a variety “walks of life.” Some are the traditional film crew members such as the cinematographers, editors and writers. Others are the scientific advisors, retired business persons, technical specialists and corporate sponsors. Yet another very critical and passionate group of members are the volunteers. This month, EISF’s Featured Film Member of the Month is one such volunteer, Jim Brye.

Promoting responsible use of the Channel Islands has long been on Jim Brye’s agenda. He served two three-year terms on the advisory council for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, which is a partner in the “Jewels of the Pacific: The Channel Islands” high definition docu-feature project.   For Brye, the film project is an opportunity to encourage visitors to explore the Channel Islands. “People need to go use the islands because they’re so close, and they’re so beautiful,” he said. “The unique thing about this sanctuary is it’s very pristine and almost primitive in the way it’s been protected, but it’s adjacent to a 15 million person population area.”

Dr. Ford “Bud” Cross describes his coming to work with the Channel Islands film project and The Essential Image Source Foundation as an amazing journey of “serendipity.” When Dr. Cross met The Essential Image Source Foundation’s President and Founder, Susan Sember, he had recently retired from his 33 year career with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and was enjoying fishing, participating in field trials with his dog Scout, and spending summers with his wife, Pat, at their cottage in northern Michigan.

Santa Barbara Applied Research, Inc. (SBAR) is a technical services and staffing company specializing in engineering, logistics, and information technology services to government and commercial customers. SBAR's headquarters are located in Ventura, on California's coastline overlooking the Channel Islands.

The Essential Image Source Foundation's film members come from all "walks of life." Some are the traditional film crew members such as the cinematographers, editors and writers. Others are the scientific advisors, retired business persons, technical specialists and corporate sponsors. Yet another very key and passionate group of members are the business and community leaders who are involved with our foundation. This month, EISF's Featured Film Member of the Month is one such leader, Lynn Mikelatos.