Dieter Zander, Neighbor

Dieter Zander of Novato turned to professional photography following a stroke and subsequent two-week coma in February 2008. Previously he had been a working musician, author, pastor and church music director, but the resulting speech disorder and the loss of the full use of his right hand prevented him from returning to that line of work. Although he can speak a few words at a time, his creativity is now focused on capturing time, space, texture and color in digital form and telling stories through poignant images. He posts his favorite shots on his daily blog and markets his best work on his website. Novato Patch is his first venture into photojournalism, although he took shots in Haiti following the earthquake. Dieter, 49, is a husband and father of three grown sons.